Compro VideoMate U680F review

Powerful USB TV tuner tech

Reviews
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published

TechRadar Verdict

Simple and effective tuner solution for laptops and desktops alike.

Pros

  • +

    Simple hardware setup

  • +

    Excellent software

  • +

    Record live TV to HD

Cons

  • -

    Remote is a litte toy-like

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If TV on your laptop is your bag the bargainous Compro VideoMate U680F is the one for you.

Let's face it, TV tuners have been on the market since God was a boy and we all still own a TV set. To make it worth our while, tuners need to offer us features that the idiot box doesn't.

It's about pausing and rewinding live shows, recording to HDD, scheduling what and when to record automatically. On top of all that, it must be effortlessly easy to make use of all this extra functionality. No labyrinths of menus or cables.

You, the jaded consumer, know this. And so apparently do Compro.

It's relieving to see that tuner hardware is getting simpler and cheaper. The Compro VideoMate U680F is a TV tuner aiming for maximum functionality without any fuss, which boils down to all the above features with just a USB stick, antenna and remote.

Hardware tuners need to compete with on demand web content like iPlayer, so manufacturers are mixing things up a bit.

Phil Iwaniuk
Phil Iwaniuk
Contributor

Ad creative by day, wandering mystic of 90s gaming folklore by moonlight, freelance contributor Phil started writing about games during the late Byzantine Empire era. Since then he’s picked up bylines for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, IGN, USA Today, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, VG247, Edge, Gazetta Dello Sport, Computerbild, Rock Paper Shotgun, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magaine, CVG, Games Master, TrustedReviews, Green Man Gaming, and a few others but he doesn’t want to bore you with too many. Won a GMA once.