- CNET Editors' Rating 7.5/10 Very good Editorial policies >>
- Average user rating from 19 users 6.6/10 Good Read user opinions >>
The good: Best TV tuner image quality we've seen; offer for free remote by mail; includes media management software.
The bad: Free remote requires shipping charge; still a stop-gap measure until the next generation of TV tuners.
The bottom line: ATI's flagship TV tuner card offers the best image quality we've seen from a TV tuner card and includes over-the-air HDTV support, but it's still not as good as a direct cable-box-to-TV signal.
Specs: Compatibility: PC See full specs >>
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 09/11/2006
- Released on: 08/21/2006
The ATI TV Wonder 650 includes inputs for both cable/satellite signals and over-the-air (OTA) HD signals. The latter requires an antenna correctly positioned to receive OTA transmissions but is the only option right now for HDTV content through a PC TV tuner. An external connection block that plugs in to the card provides composite and S-Video inputs.
The latest version of ATI's software, Catalyst Media Center, is cleanly designed and easy to navigate. While you can watch and record TV and access music and videos through it, there is no tab for photos, which keeps it from being a full substitute for Microsoft's Media Center Edition (MCE) OS. It does include a handy transcoding app that converts video files for use on, for example, a PSP or a video iPod.
Unlike ATI's new budget card, the TV Wonder 200, this card can also be used with MCE, as well as with other programs such as ArcSoft Total Media, a Media Center clone that does a great job mimicking the simple interface of MCE. ArcSoft's app also adds some nice additional functionality, such as basic photo editing.
Through the Catalyst Media Center, image quality was slightly fuzzier than what you would expect to see from a standard-definition TV signal on an HD display (which itself can be a poor viewing experience). Compared to the results from other TV tuner cards, however, the TV Wonder 650 produced a definite visible difference, giving us the most watchable image we've seen, even when using our 32-inch LCD.
It's a slight step down in image quality, but the Diamond XtremeTV PVR660--available for as little as $75 online--is a good substitute if you don't want to crack open your PC or your system lacks a free PCI slot and you need an external USB TV tuner.
The ATI TV Wonder 650 doesn't include a remote control; instead there's an offer for a free remote by mail. To take advantage of this offer, you must to go to a page on ATI's Web site and enter your serial number. Note that the serial number is physically on the card, so jot the number down before installation. With the offer, you can get either a Microsoft Media Center remote or an ATI Remote Wonder for free, plus shipping charges--$12.90 for standard three-to-five-day shipping. The normal retail cost of the remote is $39, so while it's not exactly free, it is deeply discounted.
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- TV tuner card,
- ATI Technologies,
- TV Tuner,
- ArcSoft Inc.,
- Cisco Catalyst
User opinions
WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEW How would you rate this product?
-
6/10 Good October 17, 2006
"Better than HDTV Wonder" Read more >>
-
9/10 Spectacular October 17, 2006
"Great card for my setup" Read more >>
-
8/10 Excellent December 31, 2006
"Great Video capture quality in the high setting" Read more >>
- WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEWSee all 19 user opinions >>
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