Manufacturer: Mustek
Model: PF-D800
Price: £100
www.mustek.com

On paper the Mustek PF-D800 looks excellent, with a generous 8in, 16:9 ratio LCD screen, music and video playback, card slots and wall- and desk-mounting options making it very versatile. There can be few complaints about the price either. Quite why Mustek decided to encase such enticing technology in a nasty-looking plastic housing is a different matter entirely though. Like some sort of 1980’s throwback, the gloss plastic surround reflects light at all angles, distracting you from the images. Then there are the buttons on the back, which are reminiscent of those found on portable cassette players from 20 years ago…

If you can live with this naff design, the PF-D800 isn’t bad. The viewing angle is reasonable, though not exceptional, and on-screen images are sharp thanks to a respectable resolution. Clear and easily navigated menus make setting it up a doddle too. It’s just a shame you have to ignore the frame to see the LCD screen’s good points.

Screen size: 8in diagonal (16:9 ratio)
Resolution: 800 x 480 pixels
Internal memory: no
Card slots: CF / MS / SD
Picture format: JPEG
Movie format: MPEG
Music format: MP3
Wall mountable: Yes
Free-standing: Yes
Remote control: Yes
Power: Mains only

Verdict:
Looks ugly, but delivers a respectable enough digital image.

Pros:
Genenerous screen size for the price, easy to operate

Cons:
Ghastly plastic frame

What Digital Camera Score: 80%