HD ready

In this scenario, WMC does all the heavy lifting and once you’ve provided some details on your location you get a full-featured EPG and a much better interface. The downside is that the included remote is not compatible with WMC and Vista users will have to upgrade to Windows 7 to receive HD channels.

The NanoStick certainly makes the most of full-HD screen

While the Nanostick will have appeal for the avid traveller, being sure of a decent signal is always going to be an issue. Those with country aerial equipped country retreats may find it an ideal option, but that's certainly a niche market. Incidentally, there’s the DistanTV feature which allows anything with a web browser to control the NanoStick T2 and stream whatever you’re watching over any suitable connection. This works well, even on the iPhone, but again is it necessary if you already have an internet connection?

Verdict

All-in-all, if you’re unable to replace a TV tuner with an Internet connection, then £80 is probably a wise investment to be able to enjoy HDTV on the go, if there's a signal... or record programmes ahead of time to watch later. If you can cope with the remote and TVCenter’s interface or Windows Media Centre then the nanoStick T2 will do exactly what you need it to. ®

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PCTV Nanostick T2

Portable Freeview HD tuner and recording package for Windows PCs.

Price: £90 RRP

More Info: PCTV Nanostick T2 page

COMMENTS

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All Reader Comments (35)

Highly Rated

Posted Tuesday 2nd August 2011 13:22 GMT

Robert E A Harvey

Did you try this on Linux?

because it seems that most of the magic is in the software.

Posted Tuesday 2nd August 2011 14:55 GMT

ChrisC

The only time you'd want to use this...

...might be the only time *you'd* want to use it, but it's not the only time others would want to use it.

Streaming live/recorded TV is all well and good if you've got a decent broadband connection, but isn't much good for people with ropey connections or no connections at all, and might not be much good for people with fast enough connections hobbled by download limits.

Then, as you say, *nearly* all Freeview channels can be viewed online. So anyone who wants to watch one of the other channels is going to be stuck no matter how good their network connection is.

At home I've got a broadband connection easily good enough to stream HD content all day long without any fuss, but my mediacentre PC still has a dual DVB-T tuner card fitted (and will be getting a HD upgrade at some point) because it's more convenient for me - if I want to watch something I don't have to think to myself "hmm, which website do I need to visit to stream this show", or be faced with a "sorry, this programme isn't available online" message. Also, since I tend to catch up on some shows on the bus/train/etc, having them recorded in a form which is easy to convert into something my Desire S can play is also rather handy.

Posted Tuesday 2nd August 2011 14:14 GMT

Paul 77