Thoughts
The NVTV's faults lie in the software. Great hardware and generally competent software combine to make a package that shines initially, but who's polished feel is quickly tarnished by software quirks and usage issues.ForceWare Multimedia doesn't quite make it as a PVR system and as a media management system it's utterly outclassed by masses of free software.
Those things grate for me, since they aren't Point of View's fault. They're simply branding NVIDIA hardware and NVIDIA software with precious little tinkering or modification, if any at all. If and when NVIDIA get round to giving ForceWare Multimedia the polishing it sorely needs I'll be happy to recommend it; the hardware is good. It could do with tuning digital terrestrial television, but that should appear in due course (although sadly not with the current hardware revision).
But until that software overhaul, or spit and polish, I can't really give it a glowing recommendation. Giving the ForceWare Multimedia interface a miss to try your hand with the card and something like myHTPC or SnapStream BeyondTV might be an idea, but then there's arguably better hardware to choose for that route.
So nearly there, so painfully far away. At a MSRP of £79 including VAT, I'd likely recommend you save an extra £40 and get a DigiTV, unless it sits right in your price range. You'll get a better remote, better software and free-to-air digital TV and radio tuning with the DigiTV, but the NVTV is competent hardware in its own right.
Needs more attention from NVIDIA and a new remote.
Score
Pros
Capable hardwareGood recording quality from live TV
Could be combined with BeyondTV or myHTPC
Cons
ForceWare Multimedia is far too wide of the current markToo close in pricing to much better products
The PVR monitor stopped Windows XP shutting down at all
The remote is pretty poor, especially for controlling ForceWare Multimedia
