We tried: Easy TV Nomad is not just for nomads!

The Nomad is ready for operation very quickly after switching on. In a good case, if the signal strength is good, the perfect digital image will appear. As I wrote, in this case we can talk not only about TV, but also about media players. As the device has internal storage and no hard disk, the USB port is used for data entry.

We can choose what exactly we want to use Easy TV Nomad from the menu, which, and this is very important for such a relatively cheap device, is in Hungarian!

You can choose from seven menu items, not counting the submenus. You can set the order of the channels, the picture format, you can easily search for channels, you can set the language that Nomad speaks, but you can also set parental controls.

The most interesting, of course, is the last menu item where we can access the multimedia functions. From here we can start playing different content, but we also have the option of some configuration. What content can we play? I will not describe the formats, you will see this from the table at the bottom of the page. More importantly, we can use it not only to watch movies, but also as a simple music player, but we can also view our photos on it while on vacation, if we have a USB card reader.

Of particular interest is the fact that we can also record TV broadcasts using USB data storage, in fact, extras such as time shift are available (I don't know if there is a better Hungarian term for it). This feature allows you to stop or even rewind a live broadcast. It’s really surprising to be available on such a mobile device, which is why Nomad deserves a huge red dot!

However, there are also minor issues with the menu. One of the perhaps most offensive things is that the operating aid pictograms require use of the remote control, as the referenced buttons are not found on the device. No exit, ok, but no colored keys. This is not to say that you can’t use the menu without a remote control, it’s just a little cumbersome sometimes. This button misunderstanding also leads to the fact that there is no way back from some submenus with the buttons on the device. Once logged in, there is only one way to get out by pressing the Mode button, which shows the material coming to the AV input instead of the internal image of the device. Once here, however, we can only return to TV or playback by booting Nomad again.

Of course, these problems are not problems with our remote control. However, due to its size, the Nomad can even be used on the bus on the way to work, but in such a situation we may not want to mess with the remote control.

Let's get to work! As I wrote in the introduction, digital broadcasting is a portable TV in heaven on earth, as the picture quality is brilliant. Yes, but you don't have the right signal strength, no picture. To use Nomad, the manufacturer writes a signal strength of 6 decibels, which in my experience makes mistakes in many places. In Budapest, the situation is still good in general, but if we leave the city, we can no longer watch TV in the “shadow” of the hills. The tiny antenna that comes with this device doesn't change much either. For this reason, if we take the Nomad to go fishing, we may need another antenna. It doesn't hurt to look for a unit with a signal amplifier, there must be a battery or cigarette lighter version.

Media playback also provided an ambiguous experience, although the balance tipped strongly in the positive direction. There was no problem with MP3 and DivX material. The MKV format is also handled by the software, but depending on the compression, playback will not always be smooth.