Trek ThumbDrive Tuner

Juniper Foo | Jun 30, 2006

DVB-T (digital video broadcast-terrestrial) USB receivers, or digital TV tuners, aren't new. So when we stumbled onto Trek's upcoming ThumbDrive Tuner at its CommunciAsia2006 booth, what caught our attention was its rather unusual marriage of tuner and flash memory. Trek will initially be offering 512MB and 1GB capacities, followed later by 2GB and 4GB editions. This gizmo may be tiny, but it's one big bad mama. Out of the box, it's capable of real-time recording, time-shifting, and switching between mass storage and TV tuner without having to unplug the device. It's also able to support EPG (electronic program guide) and teletext where available, while the antenna offers the flexibility of being a clip-on or extension. Too bad for Mac users, this one works on only Win Me and later. Take note. The tuner accesses only free-to-air programs in Singapore and supports standard definition (MPEG-2 broadcast) for now. However, a high-def version (MPEG-4 broadcast) is expected soon. Meanwhile, our Lab rats are running it through tests, so watch out for our full review soon.

Price update: S$140 for 512MB (US$88.66), S$160 for 1GB (US$101.33)
Availability: Expected 2nd week July, Singapore
Device: TV tuner with memory for PCs
Basic specs: USB 2.0, USB bus powered, DVB-T receiving function, record and playback DVD-quality DTV program, real-time and scheduling recording into MPEG-2 format, snapshot for still image captures, auto and manual channel scan support (6/7/8 MHz), 15g

Filed under: Gadgets, PC & Peripherals
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