SanDisk Sansa TakeTV

The TakeTV system consists of a USB drive, remote control, and video adapter. It's available in 4GB ($100) and 8GB ($150) versions.

Along with the TakeTV hardware, SanDisk is launching Fanfare, an online video store. Like the iTunes Store, you just click the show you want to buy and it's automatically downloaded to the TakeTV's memory. Currently in beta, Fanfare's offerings are pretty slim--but the service is busy cutting deals with content providers to broaden its library.

Once you download videos from the Fanfare service--or simply drag and drop your own DivX, Xvid, or MPEG4 videos to the unit--just unplug it from your PC and move it to the docking unit that attaches to your TV.

Once you plug the TakeTV into the dock, just use the remote to choose the video you'd like to watch. In this case, we downloaded one episode each of CSI: Miami (CBS) and Brotherhood (Showtime).

Once you pick your video, you can watch it just like a DVD--pause, slow-motion, rewind, and fast-forward.