Leadtek DTV1000 T digital TV tuner

The software will, of course, enable you to pause TV, but to do this you have to first press the time shift key. I would make this a default so that pausing is always available. Once paused you can forward and rewind at your leisure and it worked reliably for me.

These functions are most easily accessible from the remote. The remote is not the most appealing of objects, being bulky and made of cheap white plastic with spongy buttons. The most amusing button is 'Boss Mode' which will immediately make the picture and audio disappear only to pop back when you press the button again. You can also use the remote to shut down your PC or launch the TV application.

The specs list HDTV and AC3 compatibility but it's a moot point in the UK as it will be many years before this is available over an aerial. Pleasingly, also included in the box are copies of Ulead Videostudio 9 SE, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 4 SE and Ulead Cool 3D SE for video editing and VCD/DVD/SVCD authoring.

Overall, this is a good product that really does do what it should. The fact that it can be run with another card to enables dual recording or recording while watching another channel is a real plus. However, cards that feature dual digital tuners on a single board are starting to appear so this might have limited appeal save for price. Indeed we'll have a review of a dual DVB tuner on the site soon.

Verdict

A solid product that offers good quality digital TV pictures with dual-tuner compatibility for MCE 2005 and when used with the supplied software, serves up a number of viewing tricks.

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