ATI TV Wonder 200 PCI Video Card w/PVR Capabilities Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had a WinTV USB from Hauppauge for six years and decided to upgrade to a good PCI card when I bought a new LCD with a 1680x1050 output. All I wanted to do was watch TV, have closed captioning, and maybe have a live TV buffer, I didn't need anything complicated, so I bought this.
Well, I'll put it bluntly here; this product is DOA. I did everything right, checked the connections, and opened the Catalyst Media Center software. It froze up upon seconds. Why? Because, it doesn't work with 1680x1050 resolution! Huh? The WinTV USB was probably designed in the 1024x768 days, but it works perfectly on 1680x1050 with no additional software. So I downgrade my resolution. It launches, but then goes through this hellish fifteen minute process in Catalyst to optimize itself. And then when I click on TV...it never opens. Well it did; it took ten minutes, but when you just want to watch TV, that can be an eternity. Add to that there is absoultely no option for a basic window interface like WinTV32 with Haupaugge's products (you have to have a candy-coated Windows Media Player-like interface to watch anything on this), and there was no doubt that I just spent $65 on a lemon of a product that should've never been released.
There is no doubt about it, on Monday, I will be returning this with prejudice. ATI should be ashamed of including such a buggy software product with their card, and their lack of disclosure on the remote offer as far as shipping and handling. Meanwhile, no matter if they have a more expensive product, Haupaugge has an established relationship with me, and I will be buying their products again once I get my money back for this.

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Item #: H78984. TV Wonder 200 PCI allows you to schedule and record your favorite TV programs, as it is a powerful Personal Video Recorder for your PC. TV Wonder 200 PCI lets you watch, play, pause or record programs at will. Save your favorite shows to your hard drive, burn to DVD, or share with your portable media devices. Product Description: ATI-TV Wonder 200 - TV tuner / video input adapter - PCIDevice Type: TV tuner / video input adapter - plug-in cardInterface Type: PCILocalization: North AmericaVideo Input: TV tuner - S-video input, composite video input - plug-in cardAnalog Video Format: NTSCAnalog Video Signal: S-Video, composite videoDigital Video Format: MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMVCables Included: 1 x A/V adapter - external | 1 x audio cable - externalOS Required: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP ProfessionalManufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty Customers also search for: Discount ATI-TV Wonder 200 - TV Tuner / Video input Adapter - PCI, Buy ATI-TV Wonder 200 - TV Tuner / Video input Adapter - PCI, Wholesale ATI-TV Wonder 200 - TV Tuner / Video input Adapter - PCI, 0727419413787, 100-703260, Video Input Adaptors

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JVC DR-MV150B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I can't help but think some of the reviews are very biased...perhaps based on operator error more than anything. Although its possible to get a bad unit. I almost didn't make this purchase based on the reviews. But after some thought and the fact that I've owned a JVC t.v. for the past 11 years, I decided to give this unit a try. Thus far, I have no complaints. Set up was pretty simple. I have been able to play both DVDs and VHS tapes without problems. The picture quality could be better but its good enough. I had no problem setting up for recording. The one touch recording option was also pretty simple. I like the fact that you can record with both the DVD and VCR and the timer setup allows you to choose between the 2. So if you are away for the week and need more recording time than what is allowed via your DVD, you can also record the remaining shows you want to record on VHS tape. This is a very nice feature. If I run into problems with the unit (which I hope I don't) I will definitely write another review in all fairness.

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JVC DR-MV150B - DVD recorder/ VCR combo

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ATI 100-715331 TV Wonder 650 PCI Interface High Definition Personal Video Recorder for PC Review

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(More customer reviews)This ATI hd tv tuner is the cheapest way to watch hdtv right now. However, consumers will pay a price by troubleshooting their hd tuner to work. I have a fancy dual core computer with a high end graphics card (ATI 1800x).
Don't bother installing the drivers that come with the tuner because they are garbage. Go directly to the ati website and download the newest drivers because they are much better.
Firstly, the hd signal looks amazingly crisp when the signal comes in. Unfortunately, I find that I have to change the direction of my antenna for certain channels and it can take many minutes to get the signal perfect because it is very sensitive.
One very nice aspect about the hd software that comes with it is it lets you record in full native hd quality and you can keep these files for as long as youd like. Unfortunately, the software doesn't let you edit which part of the recording you would like to keep. The only way to edit what you want is to turn on and off the tv tuner in symphony with what you want to record.
The software constantly records what you watch so you can pause and rewind so this can fill up your hard drive quickly. It would be nice to be able to edit out what you don't want to record easier while maintaining the full quality of the video.
Another problem with the current software is it has very misleading indicators as to how big the recorded files are when you export them. They are completely unreliable.
I use my hd tuner for only a few shows every week but I thoroughly enjoy using it. However, it takes a lot of effort to get it to work optimally. If you don't mind the hassle, this is a great chance for you to get hdtv on your computer.
I live in Hollywood California where the reception is supposed to be very good.


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The ATI TV Wonder 650 High-Definition Personal Video Recorder for your PC is loaded with the very latest in digital TV technologies. You'll be able to schedule, watch, and record analog television, free-to-air HDTV, and FM radio stations from your home computer. This makes the TV Wonder 650 the ultimate media upgrade for your PC. Features include an advanced 3D comb filter, noise reduction, automatic color control, and edge enhancement to produce brilliant, sharp video that rivals any high-end consumer television set. This complete high-definition solution also allows you to watch the latest DVD titles, create your own DVDs, or convert your recorded television shows so you can take them with you on a portable media player. With all these media capabilities, the TV Wonder 650 expands your PC and brings your home computer out of the office and into the living room.
High-Quality Analog TV, Free-to-Air HDTV, and FM Radio on Your PC TV Wonder 650 enhances standard analog TV and delivers sharp, clear video images that one would expect from today's high-end consumer televisions. The advanced 3D comb filter removes false colors and unsightly artifacts. Automatic gain control rapidly adjusts the brightness, automatic color control ensures that colors remain true to the actual image, and edge enhancement sharpens video to keep it clean and crisp. All of these advanced technologies are powered by the cutting-edge Theater 650 Pro processing core that produces the best possible viewing experience.
This product allows you to view free-to-air HDTV programming through the connection of an amplified antenna. Watch your favorite TV shows and sports programming in stunning, true-to-life, high definition. And since free-to-air HDTV (ATSC in North America) requires no monthly fees, you can watch with pleasure without damaging your pocketbook. (Please note that an amplified antenna is required to receive ATSC HDTV signals). In addition, to analog TV and free-to-air HDTV tuning capabilities, the TV Wonder 650 also allows you to tune in your favorite FM stations. Keep up on the latest news or listen to music while you work, send email, or surf the Internet--with the TV Wonder 650 all you favorite entertainment mediums come together with your PC.
Video Input/Capture and PVR Capabilities TV Wonder 650 allows you to view or capture analog video from a camcorder or VCR through the audio/video input block. This function makes it easy to digitize your home videos and preserve your memories onto your PC's hard drive, or burn them to DVDs for friends and family. The Theater 650 Pro processing core utilizes noise reduction to sharpen the incoming analog video signal, and removes the static that can occur when sending analog video into your PC for capture. Whether you enable standard analog TV or free-to-air HDTV programming, TV Wonder 650 allows you to watch, pause live TV, or schedule and record your TV programs for later viewing, just like TiVo or other personal video recorders (PVR). This device is also capable of hardware MPEG-2 compression; it offloads the work from your CPU and produces a high-quality capture that can easily be transferred to DVD. The Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) makes it a breeze to find and schedule recordings of your favorite TV programs, or search for other programs by channel and genre.
User-Friendly Interface The Catalyst Media Center is ATI's new 3D interface that makes it easy to access the enormous number of features on your TV Wonder 650. It's large, bright, easy-to-read buttons and clear, 3D icons pave a quick path to where you want to go. Beyond its user-friendly and aesthetically-pleasing interface, Catalyst Media Center packs the TV Wonder 650 with even more media capabilities. The built-in DVD decoder adds the ability to watch DVD movie titles; the DVD authoring software allows you to effortlessly create DVDs on your won that include themed menus and your favorite tunes; and, lastly, AVIVO Video Converter gives you the choice to either capture or convert video to a format that will enable transfer to a portable media player. The capture or convert feature is available in a number of formats, including MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Windows Media Video 9, AVI, DivX, or H.264 formats.
The TV Wonder 650 is designed with the Windows Media Center 2005 in mind. It is the perfect complement for this powerful media operating system, as it upgrades your PC to take full advantage of the abundance of media capabilities. In addition, the TV Wonder 650 is ready for the Windows Vista operating system. In fact, this device is even Windows Vista Premium ready, which ensures that you will be able to take full advantage of the TV Wonder 650's powerhouse media capabilities for years to come.
Note: An ATI Radeon 9600 or newer graphics card is recommended for optimal display output quality.
What's in the Box TV Wonder 650, PCI card, FM radio antenna, A/V input block, software CD-ROM, and an installation and setup guide.

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VisionTek TV Wonder HD 650 USB TV Dual Tuner/Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was able to get this tuner during a 24 sale the weekend after Thanksgiving at a VERY good price (over 50% off) and I have been very happy that I did. To be honest, this model was on my short list to start with but the price made it a no brainer. I've been using this tuner daily since the first week of December when I first installed it and have had very few issues with it.
For the record, I have used this on two different software installs: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit and the Windows 7 32-bit Beta.
Pros:
Easy integration with Media Center both under Vista and Windows 7. In fact, it's been better under the Windows 7 Beta Media Center than under Vista!
Easy hardware set up. Plug it into your computer, install drivers, and plug in a TV and radio antenna and you're set. No needs to worry about the hardware aspect (minus turning the antenna in some cases).
Onboard MPEG-2 decoding that takes some of the pressure off of your CPU and other components.
Not very steep hardware requirements for your PC.
Can be used with other Media PC DVR software suites.
Great HD picture!
Cons:
The included Catalyst Media software is very buggy.
Cannot get the included remote to work.
As alluded to under cons the Catalyst Media software is more than a little buggy, both under Vista and Windows 7. It will work, most of the time. However, if you're like me "most of the time" just won't cut it if you're counting on it to record shows when you're away from your PC. Further, the Catalyst software does not seem to be able to display on a 16:10 ration display such as my LG LCD 22 incher. The upside is that if you play the recorded content back in another application such as Windows Media Player the aspect ratios are correct. It's just very distracting, to me at least, when watching live TV.
After two days of trying to get used to Catalyst I decided to seek out alternatives and settled on two. The first was Beyond TV and then Windows Media Center (Vista). Beyond TV works much better than the included software, produces a better picture quality, and has the correct aspect ratios. Windows Media Center under Vista has just a tad under the quality of Beyond TV. To me it was worth it to rely on Media Center after the trial period of Beyond TV was over as I wasn't ready to pay $40 more than I paid for the tuner for a software package.
My only complaint using under Media Center with Vista was the lack of the digital sub channels that many station simulcast. This is a problem with Vista and not the tuner so I do not ding the tuner for it.
The tuner really started to shine though under Windows 7 Beta, of all things! Media Center under 7 is more feature complete than it is under Vista and displays all the digital sub-channels and records in better quality (max quality under settings) than under any of the previously used software packages. In fact, even though the Catalyst software is installed under Windows 7 I have only used it once in the last month and rely totally on Media Center for my TV recording.
Now on to some of the issues some may have with this tuner.
I do not have cable so I rely on over-the-air broadcasts for my TV viewing. At first I was using my old trusty rabbit ear antenna figuring that I live less than 8 miles from the three main broadcast antennas for my television market. This was a mixed bag of results. The three main stations came in fine but I had "issues" picking up others such as the local PBS station. A quick run to the store to pick up an amplified antenna (RCA ANT1450B Multi-Directional Digital Flat Amplified Home Theater Antenna (Black)) and I was in business on all my local stations.
One other issues is my inability to get the included remote control to work. The poor documentation that comes with the tuner offers no help in this regard and I've given up. I don't really listen to FM radio so other than testing it to make sure it works once I've not used that feature.
Overall, this is an excellent choice for someone looking to setup HDTV recording on their computer in either a home media center setup or on their desktop machine for casual watching.


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TV Wonder HD 650 usb "White Box" Mac

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