ABS-CBN TVPlus Review

After moving on to cable TV several years ago, we are back to free tv.  Albeit the digital kind.  We opted for ABS-CBN's TVPlus. Since we live in Laguna (Biñan to be exact), your signal reception may vary from mine. 

What's in the box?  The usual:
Actual unit
Remote
Indoor antenna
Power adapter
Batteries for the remote
AV cable
Free ABS-CBN mobile sim

The inclusion of indoor antenna and AV cables means that you just really need to plug the cables and you're good to go. 



Setup is very easy. It's like setting up a DVD player. Just plug the AV cables in (they are color coded as they use RCA which is a total bummer of you ask me). Screw in the indoor antenna and place it somewhere high or preferably on your window. If you have a mosquito screen it might be better to place it outside the window because screens are notorious for blocking signals. Take note though that the antenna is for indoor use only. So if it starts to pour, don't forget to pull the antenna back inside!

What I like about it:

• You can practically buy this from anywhere. I suggest getting it from Lazada. They have been giving away coupons and discounts as of late. That way you can shave off a couple of hundreds specially since this is not cheap (more of this later).
• I like the exclusive channels if you can get them in your area (due to signal strength)
• Since it's digital, picture quality is of expected.

What I don't like:

• It's expensive! Just do a Google search and you could get something similar for less. Swing by Electronics Boutique, I've heard they sell something similar for around P1,600 - P1,800.
• RCA connectors instead of HDMI - this means that picture quality is degraded a little. Think of this, broadcast is digital and then converted to analog (due to the use of RCA cables). I can't exactly say for sure how much quality is dropped in the conversion since I don't have another box that uses HDMI to compare and it's not like the cable is very long but it is bound to be and specially noticeable if you have a TV bigger than 40".
• You can't delete channels you don't like.
• The manual is very unprofessionally made. Not that it is important but c'mon!

Bottom line:
Hmm, if you can swallow P2,500 and you don't mind using RCA cables, then go for it. Product as overall, I would say it is good. The included antenna isn't so bad in our area. Although signal is a little skimpy for GMA 7 and other channels.  Some people say that using a real antenna could fix it.  We rarely watch TV so we'll just use the provided indoor antenna --for now..