Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
Look for image quality, capabilities in video cards
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Chances are good that if you've thought about adding TV to your PC, you've thought about ATI.
Montreal-based ATI Technologies is the best-known maker of powerful video cards that include TV tuners, a line called All-in-Wonder. I've written about these products quite a bit over the years, and if you're building a PC or need a video card upgrade along with a tuner, they're the simplest route to take.
But ATI also offers stand-alone tuner cards for those happy with their current graphics adapters.
To wrap up this three-part series on putting together a media center PC, here's a look at a pair of ATI products that take different approaches.
• TV WONDER ELITE — $149, ATI Technologies. In the past, the emphasis on add-in tuner cards has been on bells and whistles — being able to pause live TV, recording programs easily, sharing video across networks. What's been missing has been an emphasis on the quality of the image, because it's been a given that a PC-based TV display won't rival that of a high-end stand-alone TV.
ATI's TV Wonder Elite takes a shot at changing that. It's the first TV card to get certification from the Imaging Science Research Labs. Its display is noticeably better than other tuner cards I've tried, including previous ATI products.
But while the picture is superior, the software isn't. You'll likely want to buy better software, or use this with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (see www.chron.com/mce2005) before the TV Wonder Elite can reach its true potential.
Installation and setup is simple. Just pop the card in an open PCI slot; attach a TV cable, FM antenna and an external input cable used to connect devices such as video cameras; then fire up the PC and install the software.
If you are installing it on a computer that already has Windows XP Media Center Edition, you won't need the included software at all.
The TV Wonder Elite uses CyberLink's Power Cinema software, and it lacks one major feature that makes it frustrating to use — a TV schedule. If you want to record a show, you must manually enter the time and channel, identified by number.
Fortunately, this card works very well both with MCE and other digital video recorder software, such as SnapStream's Beyond TV, which I wrote about last week (see www.chron.com/beyondtv). Just figure on spending a little extra to fix the software's deficiencies if you buy it.
The quality of the image is very good, thanks to circuitry that can clean up the often-nasty signal most folks get from analog cable TV.
The TV Wonder Elite also includes an FM radio tuner that can schedule recordings. Its sensitivity is excellent, and it picks up weak signals quite well. It also comes with the Remote Wonder Plus remote control that uses radio frequencies instead of the more common infrared system.
If you're building a media center computer or upgrading an existing PC and want a stand-alone tuner card, I'd recommend this one. Just plan on discarding the software that comes with it.
• RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER X600 PRO — $199, ATI Technologies. If you've got a newer computer that uses a PCI Express graphics slot, you've got only two choices for combination TV and video card — and one of them you can't buy quite yet.
The X600 Pro was the first PCI Express model in the All-in-Wonder line, and the All-in-Wonder X800 XL was just announced, but won't be available until later this year. For most users, the X600 is more than enough.
This card is aimed at gamers who also want full DVR capabilities, which makes it a great choice if you're sending a college student off to a cramped dorm room where there may not be enough room for TV, PC and a game console.
Be aware, though, that the All-in-Wonder cards are not certified to work with Windows XP MCE. If you take this route, you'll either need to use the software that comes with the All-in-Wonder, or use something like BeyondTV.
The X600 comes with 256 megabytes of video memory and has a maximum resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels at a refresh rate of 85 hertz. It's an excellent card for gaming — fast and with full support for Microsoft's DirectX 9 3D graphics scheme.
Installation is not quite as easy as with the TV Wonder Elite. There are a slew of cables, dongles and connection pods that must be plugged into the back of the X600 once it's in its PCI Express slot. Plan to spend some quality time with the documentation before installing.
The software setup is fairly straightforward, although there are two setup processes. The first is for the card and its software, and then a second one walks you through configuring the GemStar Plus TV schedule program.
ATI's Multimedia Center program hasn't changed much in years. The company added an EazyLook features designed to work with big-screen TV — and which also bears a striking resemblance to the Windows XP Media Center interface — but otherwise this looks like late '90s software. It's badly in need of a face-lift.
Dated as it is, it works quite well. It also has a feature I like a lot that's missing from both Windows XP MCE and BeyondTV — the ability to turn off the digital video recording feature and just watch plain ol' TV. It's a little retro, but it improves the image quite a bit.
The video image here is very good, although not as sharp as the TV Wonder Elite. It's best viewed on a computer monitor, rather than a big-screen TV.
The X600 includes an FM radio tuner, but it lacks the sensitivity of the TV Wonder Elite. If you don't need Windows XP MCE compat-
ibility and only want to bother with installing one card in your PC, this is the way to go for owners of PCI Express systems.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
By DWIGHT SILVERMAN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Chances are good that if you've thought about adding TV to your PC, you've thought about ATI.
Montreal-based ATI Technologies is the best-known maker of powerful video cards that include TV tuners, a line called All-in-Wonder. I've written about these products quite a bit over the years, and if you're building a PC or need a video card upgrade along with a tuner, they're the simplest route to take.
But ATI also offers stand-alone tuner cards for those happy with their current graphics adapters.
To wrap up this three-part series on putting together a media center PC, here's a look at a pair of ATI products that take different approaches.
• TV WONDER ELITE — $149, ATI Technologies. In the past, the emphasis on add-in tuner cards has been on bells and whistles — being able to pause live TV, recording programs easily, sharing video across networks. What's been missing has been an emphasis on the quality of the image, because it's been a given that a PC-based TV display won't rival that of a high-end stand-alone TV.
ATI's TV Wonder Elite takes a shot at changing that. It's the first TV card to get certification from the Imaging Science Research Labs. Its display is noticeably better than other tuner cards I've tried, including previous ATI products.
But while the picture is superior, the software isn't. You'll likely want to buy better software, or use this with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (see www.chron.com/mce2005) before the TV Wonder Elite can reach its true potential.
Installation and setup is simple. Just pop the card in an open PCI slot; attach a TV cable, FM antenna and an external input cable used to connect devices such as video cameras; then fire up the PC and install the software.
If you are installing it on a computer that already has Windows XP Media Center Edition, you won't need the included software at all.
The TV Wonder Elite uses CyberLink's Power Cinema software, and it lacks one major feature that makes it frustrating to use — a TV schedule. If you want to record a show, you must manually enter the time and channel, identified by number.
Fortunately, this card works very well both with MCE and other digital video recorder software, such as SnapStream's Beyond TV, which I wrote about last week (see www.chron.com/beyondtv). Just figure on spending a little extra to fix the software's deficiencies if you buy it.
The quality of the image is very good, thanks to circuitry that can clean up the often-nasty signal most folks get from analog cable TV.
The TV Wonder Elite also includes an FM radio tuner that can schedule recordings. Its sensitivity is excellent, and it picks up weak signals quite well. It also comes with the Remote Wonder Plus remote control that uses radio frequencies instead of the more common infrared system.
If you're building a media center computer or upgrading an existing PC and want a stand-alone tuner card, I'd recommend this one. Just plan on discarding the software that comes with it.
• RADEON ALL-IN-WONDER X600 PRO — $199, ATI Technologies. If you've got a newer computer that uses a PCI Express graphics slot, you've got only two choices for combination TV and video card — and one of them you can't buy quite yet.
The X600 Pro was the first PCI Express model in the All-in-Wonder line, and the All-in-Wonder X800 XL was just announced, but won't be available until later this year. For most users, the X600 is more than enough.
This card is aimed at gamers who also want full DVR capabilities, which makes it a great choice if you're sending a college student off to a cramped dorm room where there may not be enough room for TV, PC and a game console.
Be aware, though, that the All-in-Wonder cards are not certified to work with Windows XP MCE. If you take this route, you'll either need to use the software that comes with the All-in-Wonder, or use something like BeyondTV.
The X600 comes with 256 megabytes of video memory and has a maximum resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels at a refresh rate of 85 hertz. It's an excellent card for gaming — fast and with full support for Microsoft's DirectX 9 3D graphics scheme.
Installation is not quite as easy as with the TV Wonder Elite. There are a slew of cables, dongles and connection pods that must be plugged into the back of the X600 once it's in its PCI Express slot. Plan to spend some quality time with the documentation before installing.
The software setup is fairly straightforward, although there are two setup processes. The first is for the card and its software, and then a second one walks you through configuring the GemStar Plus TV schedule program.
ATI's Multimedia Center program hasn't changed much in years. The company added an EazyLook features designed to work with big-screen TV — and which also bears a striking resemblance to the Windows XP Media Center interface — but otherwise this looks like late '90s software. It's badly in need of a face-lift.
Dated as it is, it works quite well. It also has a feature I like a lot that's missing from both Windows XP MCE and BeyondTV — the ability to turn off the digital video recording feature and just watch plain ol' TV. It's a little retro, but it improves the image quite a bit.
The video image here is very good, although not as sharp as the TV Wonder Elite. It's best viewed on a computer monitor, rather than a big-screen TV.
The X600 includes an FM radio tuner, but it lacks the sensitivity of the TV Wonder Elite. If you don't need Windows XP MCE compat-
ibility and only want to bother with installing one card in your PC, this is the way to go for owners of PCI Express systems.
HoustonChronicle.com - Computing: Want to add TV to PC? See ATI
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