SanDisk V-Mate

The market is being flooded with portable video players. But if you already have a powerful mobile device with a built-in memory card slot, such as a smart phone or a Sony PSP, why not save money and use that? So goes the reasoning behind SanDisk's new V-Mate, a small video recorder that captures any analog signal and saves it to a card that you can pop into your gadget of choice-even a laptop.
 
The device records in a number of formats. Instead of having to choose the correct format, you just select the device you plan to view on (such as Sony PSP, Treo 700w, and so on) from the menu. We counted 17 supported phones from Motorola, Nokia, Palm, and Sony Ericsson, plus the T-Mobile MDA, but you can configure settings manually on other devices.
 
The unit maxes out at 640 x 480-pixel resolution, with video playing at up to 30 frames per second. The results look good enough for watching recorded TV shows on a notebook, but they won't please videophiles. We noticed a slightly fuzzy cast in the footage. Other than that, we enjoyed fairly smooth and clear playback in a PC window. On the other hand, recordings were quite watchable on our Palm Treo 700wx, though we heard a few stutters in spots. Short video-playback gaps are usually easy to forgive, but audio gaps are more jarring.
 
The onscreen, built-in scheduler was simple to set up using the V-Mate's credit-card-sized remote control. The V-Mate comes with an IR emitter cable to connect to your cable box. Your TV doesn't need to be on, so scheduling unattended recordings is a piece of cake. We had no problem setting up recordings in advance, which we could then pop into our Treo for viewing later on.
 
Near the end of our tests, the remote control died. At first we thought it was the battery, but a trip to Radio Shack to pick up a replacement 3V Li-ion coin cell didn't fix the problem. The V-Mate lacks front panel controls, so without the remote, the V-Mate becomes a $129 doorstop. We hope this was just an anomaly with our original test unit; a second V-Mate worked fine, though we still had to point the remote directly at the front panel for it to register.
 
If you like the idea of taking videos on the road, the SanDisk V-Mate is a solid choice because you can record once and then watch that show on any number of devices. The Slingbox is more powerful and versatile because it lets you watch live or recorded TV on the go, but at $50 less, the V-Mate provides plenty of bang for your buck.