Plextor's portable HDTV tuner reviewed

Portable TV tuners have reached such a low price point that one of the only ways for profit-seeking manufacturers to turn is HDTV; for the entertainment-seeking road warrior, that means a new generation of portable television that promises super-high resolution.  However, with even standard definition tuners sometimes suffering from poor quality except when used with a fixed aerial, the difficulty is not in building the USB dongle itself but an antenna capable of receiving a strong enough signal.  TabletPCReview picked up Plextor's PX-HDTV500U to see if it could manage.

 

The aerial supplied with the PX-HDTV500U has to be one of the oddest I've seen; at first, I thought it was being photographed in front of the tuner's retail packaging, but in fact it really does have an oblong mini-billboard apparently laced with some sort of flexible composite.  Plextor also include a remote control and software capable of viewing and recording TV.

"Plextor's PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver is an excellent device for any road warrior, traveler, or student looking for a solution in the field of portable televisions. The simplicity and ease of use will most definitely have users falling in love with the idea of watching television on one's computer"TabletPCReview

Check out the full review if you're interested in mobile HDTV viewing.

Plextor HDTV500U review [TabletPCReview]