Hauppauge Digital has today introduced the WinTV HVR-900, a tiny 'TV stick' that fits into to a regular USB 2.0 socket and adds live TV to a laptop or desktop computer.

The miniature TV tuner, which is small enough to carry on a keyring, can receive analogue and digital terrestrial TV (Freeview), and is ideal for laptop owners on the move.

Priced at £74.99 (inc. VAT), the WinTV HVR-900 is supplied with a high-gain aerial. Laptop owners can simply plug the stick into a USB 2.0 socket and position the aerial to receive up to 40 digital TV channels on their computer.

The device also allows you to record live TV to your PC's hard disk drive for later playback, or to burn to DVD (approximately 1.6GB per hour). The HVR-900 is simplicity itself to install, says Hauppauge. One connected, the software tunes to all available analogue or Freeview TV channels (including digital radio).

Digital reception should provide incredibly sharp TV pictures and near CD quality audio, although you may be disappointed with the bundled travel aerial (based on our experience). The unit comes with a 2-year warranty and includes Hauppauge's WinTV 2000 software on CD-ROM, for viewing and recording programmes.

'The HVR-900 is perfect for TV on the move,' said Yehia Oweiss, VP of European Sales of Hauppauge Digital. 'You could have the HVR-900 plugged into your desktop PC at home, then simply unplug it and take it with you and your laptop wherever. The supplied high gain aerial gives excellent picture quality in all but weak signal areas, making it the perfect travelling companion all over Europe.'

The HVR-900 will hit the high street stores by the end of the month.

BIOS, Nov 22, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Video