Freeview boxes continue to be the most unreliable piece of kit in the house.
So far: 1 Nokia, 1 Phillips and 3 Daewoo set top boxes have all died within 2 years. And last night my Matsui DTR3 also died. Under two years old. It blew its fuse, and looking inside, it also melted a component on the circuit board, which could have caused a fire. You can’t turn these things off.
I suppose at around £25, it is clearly designed to be replaced after its life. But 2 years is a disappointingly short life expectancy for something with no moving parts.
Transistor radios go on for ever, so why not set-top boxes? I blame the manufacturers for not testing the plastic boxes these things are housed in. I will be adding ventilation holes when the replacement arrives today.
Interestingly, my DAB radio has a tiny cooling fan inside.
