Leadtek DTV1000 T digital TV tuner

The Leadtek comes with its own software and I was keen to see what it could do. After installing it and trying to launch the software I ran into problems, getting the error message, 'Failed to Connect to Decoders'. I guessed this was due to a conflict with Media Center so I uninstalled everything and started again. This time all was well. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Leadtek software. It's not the last word in UI design by a long way, but I've seen far, far worse. There are three skins to choose from though all are a touch quirky. Most impressive though was the fact that it actually works and the experience was only blighted by one major crash. Leadtek has already updated the software since it first came out, adding UK EPG support, so hopefully further stability improvements and feature enhancements are on the horizon.

One thing that ought to be added is a setup wizard. When the software first launches you're presented with an empty screen and you have to hunt around to find the configuration options, represented by a spanner. Inside, you select your region and the card goes off and scans for channels. It did so quickly and listed each one with the appropriate logo so it's easy to recognise. On the left-hand side of the screen there are various tabs for different options. In the capture settings you can select between, 'Programme Stream', which will record the programme you're tuned in to in MPEG 2 format, or it will record the raw programme stream. This will enable you to record all the programs being received at the same time. However, to view the different channels they have to be separated first, a process known as demuxing and you'll have to get third-party software to do this. This is a complicated process and one for adventurous users only.

When it comes to recording a programme in the normal way there's an on screen EPG, a feature that really sets the product apart from any analogue tuner. Right click on a programme and a dialogue box appears enabling you to record or set it up for a series or weekly recording.

Hold the mouse over the virtual LCD screen on the software and a list of channels pops up. Unfortunately, this appeared in a random order mixing up TV stations and radio stations. The fact that is automatically pops up is a little irritating, as you have to be careful where you move your mouse.

The software is also capable of some neat tricks. There's a Picture-and-Picture setting, which enables you to watch two channels at the same time with audio from both. A bar across the screen represents the audio and you slide it one way or the other to raise or lower volume. You also have a Picture-in-Picture setting where you have one channel appear in a small box and a Picture-on-Picture mode, which enables you to change the channel of the smaller image via arrow at the top. Double-click on the channel and it will swap places with the larger one. The best trick though is the Channel surf option, which enables you to bring up a thumbnail view of each channel, with the amount that will fit on your screen only limited by the resolution of your display. The channel the mouse sits over is active while the others display the last frame.