I have owned this Freeview STB for over 4 years now and it hasn't let me down once. Excellent quality, very good looking and extremely fast. No delay changing channels and for an older box has features that put most modern Freeview boxes to shame. EPG is fast, never slows down. Digital text works without a hitch, picture quality via RGB scart is fantastic as is the audio quality routed through my AV amplifier. Second scart can be configured for smartlink which means that when you set a timer it will send a signal to a compatible VCR or DVD recorder telling it to switch on and record, then sends another signal when the program finishes telling it to stop and switch off. The remote is probably the weakest part, over time the button icons/text rub off and the remote buttons become weaker. However I use a universal remote anyway so it isn't a problem. It is a real shame this machine is no longer manufactured, if Sony made a PVR of their own using this boxes features, reliability and menu/epg (and not one from Vestel with their own badge on it) it would probably be one of the best machines available. If you spot one for sale on Ebay or in a second hand shop, BUY IT!. Mine has now been relegated to the bedroom as I have a Freeview PVR in the living room, but oh how I miss the Sony sometimes.

Had the Sony VTXD800U for 1 year. Excellent, just a bit expensive.

The VTXD800U is no longer manufactured by Sony but this was given to me by my father. I had read reviews saying how good the box is so I hoped it might be good as I have been unsuccessful with Bush and Wharfedale models.

I was a little disappointed that, even though it was saying the signal strength and quality was good, the picture was breaking up on several channels. We even changed our aerial to a high gain digital aerial but it wasn't much better. At first I could not get ITV or Channel 4. Eventually I found that moving the co-axial cable away from the power cables seemed to make a marked difference and it tuned into 89 channels whereas before I was getting 51 maximum.

I feel that the Sony box may have been overtaken by newer models such as Sagem and Humix. I have seen it for sale second hand for £80+ but I don't think it is actually worth the extra now. As my TV is also Sony I only need to use the one remote control without needing to put in a code first - this has been the greatest benefit for me as I can switch back to analogue channels if the picture breaks up (usually on ITV or Channel 5).

I bought this item after having owned a Goodmans. What a difference. This box is so much easier to set up; plug in, push a couple of buttons, and hey presto it's ready to use. Once you have set it up you can swap the channels around and put them in whichever order you prefer, and block off all those that you cannot watch without paying to view. Any others that you don't watch you can hide, and retrieve them easily if you change your mind. I even bought one for my father, who has the knowledge of a wood-louse when it comes to electrical devices, and he has set it up and used it all by himself.
Unlike the goodmans, when this box needs an upgrade, it does it automatically, in the background, so you don't even know that it has happened.
This is, by far, the most reliable box that I have used. It is now two years old, and the only maintenance it has needed is the occasional dusting.
I am also told that if you do have problems, then Sony are happy to discuss it with you to try to resolve issues. When I tried that with Goodmans, I was unable to get any useful help at all.

Buy with confidence. And no, I don't have shares in the company

I bought this Sony VTXD800U when it first came out, purely on the strength of the brand name. When I needed a second box I had no hesitation in getting another one. I'm now in a position to get a third. Having experienced cheap models at friends' houses, I wouldn't touch any other model than this one. Well worth the higher price.

I bought the Sony VTXD800U freeview box to replace a Goodmans, which kept turning itself off (as found by other reviewers). I bought the Sony solely on the strength of consistent excellent reviews, and it did produce a good picture. However, there were at least three key channels which even the Goodmans could receive, where the Sony was totally unreliable. These included Channel 5. I have now replaced the Sony with a Sagem ITD61G (at almost a third of the price) and this has, so far, been totally reliable.

It's hard to find much wrong with the Sony VTXD800U freeview box. It works well with under-strength signal, and perfectly with 100% signal strength and quality.

Everything seems possible via the menu, though I found re-ordering the programmes to my liking lengthy.

The biggest disappointment is absence of the TopUpTV slot. I'm reluctant to get rid of the Sony for a model with a TopUpTV slot as the Sony is so good.

Our Sony VTXD800U has outperformed every other freeview box I have had by miles! It is pricey at £80 but well worth the extra cash! No freezes EVER! Full signal strength, great picture quality and an epg that might see me getting rid of my Digiguide on the PC.

I promised to come back after 3 months!
Like many others I was frustrated with poor Freeview set-top boxes and did a lot of research. Curry's box @ £29 is remarkably good value, but freezes up and needs to be re-programmed 2-3 times a week. The Hauppage DEC 1000t despite its high price and mini good looks is rubbish - even after a replacement, it froze every day, and didnt get sound on some channels. Others start off well, but have problems after 6 months or so.
Hurrah for Sony! Had the Sony VTXD800U for 4 months now, always there, never been re-programmed, VERY fast channel change and excellent quality vision and sound. Just bought a 2nd one!
Dave

I have tried many STB`s and I think the Sony VTXD800U freeview box is one of the best on the market. It copes very well with poor signals, giving you a perfect picture where others fail.

Channel change is quick, and text services are also very quick (EPG access is instant), the box provides a full 8 day EPG. You can advance 24 hours in the EPG, but only once you discover the option appears after pressing the cycle button. Another bug is if you move any channels around it deletes the timer list without any warning. The 10 event timer is well implemented though. It is able to control an attached VCR if it accepts smartlink, otherwise you must program both. It also has a skip channel option, handy for all those channels you never watch.

Setup is also very quick, one of the fastest I`ve seen (under 90 seconds).

This box has 2 Scarts and both optical and co-axial digital audio out. The TV scart is RGB but, but the VCR one isn't, which is a pity in the age of DVD recorders as they work best with a RGB input. There is an RF loop through but it has no modulator, so you need a scart socket on your TV to use this box. It has the option of horizontal or vertical mounting, which is handy.

The remote is average size, and it is well laid out and has a few special keys for controlling your TV.

So a well made machine of the quality you expect from Sony, and well worth the slightly higher price it costs.

I bought this after reading all the reviews on this site and it really is a superb piece of equipment, even if it is a little pricey.
You have full control over what actions it takes, from selecting wide screen or normal , RGB, PAL or Y/C outputs, and using 'Smart Link' or not.
If your DVD/VCR recorder is 'Smart Link' enabled, then Video Plus codes become obsolete.
The VTXD800U sends a signal to the recorder when the programme that you select from the Electronic Programme Guide starts, and recording from that point is totally automatic.
It does pay to shop arround for this item, and I found a price difference of £30 between retail outlets.
I thoroughly recommend this Freeview Box to anyone.

Sony VTXD800U - Checked out rest of my family's digiboxes and they were all rubbish (a digifusion, a Panasonic and a brand I can't remember). Looked at reviews and the Sony came out on top. The reviews are correct. It worked straight from the box with no setup and no use of the manual. Better quality by far than the analogue and great sound too. Get one in preference to any other box. Can be placed vertical too.

The Sony VTXD800U is the best Freeview box at the moment. Reception is excellant, even off a standard TV aerial. Menus are simple and easy to understand.
Picture and sound are of a good quality from an old TV. The size of the box is small and easy to set up. I've had the Nokia Mediamaster 221T, it packed in after 13 months use, and not of the quality of the Sony by a long way. Stick with the Sony, which is slowly dropping in price.

OK agreed, this is one pricey freeview box. I mean, I only brought it purely on the basis that it was Sony and that I have never had any trouble from any of their consumer electronics. The same goes with the VTXD800U. The software used inside is fantastic. According to Sony too, it has a large cache to hold more EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) information. In essence, this gives a faster downtime when selecting beteen channels and should increase stability on A/V. Personally, I have to agree here. The fluidity of 'channel hopping' on this system just feels good and I have never witnessed a break-up in sound or picture.

The Smartlink feature is useful too. Of course you must have a VCR or DVD recorder that supports it. Basically it means you record programmes easily using the freeview box without having to piddle around with a VCR or DVD recorder. Just set it on the EPG. Even if you don't have Smartlink enabled equipment, you can still utilise it by making sure you set your VCR etc.
The 7-day timer and listings is brilliant here too.

Overall I'm happy with my purchase. It could have been bundled with an LCD display on the front but that's just me being pedantic. I would recommend this to anyone. The only freeview box I can compare this with is the old ITV digital Nokia boxes. This quite honestly pisses all over it.