Entered CNET Catalog: 05/31/2007
SKU: 0795522960733
Manufacturer: AverMedia Inc.
Manufacturer description
AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB is a new generation of USB TV solution including an Analog/Digital ATSC receiver with MPEG-2 Hardware Encoder solution. With the full compatibility of Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate Edition Media Center operating systems, this elegant and portable AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB TV Tuner converts your desktop or notebook into a complete entertainment center. The new economical version of USB TV solution includes an Analog/Digital ATSC receiver to enrich your TV program choices. Particularly designed for larger screen sizes and featuring a larger user interface, Microsoft Media Center Edition (MCE) operating system provides you an easy way to access all your MCE compliant devices via the easy-to-use remote control. Via AVerMedia's supplied MCE certified remote control, users can store, share, and view favorite live TV programs, digital photos, music, and movies, enjoying all-round multimedia functions anywhere in their home. With a push of a button, users can watch TV or use the PVR and Time-Shift features to pause, rewind and replay Live TV so as to never miss a moment of favorite TV programs. In addition, AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB supports up to 1080i High Definition TV viewing with different aspect ratio including 4:3 and 16:9. Last but not least, with the FM Radio reception, AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB allows you to have simple access to FM Radio stations. Users can easily enjoy live FM radio while working on their desktop or notebook.Product summary
The good: Compatible with both digital and analog signals, including HD; Media Center provides an attractive front end; includes S-Video and composite video ports.
The bad: Included antenna is small and weak; not the most portable package on the whole.
The bottom line: While there are more portable TV tuner/antenna combos for frequent travelers, the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB is a good choice for more sedentary Media Center users looking for an affordable and easy way to watch and record TV. The kit would be more useful, however, if the included antenna were bigger.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 06/04/2007
AVerMedia bills the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB as a Media Center Upgrade Kit. The upgrade it brings to your Media Center PC is the ability to watch and record TV. This $130 external TV tuner avoids one of the pitfalls of PC-based TV tuners--the often shoddy bundled DVR software--simply by not bundling any software. As a result, you'll need a desktop or laptop with Windows XP Media Center Edition or a version of Vista that includes the Media Center shell--either Home Premium or Ultimate. Also included in the kit is a very small over-the-air antenna, but if you are looking for a tuner/antenna combo for frequent travel, we suggest the Plextor PX-HDTV500U because its tuner is smaller and its antenna is larger and more powerful. The AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB is a better fit for cramped living quarters--dorm rooms and studio apartments--where your PC or laptop doubles as your TV.
The external tuner measures 4.5 inches wide by 4.2 inches deep by 1 inch thick and includes an MPEG-2 hardware encoder. It can receive both analog and digital ATSC stations (including HD at 1080i), hence the Hybrid in its name. Installation is straightforward, but when you incorporate the included IR blaster, the setup results in more wires than you'd like to see. We installed the drivers off the installation CD and connected the breakout box to a USB port on a Vista Ultimate laptop and then connected the included antenna to the other end of the box. No signal. We didn't expect to receive many stations, since we were able to only pull in five stations--of which only one was stutter-free--with the Plextor tuner and its larger antenna. No amount of repositioning or reinstallation of the drivers led to a signal. You may have better luck if you live in a larger market (this reviewer is located in southern New Hampshire--not exactly an HD hotspot) or you might also try connecting it to a larger antenna.
So, we unplugged the antenna and connected the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB tuner to a Comcast HD-enabled digital cable box. After stepping through Media Center's setup screens, we were watching both SD and HD stations. The HD stations from our Comcast cable service, however, were not displayed in HD. They came in at the correct 16:9 screen ratio but were not full screen and not in HD. The only way to view HD programming in HD on your PC is with an over-the-air antenna or via CableCard.
We also connected the IR receiver to another USB port so we could use the bundled remote control, and then ran the included IR blaster to our cable box so we could control Media Center and also change channels with a single remote. The upside of using Media Center is that the software provides a much more easily navigated and attractive interface than any DVR application we've used that's come with an external tuner.
The other advantage of the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB tuner is that it includes a hardware encoder, which takes some of the load off of your CPU. Tested on a recent Core 2 Duo laptop, watching TV via our Comcast digital cable box resulted in a stutter-free experience. There was a 2- to 3-second delay when changing channels, but that's the case with any setup where you're using an IR blaster, because the signal is relayed from the IR receiver connected to the laptop to your cable box via the IR blaster.
Aside from its primary purpose of allowing Media Center-enabled PCs the ability to input a TV signal, the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB tuner includes a couple extras. First, the kit includes an FM radio antenna, allowing you to listen to FM radio if for some reason the wide variety of Internet radio isn't to your liking. Second, the tuner includes S-Video and composite video ports so you can connect other video devices. Say, if your laptop doesn't have a FireWire port, you can connect your camcorder to your laptop through the AVerTV Hybrid's S-Video port. Or if you have an ultraportable without an optical drive, you could connect it to your DVD player.
AVerMedia backs the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB with a one-year warranty. The AVerMedia support site includes a potentially useful FAQ section, but at the time of this writing, there were no entries for the AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB. There is, however, a Web form you can use to initiate a discussion.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4out of 4 user reviews
Have this running on four computers just fine
Pros: Ease of setup and uase. Quality of picture. FM is great.
Cons: Bulky, useless antenna
Saw reviews for other brands, but tried this and am very satisfied with its performance so far. Only complaint is size and poor antenna
out of 4 user reviews
Help w/ tv tuner
Pros: Seems to b working
Cons: compatibility issue
out of 4 user reviews
Excellent! Does just what I wanted it to.
Pros: Multiple connections allow for many input choices.
Cons: No bundled software.
I definitely reccomend this for anyone with a Vista Premium laptop!
out of 4 user reviews
Excellent!
Pros: Easy installation, great remote, great price!
Cons: Poor documentation included in package, but found what I needed on the CD.
