What we have here is a 40Gb hard disk in a pocket-sized (just about) silver box with a 9cm colour screen on the front. Hook it up to a TV set, a VCR or a DVD player and you can record movies or TV programmes during playback or live transmission.

These recordings can then be enjoyed later on the small screen, thereby keeping kids happy in the back seat of the car or on a train or plane. In short, it does for video what an MP3 player does for music.

You can also transfer existing video files from a PC onto the device but they must first be converted into the sole supported file format (ASF). Conversion software is supplied but it's a desperately slow and sometimes glitchy process, particularly if the source material is in the DivX format.

Other features include a photo album for showcasing digital images, MP3 playback and voice recording.

The screen is small but video playback is bright and distinct. The sound quality is disappointing, however.

The PVR-H140 is also fairly heavy (290g) and bulky (11 x 8 x 3cm), and has the hallmarks of an early portable media player.

Still, if you don't want to wait for a lighter, sleeker model, the price is excellent, especially when compared to the 20Gb MSI Megaview 566.

Contact:
Mustek 0870 013 2017
www.mustek.de