Okay, it is a rare day that a new tech toy comes out and I go “I want one, now”. It is a rare thing because most of these things do not satisfy my criteria of:
-It must do something I want to do, or it does something I want to do, easier than what I currently have do something.
-It must not cost an arm and a leg.
So, something that I want to do is watch videos I have downloaded from the internet on my TV. I don’t mind watching some streamed stuff on my PC, but my TV viewing area is designed for watching TV, unlike my computer area. Now I have an easier solution:
So we have TakeTV, a new USB memory stick with a cradle. You plug the cradle into your TV via composite or SVideo plugs. You plug the memory stick into your PC and drag videos onto it. You take the stick and plug it into the cradle, and with the included remote you watch the TV shows on your PC. Simple, no?
Now, I have a few reservations. This doesn’t exactly support every last video standard out there (mpeg4 and xVid is it) so I’d be re encoding my old mpeg2’s, which I should be doing anyways to save some space on my HDD. I’d also like the ability to buy separate cradles / usb sticks for extra TV’s / extra programming. That is about it.
I like the fact that it’s us$150 for an 8GB model. I like the fact that it outputs to composite and S-video, making compatible with most TV’s on the planet. I like the fact that it works on a mac, Linux or Windoze. I like the fact that it holds a healthy 8GB – the 4GB version is a little too small.
Oh one other thing I don’t like about this thing: I can’t buy one yet, even Sandisk’s site is backordered on the 8GB models, (4GB is too small) or I’d have been getting out the credit card right now and ordering one.
