So, about two weeks ago my TV stopped working. It switched on, well the button moved, but then there was just a clicking noise deep inside its bowels somewhere.

Deep inside? Yes, I still have an old-fashioned CRT TV. 32 inches of widescreen pleasure with a picture sharper than any LCD or plasma screen I’ve ever seen.

Yes it’s a big so ‘n’ so but such is the layout of my house that it fits nicely into one of the alcoves next to the chimney breast. Anyway, I digress.

So, the tele packed up and, being a busy chap, I needed something to use in its place whilst it got fixed – or condemned. Step forward my trusty 20″ iMac .

What’s not to like? 20″ crystal clear widescreen, the audio goes straight into my surround sound amplifier, it plays DVDs through the built in drive, it plays any video file I throw at it through software, it controls my enormous iTunes library, I can connect to Internet TV stations…. etc. The only downside is there’s no way of playing my PS2 or Wii (for the kids you understand) and my Virgin TV subscription is a waste.

Well, I thought it was anyway. Then I did some digging – and found the Elgato Hybrid. The USB connector connects to the iMac, the video from the PS2, Wii, Virgin set-top box etc. connect via composite (the yellow cable in the picture), turning the iMac into a very fancy flatscreen TV. It costs £70.

I know I’m a geek, I embrace my geek status but this could be a perfect example of what I always say about technology: that I don’t love it for its own sake but for what can be done with it. What’s not to like about a TV screen that plays anything and everything you throw at it – and for £70 that could be what I have.

Mmmm…. I wonder.