Review Elgato’s previous EyeTV DTT Deluxe, which we reviewed in September 2008, was heralded as the world’s smallest USB TV tuner. Just over a year on, and the company has launched a second record breaking tuner – one that’s about half the size of its predecessor.
Elgato’s EyeTV DTT Deluxe: ridiculously small
And there’s another first: this is long-time Mac specialist Elgato’s first product to ship with full support for Windows users, specifically Windows 7 drivers for out-of-the-box Media Center compatibility.
First, though, the hardware. The new DTT Deluxe takes up less room in the box than the wrapped pair of AAA batteries used to power the Freeview-friendly remote control Elgato ships with the tuner. The tuner is barely bigger than its USB connector and while it’s not as tiny as the adaptors that come with many a wireless mouse, it’s still very small indeed. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Remember how flatscreen TVs used to look: dominated by huge side- or bottom-mounted speakers and with large silver or grey bezel frames? The latest models are positively anorexic in comparison, shaving centimetres off every dimension except the display itself.
Sony’s Bravia KDL-46Z5500: handsome
So this handsome 1080p model from Sony, the 46in member of the Z5500 family, has a reasonably slim profile. It’s not as super-thin as some, but even so, the frame is pleasingly small and there are no big speakers on display, with the gloss black bezel looking attractive, understated and neat.
All this dieting means the Z series is noticeably lighter than other, comparable 46in LCD screens, though with luck, once you’ve positioned it in your living room you won’t be lugging it around too much.
Set-up is simplicity itself: switch on, follow the on-screen instructions, then wait briefly while the TV tunes in to the available digital and analogue stations. And you’re ready, though obviously if you want to tweak the settings for picture, sound and favourite channels – does anyone actually tune favourite channels? – you have a little more work to do. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Last year we reviewed Elgato’s EyeTV 310 satellite TV tuner for Macs. It wasn’t a brand new product, but the launch of the Freesat service here in the UK meant that we were curious to see how the device would handle the new service – especially the HD broadcasts on the free-to-air BBC HD channel.
Elgato’s EyeTV Sat
The EyeTV 310 had a few rough edges, such as its reliance on a Firewire interface at a time when even Apple appeared to be losing interest in Firewire. However, its main weakness was the £240 price tag, which made it something of a niche product for satellite TV aficionados.
The EyeTV 310 has now been discontinued, and replaced with the new EyeTV Sat. This new model is a lot smaller and more compact, and the price has come down from £240 to £180. That’s still about three times the price of an ordinary Freeview TV tuner but, at this price, it starts to look like a viable alternative to a dedicated Freesat recorder or set-top box.
Designed in silver and white to match the style of the current crop of Mac models, the EyeTV Sat measures just 10cm wide, 15.5cm deep and 2.7cm high, and sits quite comfortably on top of the Mac Mini that we use as a media centre with our Samsung TV. And, in fact, most of that space is required for the Common Interface (CI) slot that’s used to plug in additional pay-TV cards. Read the rest of this entry »
Review When we reviewed the diminutive philips GoGear Spark MP3 player back in March, we were quietly impressed. Now that philips has introduced the larger Opus, it’s time to see if the Spark was just a flash in the pan.
philips has clearly followed the old axiom of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ because the Opus has similar design traits to its previous PMPs. Still, if the Opus looks a little old fashioned, it remains smart and solid in its gloss black and brushed aluminium case. At 107×11x57mm and weighing 95g, it’s very similar to Samsung’s P3, although that has a 3in touch screen, while the Opus sports a non-touch 2.8in 320×240 affair. Read the rest of this entry »
Review Pioneer makes great plasma TVs featuring the deep blacks and impressively high contrast that this technology offers. For years the company’s mantra was akin to ‘Plasma good, LCD bad’. So it was a surprise last year when Pioneer announced it would be making LCD screens. Like the plasma models, these screens are called Kuro. The word is Japanese for black and the brand is synonymous with high-contrast, high-priced, high-performance screens.
Black is black: Pioneer’s Kuro KRL-37V
The thinking behind LCD sets, Pioneer explained, was the opportunity to make smaller screens – a place where plasma cannot easily go. After all, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Pioneer plasma smaller than 50 inches, and not everyone has room for that or its 60in sibling. So, by utilising the high-contrast filter used on its plasma models, Pioneer claims this new Kuro range affords deeper blacks than previously seen on LCDs. Read the rest of this entry »
