SanDisk has announced today the launch of the long-awaited Sansa TakeTV USB device. Formerly known as the USBTV, it offer a new way to watch PC content on your TV without the need for any complex wireless streaming.
All you do is simply drag video files to the USB TakeTV player, and then slip the player into its TV cradle which is already plugged into your TV. Then you can watch all your downloaded video content on your television in your living room.
Why stream wirelessly?
The Sansa TakeTV supports a variety of video formats too, including DivX, XVID and MPEG-4. Plus, it works with new and legacy TV systems via standard AV composite inputs or S-Video.
We had the chance to have a play with a prototype of the Sansa TakeTV back at CeBIT in March. It was nothing short of stunning. The convenience of transferring downloaded video content onto your TV screen in this way cannot be overstated.
"Sansa TakeTV is the most easy-to-use, straightforward solution for watching downloaded personal video content and other shows in the comfort of the living room," said Daniel Schreiber, general manager at SanDisk's audio/video business unit in the US.
"No confusing wireless network set-up, no wires running across the living room and no cumbersome burning of DVDs. Just use the Sansa TakeTV device to move your favourite video content over to your TV, and enjoy it on the big screen with family and friends."
SanDisk's Sansa TakeTV flash memory-based player comes in 4GB and also an 8GB flavour, which can hold up to ten hours of video. It is available today in the US starting at just $99.99 (£49) and a UK release is expected in the near future.
