9. Extensive Audio And Video Recording Functionality

We like the way the Aver TV Hybrid + FM Cardbus handles personal video recording to the notebook's hard drive. Its interface is based on that of conventional VCRs.

The user interface is modeled on that of a normal VCR.

Shows that are broadcast via DVB-T are recorded to the hard drive in MPEG 2 format. When recording from analog cable or antenna, users can choose between the DVD, MPEG1/2, SVCD, VCD or AVI formats. Signals from external AV devices can be fed to the card through either the composite or S-Video jacks, and also recorded in one of these formats. When recording audio-only, for example from the integrated FM tuner, recording options are limited to the classical WAV format exclusively.

Signal cable for recording from external AV sources

Depending on the recording format, the average space required for one minute of film can range from about 20 MB (MPEG II) to 230 MB (AVI). Therefore, we recommend that anyone planning to make extensive use of the card's recording functionality buy a second, external hard drive.