facebook rss twitter

Review: Twinhan DTV MagicBox and VisionDTV Mini Ter

by David Ross on 20 December 2004, 00:00

Tags: TwinHan Technology

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qa5z

Add to My Vault: x

Introduction

Compared to the invasion of other forms of digital media (DVD, digital cameras etc) into our lives, the take-up of digital television in the UK has been somewhat slow, perhaps surprisingly so. The collapse of ITV Digital no doubt didn't help matters, and for some time the only truly viable form of receiving digital TV was via Sky's satellite service. However, recent times have seen the beginning of a shift which should see free-to-air digital television becoming the mainstay for the British public, thanks mainly to the success of the Freeview service in providing cheap set-top boxes and the availability of free channels aplenty.

Of course, computer hardware manufacturers never want to be left far behind when a new revolution is afoot, and we are now seeing a slow but steady introduction of free-to-air digital receivers for PC users find their way on to the market. Today we have two such devices to be placed under the microscope from Twinhan. First, their USB 2.0-based external receiver, the DTV MagicBox, and secondly their VisionDTV Mini Ter PCI card. We'll be taking a look at both of these parts to see if this could be the ideal opportunity to bring digital television to your PC.