Audiovisual dongle allows for the playback of multimedia files from any USB drive (FAT32 or NTFS) source ; compatible with most popular audio, video, and image formats ; easy setup ; included remote control ; tiny size ; included composite and ...

Various connections cause clutter in rear of device ; front-mounted USB port would've been more convenient ; eSATA, FireWire, or flash media reader options would've been nice as well

The Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link offers an easy way to watch digital video files without the need to hook up a computer to your TV.

Compatible with both digital and analog signals, including HD ; Media Center provides an attractive front end ; includes S-Video and composite video ports

Included antenna is small and weak ; not the most portable package on the whole

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Cheap ; easy to set up and use ; tuner and antenna are compact and highly portable ; works with Media Center

Bundled software suffers from unattractive interface ; no Mac support

The Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver provides a cheap and easy way to watch and record HDTV on your PC. We recommend this compact tuner and antenna kit particularly for laptops that feature Microsoft's Media Center app.

Simple USB dongle ; guaranteed compatibility with most Games for Windows titles ; cheap

Early software drivers are a little rough around the edges ; no software for mapping controls to games that lack gamepad support ; may need to unplug nearby Xbox 360s to avoid conflicts

The Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver lets you use wireless Xbox 360 peripherals with your Windows PC, but it won't be a must-have PC gaming peripheral until more compatible games are available.

Best TV tuner image quality we've seen ; offer for free remote by mail ; includes media management software

Free remote requires shipping charge ; still a stop-gap measure until the next generation of TV tuners

ATI's flagship TV tuner card offers the best image quality we've seen from a TV tuner card and includes over-the-air HDTV support, but it's still not as good as a direct cable-box-to-TV signal.

Inexpensive ; free remote by mail offer, includes media management software

Wonky audio patch required ; free remote requires shipping charge ; poor image quality ; doesn't work with Windows Media Center

ATI's budget TV tuner card is fine for occasional TV watching or recording, but serious viewers will find that much better devices aren't much more expensive.

Plenty of connection options ; great software package ; includes cables

Credit-card-style remote may not appeal to some ; IR blaster not included ; typical TV tuner image-quality problems

Track pricing and other product info.

Includes A/V cables and DVD-editing software

Poor image quality ; no remote ; long pause between channel changes ; other USB devices can cause interference

The Plextor ConvertX PVR is an affordable USB TV tuner with a decent software bundle, but its performance is less than stellar.

Delivers a clean signal and image for a PC TV tuner ; has a good assortment of included cables ; remote control works well

DVR software is a trial version ; lacks an IR blaster

Of the external TV tuners we've seen, we recommend the Diamond XtremeTV PVR600 above the others for its strong image quality and inclusion of A/V cables and a remote control.

Easy to install; includes video-editing software; good image quality

Weak FM receiver; A/V cables not included; lacks IR blaster

The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2 offers admirable image quality, but you'll need to bring your own A/V cables.