Rating: 7/10
A nice little digital TV solution this, although not a cheap one. The Cinergy XS is designed with laptops in mind, as it comes primarily in the form of a USB flash drive-alike. Accompanying it is a similarly minute aerial, a small pack of software and a remote control.
And it's as simple as it sounds. You insert the device into a free USB port and then, through a combination of the software and aerial, you set about capturing any available TV channels. Assuming your aerial and coverage is up to scratch, you can pull in free-to-air digital channels, alongside the standard terrestrial offerings. That said, on our test system the Cinergy XS had a bit of trouble picking up Channel Five. We never realised hardware could have such taste.
The device itself doesn't have room for much in the way of connectivity, so Terratec have built a through-port onto it, and supplied a special multi-connector cable. Using it, it's possible to connect up a selection of video and audio leads, and the cable also features the sensor for the neat remote control.
The included software that runs the show is PowerCinema 4.0, a fine utility that takes pretty much all of the effort out of getting the product running. It's simple to use, and even when we had one or two problems getting channels tuned in, it was perfectly clear to see where we'd gone wrong. You can also access timeshifting and teletext support with genuine ease.
In all, the product itself is able and strong, delivering exactly what it says it will with little fuss. The quality of the output it generates is very good, and we were pleased to have it fully up and running in under five minutes. The only problem, and it's a notable one, is the price tag. You're really paying for the convenience of such an easy and portable device here, especially when admittedly bulkier solutions that do a not dissimilar job can easily be procured for less. Just how much that convenience matters to you is likely to be what swings your buying decision.
For more information, visit Micromart.co.uk