Lako Pacific brings TV tuners to the Mac

Distributor, Lako Pacific, has signed a distribution agreement with German manufacturer, Terratec, bringing TV tuner capability to retail buyers of Apple's Mac and Powerbook computers.

Terratec's Cinergy range of TV tuners allows Apple aficionados to receive and record television signals on their computer. Lako national sales manager, Ben McDonald, said this kind of functionality was available on the PC platform from more than 20 vendors, but claimed Terratac was one of only a handful (alongside Elgato, Miglia and TwinHan) that could achieve the same for the Apple Mac platform.

Terratec's range includes four USB-based models and one Express card model. The entire range was also cross-platform, McDonald said. It came bundled with a three-month subscription to electronic program guide, IceTV. This allowed users to pre-schedule the shows they would like to record on their computer in advance.

The distribution deal with Terratec also applies to the vendor's Noxon range of Internet radio and streaming audio devices, which the distributor aims to push into Apple-branded retailers and the AV channel.

McDonald said mass retailers such as David Jones, Myer, JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith had embraced the Apple platform, but were in need of more third-party products.

"The one thing Apple has been lacking is DVB-T [Digital Video Broadcasting] peripherals for the MAC," he said. "The feedback we have been getting from the big retailers is that there are virtually no accessories.

"At a retail level, the Apple is perceived as having an easier platform for installing multimedia TV than PC. Our first shipment comes in at the end of the month, and already the interest from retailers has blown us away."