Watch the goggle box using USB 2.0

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Supplier: Avermedia
Price: See Avermedia web page
Web: AVERMEDIA
Description: USB 2.0 based portable TV player
Requirements: Pentium 4 2.8GHz (but see review), USB 2.0 port(s), Windows XP, PCI VGA card, 1GB hard drive space

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WE DON'T KNOW what the TV is like in your country, but over here there's still a number of channels worth watching. Full marks still to the BBC, a sitting target for UK governments, whatever their persuasion, and their commercial competitors. The newer Freeview TV channels like BBC3 and BBC4 are worth watching when you want to avoid soaps, makeover programmes and "reality vision" too. The latest estimates for Freeview set top boxes in the UK had the figure as well over three million.

Enter, then, the AverTV DVB-T USB 2.0. This kit includes a small 3-inch by 2.5-inch box with a socket for TV and USB, a remote control with batteries, and a USB cable, as well as a small antenna.

The USB cable has one end which plugs into the little box, and at the other end two USB connectors. Why two? The manual explains that the box might require more power and if so, you need to plug in both connectors. When we tested this on our notebook, we discovered that's exactly what we needed to do to fire up the system.

The little antenna, which has a magnetic base, may, Avermedia says, not be sufficient to pick up TV. We live in a place where that's certainly true. To be able to pick up the channels, we had to plug our TV aerial into the back of the box. It might work fine if you live somewhere where the reception is much better.

Once the box has power, a blue LED lights up on the front, and the software detects a signal, you are invited to scan for digital TV and radio channels. Here's the beginning of the list we got here:

You're also faced with a digitised representation of the remote control that comes with the box which lets you change channels, record programmes, capture snapshots of the screens and the other functions of the "real" remote control.

Does it work? It does work. Here's a bit of a grainy snapshot of our notebook running a TV channel below - we noticed there was some delay when we changed channels, but then the Freeview box we use also takes a little while to sync to the right channel. You can show the TV picture full screen on your PC and you can also record programmes, although obviously you're constrained by the amount of hard drive space that you have. The drawbacks for the system using a notebook is that battery life is considerably lessened, as you'd expect. Resolution for TV is 720 x 480 for NSTC and 720 x 576 for PAL.

We have another question too. Say we took our notebook on the road with the dinky little aerial and managed to scan TV channels. Would we be expected to buy another TV licence fee? UK readers, flip over here to the mob who regulate and enforce TV licensing in the UK.

This site tells us that a colour TV licence is £121 a year, and a black and white licence £40.50. It tells us if you use a TV to receive or record TV programmes, such as a PC with a broadcast card in your second home, you need a second licence. "If you only use a TV set powered by its own internal batteries, you do not need a separate TV licence". What about if you attempt to watch TV with your notebook in a Starbucks in Central London using this device? On this matter, the authorities appear to be silent. And if you think it doesn't matter, you could be fined up to £1,000.

So. This product works pretty well. The dinky little aerial might work in some areas, but we doubt how effectual it might be. Next time we're out and about, we'll give it a whirl. Other than that, this unit does what it says it will do on the box. The system requirements recommend a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 system, but the ULV 900MHz Pentium M in our notebook coped with it all without any problems. µ