Mustek PVR-H140 (40GB)

The PVR-H140 resembles portable media players we tested two years ago, with a large, 10.2-ounce body, poorly designed system software, and virtually no file format support. At least there's a SD/MMC Card slot for loading files directly from your digital camera.

 

The Mustek PVR-H140 looks like it's running DOS. It even chops off the file names. Windows Media Player 10 wasn't able to convert most of our test videos to a format the PVR-H140 liked, so we installed the (awful) included PVR console software. Converting two-minute videos took minutes (instead of seconds in WMP 10).

 

You can record TV shows directly from a cable or satellite box using the included A/V cables. Unfortunately, video playback was the worst of the lot. Poor black levels, jerky animation, and a general lack of contrast plagued the PVR-H140. We experienced occasional hiccups in both music and video playback. The PVR-H140 sounded tinny through the included earbuds.

 

If you're looking for a cheap video recorder to watch your favorite shows on the go, the Mustek PVR-H140 is worth a look.