16. Conclusion: TV To Go Made Easy

With its Aver TV Hybrid + FM Cardbus device, Avermedia is offering a very interesting product at a price of about $80. Thanks to its hybrid tuner, the card is able to receive programs via DVB-T as well as the conventional TV cable or aerial. The installation can easily be managed even by neophyte notebook users, and the bundled remote control adds a great deal of usability and comfort to the entire product experience. The PVR functionality integrated into the software bundle turns any notebook into a portable VCR, complete with time-shift functionality, as long as the PC Card slot is able to supply the necessary current of one ampere. On top of that, users basically get a stereo FM radio for free. Finally, the S-Video / Composite jacks will be appreciated by home video fans.

However, there's always room for improvement. In this case, we would have liked to be able to use the remote control to change all of the card's settings. Also, we think that having to enter the names of the TV stations manually when using the card on a standard cable connection is definitely behind the times. The decidedly technological look of the user interface will probably be well-received by the majority of typical PC users. Newbies, on the other hand, may find themselves wishing for a more concise UI with clearly labeled symbols and text, such as the ones offered by Cyberlink's Powercinema 4 or the Media Center Edition of Windows XP.