As we have come to expect with Terratec products, opening the box reveals a collection of items.  Foremost, although rather small in size, is the USB tuner stick which is predominately white in colour with the letters "XXS" overlaid in orange.  Centrally positioned on the tuner is a small light which glows to indicate the device is receiving power and doubles as the infrared link for use with a remote control.

The LINDY USB DVB-T Receiver product has been designed to enable users to receive free-to-air digital TV and radio content plus record programmes direct to a hard disk.  Contained within the bubble-style packaging is a SV DVB-T 3420 USB stick coloured black and white; antenna; adapter for use with a roof-top aerial; USB extension lead; remote control; and software CD.

In the past I have looked at a number of television receiver products from various manufacturers.  These have ranged from cards that need to be inserted into an internal slot to USB devices covering analogue and digital channels.  However this is the first time that I have had the opportunity to look at a television receiver from a company based in .

Having cut through the plastic of its display package I found that, in addition to the DVB-T Stick together with its USB extension cable and remote control, which weigh less than 100g altogether, there is a stick aerial attached to a 1metre cable, an aerial connector adapter and the driver CD. Where I expected to find the quick-start guide there was, in fact, a fold-out leaflet advertising a whole range of Lindy products. All documentation, drivers and installation software were on a mini CD.

When is a flash drive not just a flash drive?  To answer my own question, it is when the main purpose of the device is to act as a TV tuner receiver which is the case with the product from the Pinnacle stable.  With this particular product, Pinnacle has combined the capabilities of a DVB-T tuner with 1GB of flash memory that can be used as storage space.

Adding to its already extensive portfolio of television tuner products, Terratec has released its latest offering for those looking for digital and analogue viewing on a Windows XP system.  This product is the which consists of the tuner unit, a small aerial, software CD and slim User Guide. Cinergy HT USB XE As is becoming standard practice with add-on television tuners, this device slots into an available USB port.

Computer TV tuners are getting smaller.  The latest such device to arrive from Pinnacle is slightly larger than a USB memory drive.  Appropriately this tuner goes by the title of PCTV USB Stick.  Measuring 84 x 30 x 13mm (L x W x D), this device is coloured white.  It slots into an available USB 2.0 port and has a connection socket for either a roof-top aerial or the supplied rod antenna.

It comes with one of these Getting Started in 'x' languages books that do not quite say enough. I played safe and installed the software first but I think you could probably have inserted the card first.

My first experience of a television tuner card, just over five years ago, was a Hauppauge unit.   Maybe because of this, along with an element of rose-tinted nostalgia, I have always had a soft spot for the company's range of analogue and digital tuners whether these were external USB devices or of the PCI card variety.