Compro will be using the giant Computex Taipei show - kick off Tuesday (June 6), watch here for our in-depth coverage - to debut its rather unusual PC TV tuner, the VideoMate V550. Unlike previous Compro TV tuners and most competing products, the V550 doesn't require a free PCI slot or even a spare USB port. Instead, it's a standalone device that connects directly to the PC's monitor, turning it into a TV set.
As a result, the company points out, it also doesn't involve the installation of any drivers or other supporting software and completely avoids any possible problems with compatibility. On the downside, though, the V550 lacks many of the features that we take for granted with PC TV tuners, based around having sophisticated recording and time-shifting capabilities.