Product Reviews

If you already have a DVD drive in your PC, it seems a shame to buy a domestic DVD player for the sitting room. Indeed, it seems an even more galling waste of cash, given that many new graphics cards can connect directly to your TV. There are problems involved in using your PC as a DVD player, though. First, nobody wants a beige PC humming and whirring in their living room. And if you'd rather hide your computer in the office, this throws up a second problem - you'll need a cable running all the way from your PC room to your lounge.

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Not good.

This could all change with the TinyWave 2001. It links your PC to your TV by broadcasting the image that comes out of your graphics card over the air waves! The hardware comes in two parts: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter connects to your graphics card's standard monitor output, and the receiver to your TV, via a SCART socket. With everything wired up, all you have to do is tune your TV in to the TinyWave's signal and you're off. The system doesn't need a clear line of sight between the transmitter and receiver. Tiny claims a 50m range and, in testing, the device wasn't worried by any walls falling between transmitter and receiver.

So, should you buy one? I'd say not. One objection was the shape of the picture on the TV - it had thick black bars at the top, bottom, left and right. This made the movie look rather odd on my telly. Then there's the clutter of wires, antennae and power adapters you have to live with. Finally, there's the price: you only need save another £50 for a dedicated DVD player, which will bring you Dolby Digital outputs and better picture quality.