ATI TV Wonder Pro - :-/

[Cuartz7o]

Hey everyone, I'm here today to help answer the question that a lot of people ask themselves: Does a TV tuner card have a delay? Well, I am here to help answer that question with this review. Lets take a look at what we have:

WARNING: kind of long

(1) ATI TV Wonder PRO:
-Watch crystal clear TV on your PC
-Schedule and record TV programs
-720x480 MPEG-2 video capture
-Electronic TV listings with no monthly fees
-STEREO AUDIO 👍

The Laydown: I bought this card with hopes of being able to hook my PS2 up through my computer to view on my monitor in order to save space in my dorm, eliminationg a TV. Now there is controversey over whether or not TV tuner cards work well. My answer is YES, they do. SOME, however, DO work better than others. Looking around for a good TV tuner card for $50 and under, I saw this ATI TV Wonder Pro and decided to give it a shot. The Set-up was great. Picture quality was amazing, and best of all, it came with an external S-video and composite video adapter.

The Test: After Setting the card up ad getting it to full working order i decided to put it to the task i had intended it for: playing PS2. To my astonishment the quality was there, but there was one problem. There was a Delay. The Delay was a little over a second. I decided that although the card was only $50 after a rebate, had amazing quality with the Television, I could not keep it due to the fact that i could not use a video input due to the fact that it had a delay of almost a second.

I'm hoping that I can return the card to CompUSA where i bought it and either a) get my money back, or b) get store credit. I am hoping to get my money back as to i can use it to get a different TV tuner card online somewhere.

The Verdict: THis was a great TV tuner card with GREAT quality and features...but that is it. Don't try hook up a console to it because the delay will leave you, well, . You can add this TV tuner car to the list of "not-to-buy" cards ONLY because of the delay. But, this card does go close to the top of the list for image quality and features.

Thanks for bearing with me, and you have any comments, please post 'em,
Kevin.

P.S. --> I'm not a writer, if this article was not pleasing to you, i do apologize, but i was just trying to inform the interested people of the GTPlanet community of a product that can alter the gaming experience.

 

[Jondot]

Thanks for the information made into a review! I had the same worry in my bedroom - my ps2 and my tv are so far away from eachother, that i had to buy some video senders. I was worried that there would be a delay, but they're fine!

 

[gnomefromnome]

I was wondering if the drivers for the ATI TV Wonder Pro you used came from the included disc? There may be updated drivers at the ATI Website that may help the delay. There could be a conflict with the TV card and your video card. I think some TV cards have a list of video cards that they are compatible with. Also how did you hook up the PS2 to your TV Card?

I have a Hauppauge WinTV Card and it works great with my PS2, with no noticeable delay. I only have a minor complaint when taking "snapshot" the quality could be better but I contribute that to my crappy video card (it's an older one that matches the age of my computer), but I can record video from my PS2 with no problems. 👍

Hope you can find a suitable card for your computer.

 

[Cuartz7o]

I indeed did use the software that came with the TV tuner card. The software that came with it had a option of "optimal video quiality," or somethig close to it. When I enabled it the quality was amazing, but there was a 1 second delay. I disabled it to see if the delay would go away, and it did. The only problem was that the image quality looked very very bad, and there was NO sound. It didn't make sense fo rthe sound to disappear with a "video" setting adjusted, but that's the way ATI does things I guess.
I hooked up the Cable wire into the card and I hooked up the PS2 through the composite-in. On the back of the ATI card there were three connectors. 1) Audio out 2) Cable in, and 3) input link. What the input link is a s-video type of plug that you plug into the card, and on the other end is a Red White Yellow and S-Video connector. I had my PS2 hooked up through that, using the S-VIdeo as the input. It was either Great quality with a delay, or really bad quality with no sound, and no delay.
Also, I hookeed up the PS2 with a R/F Modulator, and it was the same. With the "best video quality" enabled, even through the TV tuner itself, there was still a delay, and with it disabled, there was no delay, but really really bad picture quality and no sound. What amazed me the most was how even through i had it hooked up through composite-in, there was no sound.
I am going to do a search on "compatible" software for the card. If i can find something by the end of this weekend, i'll keep the card. If not, i'm gonna take it back. It's not worth the $70 if it has a delay, no FM tuner, and no remote, when i see planty on Newegg with all three for much cheaper, that seem to work.
Thanks for reading if you have,
Kevin 👍

 

[gnomefromnome]

When I mention the drivers that came with the TV card, I meant the program that enables the card to work on your PC. See if there are updated Drivers on the ATI Website.

As for "Software", or programs that allow you to watch TV on your comp, try these 3rd party applications. The only one I could figure out how to use is MyTV, but I currently use the Hauppauge WinTV2000 program that came with my card.

 

[PS]

Is it an actually PC card that goes into an AGP/PCI slot? Or is it like a little flat box with a cord sticking out of each end, one going to the pc the other to the tv? I've been very interested in these, and have always wondered if there was a way I could hook up my xbox to my moniter or something.

 

[cardude2004]

It is a TV card that goes in your PCI slot, or you can get video cards with the TV tuner feature built in. The PCI card can be connected to the video card if you would like. They work great. We have them on 4 of our desktop PC's. They don't have any delay. You can record everything, whether it be PS2 replays or movies from a video camera. Ours you can even switch between 16:9 and 4:3 screen size.

 

[Flerbizky]

It is a TV card that goes in your PCI slot, or you can get video cards with the TV tuner feature built in. The PCI card can be connected to the video card if you would like. They work great. We have them on 4 of our desktop PC's. They don't have any delay. You can record everything, whether it be PS2 replays or movies from a video camera. Ours you can even switch between 16:9 and 4:3 screen size.

You rock man. And neither my crappy Pinnacle card, nor my almost as crappy Hauppauge, nor the thing in my laptop has any delay...

Some people must suck at computer stuff

 

[Cuartz7o]

I downloaded software called ChrisTV that overrides ATI's software. After installing it there was no delay, but it is still as not clear as I would want it to be. The ChrisTV software works well, but i don't eel like payin more just to get something working that isn't going to have great quality. So it looks like I'm returning the card and looking forward to getting a VGA adaptor that connects directly into any VGA monitor.
Later,
Kevin