The MSI Megasky 580 TV tuner is one of the smallest PC gadgets that money can buy, and at first glance looks like a regular USB memory key, albeit with a shiny black-and-white finish.

On the end of the device there's a tiny socket which requires that you plug in an adapter (supplied) to accept a standard 10mm coaxial antenna cable, and then you can plug in either the travel antenna or a normal roof-mounted TV aerial.

MSI includes a soft carry pouch which will hold the tuner, adapter, travel antenna and credit card remote control, making the Megasky 580 easy to transport, and when you consider the low price and DVB-T digital tuner, the MSI looks as though it has a great deal to recommend it.

Would that this were so.

For one thing the system requirements are high, requiring either Windows 2000 SP2 or Windows XP SP2 and DirectX 9, although that's quite common with TV tuners. The installation isn't exactly difficult but it's a bit laborious. You have to cancel the 'Windows has detected a new device' message when you plug the USB device in, and then install the Presto! PVR 5 software by NewSoft Technology.

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After that you patch the software and then patch Windows. Then you have to scan for TV and radio channels and if your experience is anything like ours the channel list will fill up yet you won't be able to see the picture. Restart your PC once or twice and suddenly the picture appears, although we found that while the quality was quite good it was very jerky, which made it an unpleasant viewing experience.

The area in which this reviewer lives has very poor TV reception, which tends to separate the men from the boys, as cheap tuners often fail to display high quality TV while decent tuners manage to do a good job. The MSI falls into the former camp, although it may well perform perfectly in a big city. Other country dwellers should beware.

We found that PVR 5 was inferior to the TV software that is supplied by the likes of AverMedia and Pinnacle, and to add insult to injury it occasionally crashed during our testing.

The Megasky 580 is a single tuner model so you can only record what you're watching, but that's a minor consideration compared to the limitations of the TV tuner and its software. Despite its low price we suggest that you give the MSI a miss, especially if you live in an area with poor television reception.