Review of Sansa TakeTV
I usually think of expensive set-top boxes like the Amazon compatible TiVo or Apple TV when it comes to watching video downloads on our TVs. Then SanDisk had an interesting idea: Why not make a cheap USB thumb drive, transfer video downloads onto it, and then plug the stick into to your TV or box? The result is Sansa TakeTV, a simple approach to bringing Net video to the living room. It’s not perfect the selection of TV shows is a little weak, and the remote could be better—but the $100-to-$150 price tag sure sweetens the deal.TakeTV comes with three main components: the flash-based TakeTV memory stick ($150 for the 8GB version, $100 for 4GB), a remote, and a cradle with standard RCA-style plugs (plus an S-Video output and a power cord) for your TV. Let me be your Sansa Guide here: how it works is You plug the TakeTV stick into your PC’s USB port, then log on to Fanfare, an iTunes-like video store. Pick the shows you want to watch ($2 each, and DRM’d, naturally), and Fanfare downloads and transfers them to the TakeTV stick. You then unplug the TakeTV stick, take it to your TV, plug it into the cradle, and select a show using the remote. Easy as pie.