The standard is national, and so is the tuner
Broadcast television is the one part of this catalogue that is genuinely different in each country, and the specification reflects it: DVB-T2 with HEVC in most of Europe, with national platform requirements on top, and DVB-S2 for satellite. A receiver that is right in one country can be useless one border away, and that is a fact to state rather than a detail. Past the tuner, the useful features are PVR recording to USB and timeshift, which need a disk and a stated file system, and the number of tuners — two lets you record one channel while watching another. The last thing to read is the codec list, since a receiver limited to H.264 will lose channels as broadcasters migrate. We compare tuner standards, codec support, recording and timeshift, tuner count, and outputs.
DVB-T2 · H.265 HEVC · Full HD · USB · HDMI · SCART · S/PDIF · IR eye · 6 000 channel memory
The cheapest receiver here, with H.265 HEVC decoding and an S/PDIF output — the codec that terrestrial broadcasting has migrated to, and a digital audio path.
Best for: Free-to-air terrestrial television, on any television, at the lowest cost — with the codec that keeps it working.
≈ 26 €
DVB-C/C2 and DVB-T/T2 combo · HDTV · HDMI · SCART · USB · coaxial
A combo receiver covering cable and terrestrial with both HDMI and SCART — the most connections on this shelf for the least money.
Best for: A household that is not sure whether it will use cable or terrestrial, on a television of any age.
≈ £28 / 27 €
DVB-T and DVB-T2 HD · PVR recording · HDMI · SCART · USB · radio
A terrestrial receiver with recording and a SCART output — the second matters more than it sounds, because it is what connects to a television without HDMI.
Best for: An older television without HDMI, or a second set where SCART is the only input.
≈ 39 €
DVB-C and DVB-T2 combo · USB media player · PVR ready · timeshift · integrated Irdeto access system
A combo receiver that handles both cable and terrestrial, with recording and timeshift — and an integrated conditional access system, which is a national specification.
Best for: A German household with either cable or terrestrial reception, where recording matters.
≈ 40 €
DVB-T2 HD receiver · aerial included · HDMI cable included · 3 months freenet included · USB media player
A bundle rather than a receiver: the box, an aerial, a cable and three months of the encrypted platform — everything needed to receive television in one purchase.
Best for: A first terrestrial setup where the point is to have television working the same evening.
≈ 60 €
