Review: Game is on for little black box with big ideas

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The software is easy to use and, as you might expect, at times looks more like a game than a TV menu. You also use the games controller to scroll through menus.

Recording shows is simple and you can scroll through programme information on screen while watching live TV. Picture quality is excellent, both live and recorded, and although no match for Sky's HD service, it is identical to Freeview.

One excellent feature really sets PlayTV apart: remote viewing. Users can watch shows - live and recorded - on a PSP portable games console via wifi.

It means that if you are abroad, as long as you are somewhere with a wifi connection and have your PSP, you can "phone home" and watch your TV. The feature worked well, although you do need a high-speed reliable connection.

Overall, PlayTV is a worthy competitor to the likes of Sky and BT Vision. It lacks the breadth of channels of its competitors, but for a basic easy-to-use system, or a second system for the bedroom, it is excellent.