I am happy and priviledged to review so far the most affordable yet dependable DTV Box that you can find either offline or online, this is the Win ISDB-T DTV Box.
The one that I got was the white which is the latest model from Royal Antennacraft Industries. Last November 2015, they introduced a different design yet at a bit higher price at Php 1,799
You can see the top and bottom parts of Win ISDB-T DTV Box
At the front, you can see the LCD display, channel up and down buttons, power button and regular USB port which you can use for playing media files as well as to record your fave TV shows. The back part has much packed ports like Antenna In, Antenna Out (which is the one that you will need to insert together with the provided antenna), regular HDMI out, the 3 audio and video ports, coaxial port (you can use your present over-the-air antenna here) and DC port.
The top and bottom parts of the device which is made from glossy plastic yet still looks presentable. In return, the device is light which is quite comparable to some of the phablets that I previously reviewed. I love the size of the ventilation holes to lessen the heat inside. They are confident that you can use it 24/7.
The box also includes the stock antenna with 8 meter cable (that is 3 meters longer than this known competitior) with magnetic base, A/V cable and antenna
Of course the remote is important.
Booting in the first time is quick as you will be greeted by the simple WIN logo. Better to place your antenna outside at the highest point possible. Don't worry as the antenna can sustain the heavy rains and will not disrupt the signal. Auto scan the device to get the available DTV channels in your area. In my test area in Muntinlupa, I got ABS-CBN, Sports & Action, TV5, Aksyon TV, Catsup, UNTV, ADDTV and all of 8 channels under BEAM. I noticed that it can get both the full and 1 seg channels. Of course, the DTV channel availability will be dependent in your area. Safe to say that the entire NCR was a-ok and I also tested one spot in Sto.Tomas Batangas (only the first 2 channels mentioned were visible).
The menu consists of programs (which contains EPG), picture (which you can set the aspect ratio and resolution from 480p to 1080i, based on my test do not attempt to select 1080p 60hz), channel search, time, option, system and USB which will be your haven for recording the TV shows and accessing your media files. Overall, I got no problems in terms of video quality and signal using HDMI to HDMI cable.
On recording, the device can recognize so far the FAT32 file system (not sure on other formats). Do not worry on your USB as it will auto create a folder for your recording which has an .mts video format on 60fps either I recorded a channel on HD or FHD.
On this screenshot via MX Player on Android, it recorded at 873 x 480 on a Full HD channel wile it's 640 x 480 on HD. On average, it will accumulate 1 to 1.1 GB for an hour of recording.
I did a test on recording as you can record a channel while watching another channel by scheduling the recording process by putting in the corresponding channel, time and date. Pretty cool.
The Win ISDB-T DTV Box is now available thru Lazada Philippines for Php 1,399 (just look at the corresponding picture) and Royalantennacraft Industries FB page. If you are not caring about those exclusive DTV channels and want a clearer TV viewing plus to record your fave programs, this device is a good-to-go. I will gonna rate it at 4.5 out of 5.
Better if you will gonna buy this device thru this link
