Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder: Video on demand

While the PSP is a revolutionary multimedia device, Sony certainly didn't make it easy for us to get our favourite videos on to it. We've seen plenty of free converters that will re-encode your DivX movies, but so far nothing to directly record TV programmes that you could then watch back on the PSP. So praise be to Neuros and its new MPEG-4 recorder. This little gizmo plugs into your television or digibox and records video directly to a Memory Stick PRO Duo (or CompactFlash if you're fancy and have a handheld organiser).

We set the Neuros recorder up this morning in the hope of laughing at the freaks on Trisha. The initial experience was disappointing. The interface was clunky, the remote control unresponsive and the general presentation confusing -- but once you've set the notepad-sized recorder up, it's simple to hit record when something you like comes on.

Thankfully though, you can set schedules (we never make it home in time for The Simpsons, so we like to watch it on the train in the morning). Play video back on the PSP and you'll be pleasantly surprised too -- you can take the Memory Stick straight from the Neuros and it's all pre-formatted to play on the PSP.

Our 128MB Memory Stick was enough to hold 17 minutes of high-quality video, which looked great playing back on the PSP, or 27 minutes of 'economic' quality video. So if you buy the Sony PSP Giga Pack, the 1GB memory stick will be enough to store over an hour of high-quality video or just enough for your average movie in economic mode.

If you watch a lot of video, you're still better off with an Archos, but if you're a PSP junkie it's the easiest way of watching video on the go. The Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder is available now from PSPWorld for around £140. -GC