How much is a set top box in South Africa? That’s something that a lot of people have been asking. Set top boxes are similar to decoders. On 31 March 2022, South Africa moved over to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). To get SABC and other free channels, you need to have a set-top-box. Government provided set top boxes were free for people who qualify. You needed to be below a certain income threshold, and you could get one from your nearest post office. You are here because you now wish to buy a set-top-box to be able to watch SABC without DSTV. How much is it?
Set top box price
The following are the prices for set top boxes in South Africa;
| Set-top-box | Price | Monthly subscription |
|---|---|---|
| OpenView | R649 | Free |
| DSTV | R379 | From R29/m |
| Digital TV Decoder DVB T2 + S2 Combo | R599 | Free |
Explanation
That’s the answer to the question; “how much is a set top box?” In general, the above are the best options for those looking to get DTT. You can buy an OpenView decoder at the price mentioned above. This decoder requires a dish, so you may have to factor in the price of that if its a new installation.
However, if you already had your dish installation set up, it will be a simple matter of slotting in the new OpenView decoder. OpenView does not require monthly subscriptions. It means this is a great cost for those looking to get public channels without having to pay every month.
The next option is for you to buy a DSTV decoder. The cheapest of these starts at R379 per month at most stores in South Africa. DSTV offers a monthly subscription service. However, prices are very cheap. The cheapest package costs R29 per month. That’s the DSTV EasyView package.
Another option is to buy the Digital TV Decoder DVB T2 + S2 Combo or any other set top box. This particular one costs R599 at Makro. The great thing about this set-top-box is that you don’t need to pay anything per month. It also works with a decoder and with DTT without a dish.
Summary
In this article, we answered the question “how much is a set top box.” We noted that you need a set-top-box if you wish to free channels in South Africa, including all the SABC channels. The options that are there is to get a free government provided set-top-box.
This option was only available to those earning R3500 per month. If you are out of this bracket, you will need to look for a set top box. There are many options in this regard. One option is to get DSTV. You can also get OpenView. You can also buy a TV with the “Go Digital” or “DVB-T2” sign. These ones do not need a set-top-box to get DSTV.
Here is how to activate your OpenView decoder