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The top TV recorders for Sky, Virgin, Freeview and Freesat

There may be a lot to watch on streaming services in 2022, whether that’s The Crown, Bridgerton or the latest Disney film, but Brits still value broadcast TV with 85% of us watching terrestrial telly each week. Viewing habits may be shifting towards internet content, but we think you’ll agree that public service broadcasters are important for society. A recent survey found that 90% of Brits want to see continued support for Freeview and broadcast radio.

And for those of us who prefer recordings to catch up, don’t want to pay for Sky channels, or just want to cut back on subscription direct debits amid the cost of living crisis, free-to-air digital channels on Freeview or Freesat are essential. We think you can’t beat the convenience of pausing, rewinding and recording your favourite live TV, and you’ll need one of the best set-top boxes to store those programmes.

Good quality TV set-top boxes give you access to a wide range of free-to-air digital channels – or to subscription channels through Sky or Virgin – and will let you record them to catch up later. That’s helpful if you’re a Wimbledon fan but the kids want to watch something else.

Here’s our pick of the best TV set-top boxes for your TV in 2022:

Once you’ve connected them to an aerial or satellite dish, all of today’s TVs pick up one or both of the UK’s free-to-air digital TV services (Freeview and Freesat). But, you can only pause and rewind live TV if you have a set-top box. There are benefits to getting a pay TV subscription box from the likes of Sky or Virgin too, as these have more premium channels for extra movies and shows. We’ve included Freeview, Freesat and subscription boxes in our roundup.

They all connect to your TV via an HDMI cable and deliver hundreds of channels (if not more) through either your aerial or dish. They come with built-in storage for recording your programmes, and many of the best set-top boxes connect to the internet to bring your streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video straight to your TV.

We try out the best set-top boxes and test out all the functions, including pausing and rewinding live TV, using them just like you would at home. We experiment with recording programmes, checking how many you can record and watch at once, and we look at how quickly you can navigate around the interface to find your recordings, so you can get on with watching The Repair Shop as soon as possible. We also check how easy it is to access catch-up and streaming services from the box.

If you’re looking for the best home entertainment setup and you aren’t too worried about the price, we’re sure you’re already looking at Sky. With the Sky Q box, the service brings you its massive library of channels and TV shows and movies from its TV package (you can add Cinema and Sports too – if you like). You can get all these premium channels (including its exclusive ​​Sky Atlantic that’s not on Virgin) in addition to streaming apps from Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime and more, all integrated into a simple home screen. With the default 1TB capacity, there’s enough space to record 500 hours of standard definition TV and 150 hours of HD TV, and the box is capable of recording from six channels while you’re watching a seventh live channel.

This is Sky’s most premium product to date, and it’s often updated with new streaming apps and features. If you want, you can set up four Sky Q Mini boxes to connect to your central box for a multiroom experience too. This enables you to pause a broadcast or recording in your living room and then continue it from the bedroom, for example. While Virgin Media and BT offer rival boxes that we’ve included below, we think it’s hard to match the specs that Sky Q offers and this is the best set-top box overall for a subscription. The only downside is that these costs add up – you’ll be paying at least £26 with a £20 setup fee, and this goes up depending on the add-ons and extras you pick.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable • Hard drive size: 1TB or 2TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 1 • TV service: Sky

After an alternative to the Sky Q box above? Your best bet is Virgin Media’s Virgin TV 360 box because it offers many of the same premium channels and recording capabilities. The key thing to note is that if you want the Virgin Media TV service, you need to have its broadband too. Once you do, you’re getting a competitive Sky rival that delivers a huge selection of premium channels (including Sky Showcase, MTV and Comedy Central), the ability to record six programmes simultaneously while watching a seventh, and the same 1TB of storage that the standard Sky box includes.

It has a wide selection of integrated streaming apps including Netflix, iPlayer and Prime Video, but some key players (like Disney+, Now, and Apple TV+) are missing. And, as with the Sky service, you can set up integrated billing for Netflix so that it’s tied to your overall Virgin bill. This is ideal for keeping your payments in one neat place, but other services like Amazon Prime will require additional subscriptions. Overall, it isn’t quite as slick as the Sky Q recorder above when it comes to the interface or design, but it should work out more affordable at £39.99 a month to bundle up your phone, broadband and TV package (with a £35 setup fee).

• Accessories: Remote control with batteries, HDMI cable, ethernet cable, aerial cable • Hard drive size: 1TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 1 • TV service: Virgin Media

Like the Virgin service above, to get BT TV you’ll also have to go with BT broadband, and getting these in a package can be better value than separate payments for your broadband and TV subscription. We think this is the best option if you’re looking for a TV upgrade and you’re already a BT customer as it’s straightforward to add it to your existing broadband package.

When it comes to its telly content, BT includes AMC and the Freeview channels, the big Sky channels via NOW (including Sky Atlantic) and a basic Netflix plan. Already have Netflix or Now? You can transfer billing to your BT account to keep it in one place. This standard entertainment package comes in at £17 a month, and BT is also great for sports, offering all four BT Sport channels for an extra £16.

The box itself has 1TB of storage to record up to 600 hours of standard definition programmes and 250 hours of HD TV. You can record up to three shows simultaneously while watching another live programme, and while this is a little less than the Sky or Virgin options, it’s enough for most people. It comes with the major catchup apps you’d expect, except for Disney+.

• Accessories: Remote control with batteries, HDMI cable, ethernet cable • Hard drive size: 1TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 1 • TV service: BT TV

This is our top pick as the best set-top box for Freeview. It’s available with either 1TB or 2TB of storage, and its interface allows you to watch and record live TV as well scroll backwards in the guide to access previously broadcast shows on catch-up. It can play programmes and films in 4K if they’re available (and you have a compatible 4K TV). You can record four different shows at one time (while watching a fifth one), and the Android Play Store is built-in. That means you can download thousands of apps including most major streaming services, but we’re disappointed to see that there are notable exceptions like Netflix and Now.

Google Assistant is built in, so you can play and pause some streaming services, get the weather, or control your smart home devices with your voice. On test, we found it quick to navigate around the interface, the programme guides and menus. We were impressed that you can use the Humax Aura app to stream recordings on your smartphone or tablet when you’re in the house but also download them to watch when you’re on the go. Until now, this has only been available through paid-for TV services.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable, ethernet cable, aerial cable • Hard drive size: 1TB or 2TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 2 • TV service: Freeview

This Freeview box is our runner-up pick as it’s a great option for all the basics you need from a set-top box. It’s available with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, and the highest storage option would give you a massive 500 hours of HD recording space. You can watch and record live TV and the box is capable of recording four different shows at the same time. It allows you to access all the major catch-up services (BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5) and a Netflix app (unlike the Aura above). But it doesn’t include apps for other paid-for streaming services like Amazon Prime or Disney+.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable, ethernet cable • Hard drive size: 500GB, 1TB or 2TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 2 • TV service: Freeview

If watching shows and movies in the highest possible quality is important, this set-top box offers some content in 4K resolution (if you have a compatible TV). This 4K quality is only available on the YouTube app and iPlayer catch-up, although more services may be added. The model we tested had 500GB of storage but you can get 1TB if you pay a bit more. When it comes to streaming, it doesn’t include support for subscription online services, such as Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video, but does have catchup services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5. As with other models, it lets you watch and record Freeview channels, and you can record two channels at the same time.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable • Hard drive size: 500GB or 1TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 1 • TV service: Freeview

Suppose the ability to record TV programmes is more of a priority for you than access to online catch-up services (or you already have a separate streaming device). In that case, this budget Freeview box that’s more affordable than the three options above may be ideal. It gives you the ability to record two channels at the same time and it’s straightforward to navigate through the interface and the programme guide. It’s only available with a 500GB hard drive, but that’s enough for up to 300 hours of standard definition recordings. We also like how the box alerts you if there’s a high-definition version of any programme you’re trying to record.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable • Hard drive size: 500GB • Internet connection: Wifi • Number of USB ports: 1 • TV service: Freeview

Want subscription-free TV and the ability to record through your satellite dish? This is the best set-top box you can buy for Freesat and we found it was quick to load programme guides, menus and on-demand players. Most of the UK’s major catch-up and streaming services (with some exceptions like Apple TV+, Disney+ and Channel 4) are available through the box too. They’re also integrated into the programme guide, so you can scroll backwards and forwards to launch previously broadcast shows or set up recordings in a couple of clicks. The entry-level 500GB size has enough room for up to 250 hours of programming and it can also record up to four broadcasts at once.

• Accessories: Remote control, 2x AAA batteries, HDMI cable • Hard drive size: 500GB or 1TB • Internet connection: Ethernet and wifi • Number of USB ports: 0 • TV service: Freesat

If you’re avoiding the pay TV options on our list, there are two main types of set-top box to consider. A Freeview box requires an aerial to receive broadcasts while a Freesat box requires a satellite dish. Below, we’ve run through some of the other differences:

Freeview: Freeview offers around 70 standard definition (SD) channels, 15 high definition (HD) channels and more than 30 radio channels (depending on your location). Already have an aerial? This is the option we’d recommend.

There are two main choices when it comes to Freeview set-top boxes:

Freeview Play boxes have catch-up services such as iPlayer and ITV Player integrated into the programme guide, so you can quickly play a previously broadcast show, even if you haven’t recorded it. These often include other streaming apps too.

Freeview+ set-top boxes are more affordable but lack the ability to scroll backwards through the programme guide and don’t have some catch-up services.

Freesat: The satellite-based service offers the same digital channels as Freeview, plus a handful of extra HD, music and niche channels. It’s ideal for homes that struggle to get a strong signal from a digital aerial. It’s also cheaper if you already have a satellite dish connected to your home because you used to have Sky. The Freesat set-top box we’ve included here also allows you to scroll backwards and forwards through the programme guide and quickly access shows on catch-up services.

HD or SD: Most of the best TV set-top boxes can receive HD channels, but not all of them can. Some only give you access to SD quality. Some of the boxes on our list go one step further and offer the highest 4K video quality, but it’s worth noting that this isn’t yet available on broadcast TV and is more relevant for your connected streaming services.

Hard drive: If you want to record TV shows, you’ll need a set-top with a built-in hard drive. Expect to choose between 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage space. As a guide, you can record up to 300 hours of SD shows or around 125 hours of HD shows on a 500GB hard drive.

TV streaming services: Some set-top boxes let you stream online TV shows and films without the need for an extra device, but you will need an internet connection. The services vary between boxes - some only offer the UK’s major catch-up services, while others include subscription-based apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+.

Internet connection: Most set-top boxes have an ethernet port so you can run a cable between your router and the box. However, if your router is in another room, you may need to trail cables through the house. The best set-top boxes come with wifi, so you can place them away from the router, and we’ve made sure every model on this list connects via wifi.