The concept of the digital home is fast becoming a reality. Admittedly, the thought of an external hard disk entering our living space is different, but the LaCie Silverscreen is an 80Gb external hard disk with a twist.

As well as being able to store most media files, it can also play them back on a television. The device connects to a computer via USB 2 but there is an extra connection which allows you to attach composite leads or a Scart socket to a TV. Then you can use the remote control to browse through and play your digital audio, video or image files.

The player supports most common media formats, including JPEG, MPEG, DivX, MP3 and WMA. The menu system is very easy to use and the playback quality is good; we found that our DivX movies looked much better than a VHS tape.

It's also pretty quiet and didn't distract our movie or music listening. It's an expensive way of getting computer media on your television, but it's also one of the simplest we've seen.

Contact:
LaCie 020 7233 8338
www.lacie.com/uk