Scosche sneakPEEK HD for iStuff

Tuesday, 09 November 2010 19:40 Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 November 2010 20:26 Written by Benjamin "Zeus" Heide

Product: Scosche sneakPEEK HD for iPod/iPad/iPhone
Provided By: Scosche
Price: $59.99 MSRP at time of publishing

 

Introduction:

Having a portable device such as an iPod, iPhone or even a larger iPad is great for viewing video and movies personally, but if you want to share the experience you have to pass around your device or buy an expensive and often bulky video dock to output your media to your favorite TV.  Most of these docks only support standard definition video so you lose quality and some of the enjoyment.  Scosche has dropped off the sneakPEEK HD - a set of cables for the iPod, iPhone and iPad that makes connecting and displaying content on a TV simple and convenient.

SneakPEEK HD Package

 

The sneakPEEK HD gives the user a quick and simple way to switch between standard definition and high-definition through composite and component cables.   There is a switch on the device connector that allows you to select the video quality of your choice, then you simply plug everything in and you should be good to go.

 

First Look:

There really isn't a whole lot to see with the Scosche sneakPEEK HD cables - as they are simply cables.  They main device connector contains a switch that allows you to switch between SD (Yellow Composite) and HD (Component) video cables.  

Cable Bundle
Cable Bundle
 Cable Ends
Cable Ends

 

There is also a mini-USB connector that provides power to the device so you can play video for more than a couple of hours.  This cable is only used for power and cannot be used as a Sync cable.

 

 

Testing:

Testing this set of cables is really, really straightforward.  I plugged them into my iPod Touch 2G and hooked them to a TV.  Nothing happened.  I unplugged them, checked the connection and tried again.  This time I got a "Device not recognized" error on my iPod.  Great.  I consulted the manual and it stated that this can happen and if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  I did and on the fifth attempt, I got it to work.

 Connected

 

Once you get it to work you can use the iPod, iPad or iPhone to control video functions such as play, pause, volume, skip, etc.  The iPod remained powered up during the playback and it worked as advertised.

 

Final Thoughts:

The Scosche sneakPEEK HD does what it's supposed to do and seems to do it fairly well - if you can get it to connect and detect properly.  Once we got it connected, it worked without issues - until we disconnected the cable and tried to do it again.  This time we succeeded on the fourth attempt.  It's too bad that you can't use the USB cable to Sync the device as well.  In the end, it allowed us to watch Netflix on the TV as well as other shows downloaded from the iTunes store.  For $60, it's not a bad buy, but due to the fickle nature of the connection, it leaves me feeling a little disappointed.

 

Pros:

  • SD & HD video capability
  • Supports iPod, iPad and iPhone
  • Lightweight and compact

 

Cons:

  • USB doesn't Sync - only charge
  • Connection was fickle each and every time it was used

 

BCCRating

 

I'd like to thank Scosche for sending the sneakPEEK HD over for us to review.  It's not a bad set, and for some people may be the best way to get multimedia on a TV while they are on the road.  They certainly are much more compact than a dock.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post them in the forum at the "Comments" link below.


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