Compro VideoMate S800F review

TV on your PC without the download cost

Reviews
By published
Compro VideoMate S800F
Easy TV in your PC

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Painless setup

  • +

    User Friendly

  • +

    Record live TV to HDD

Cons

  • -

    Ultimately, a tough sell against online tele

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It may look like the graphics card from your first PC in 1997, but the VideoMate S800F from Compro is a handy bit of PCB that allows you to watch and record live television on your PC.

Along with the S800F card itself, Compro has included a software suite, a remote control, and a vast multi-coloured spaghetti of cables.

Thankfully you won't need to use all the leads provided, they're included because the S800F is extremely versatile in terms of the aerial connections it supports. DVB-S (Freesat to its mates), DVB-T (Freeview) and the all-but-defunct Analog connections are all fully supported.

Compro's bundled software suite also lets you record live TV straight onto hard disk and take screenshots.

The S800F is intended to allow users access to TV with the ease they're used to from their actual idiot box, but with much more tweakery and functionality.

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.