- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 22 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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7 out of 10 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Better than HDTV Wonder"
Pros: Easier to install than HDTV Wonder
Cons: Catalyst MC is just bad software, it requires some knowledge to install it correctly.
Summary: computer descriptions
Emachines
Windows MCE 2005 rollup 2
Intel Pentium 3.08
328 available ram
128 radeon xpress 200 series intergrated video card
I would like to start off by saying this: "If you're not a techy/patient kind of guy I suggest you just steer away from this card"
ATI has been one of the most retarded companies that I've ever had to deal with. The reason is because most of their products are great concepts... but it's just a pain in the ass to make them work as they were meant to. I bought this product for two purposes only: to have a high quality HDTV tuner, and to fulfill my goal of having a kick ass Windows Media Center Edition 2005 computer. I was very excited when I bought this product, since it seemed to be easier to install than the previous version of Ati Hdtv wonder. Note: I was eager to buy it. When I arrived home, I started to install the Pci card into the slot. Then I followed the manual instructions in order to install the drivers and media center catalyst. At first I just installed the drivers and decoders, because the manual said that Windows MCE didn't require the catalyst mc. I started Mc and I started setting up the channels, and when it finished I was completely disappointed at the results. The DTV channels didn't show up, specially the sd channels which shouldn't be hard to detect. MCE did not recognize them at all. So I was required to install Catalyst Mc, after I installed it I had almost the same results. It detected some channels, but I could only hear the audio but not the video. As I finished troubleshooting the card, I had to call ATI and complain about it.
It turns out that some Windows MC computers that come bundled with Radeon Xpress 200 series cards, have the wrong version of the drivers installed into them.
I had to uninstall the drivers for both of the cards and start all over again. To make along story short After doing all of that my PC lagged severely, and I needed to buy a new antenna.
- 1 reply to this review
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I just lost my whole reply to you...GRR
But here is the basic idea.
How rich of you to buy a cut the corners eMachine and then crap all over the higher end items you try and shove in them.
First off, you bought a boxed unit, like a dell, hp, emachine, et.al. You seem to be closer to a proficiency level of buiilding your own system. You need to head that way next time if you really want a NICE media center.
Companies that sell boxed units try & lock down and permanently set all kinds of options, that "medling" consumers might mess up. You may pay a little less for them but you get less (lesser priced quality items and less performance via tweaking options) and as long as you don't really try and change things, your system will run normally.
But remember, You bought a little to no options system most of the boxed systems have locked bios's and then biotch about its limitiations but I am guessing that eMachines didn't offer you the option to configure your system ready to go for the ATI HDTV 650, did they?
Well EXPECT ANY ADD IN CARD TO HAVE MULTIPLE ISSUES... ITS LIKE MAKING AN ORGAN DONATION>>>>sometimes the system is going to reject your choice. ...AND if it doesn't cause any issues then you exhale and smile.
..."ATI has been one of the most retarded companies that I've ever had to deal with."...
Again...you speak from so much ignorance I don't even know where to start half the time with people like you. You need to educate your self a whole lot more.
ATI's software has issues just like Nvidia's does, just like Hauppauges software does... With a few exceptions though. First off, nvidia has all but abandoned the TV tuner areana leaving the cinema line therefore they can remove any code that relates to that hardware from the newest drivers.
Hauppauge has taken a minimalistic approach which such GEMS as the PVR-150 & PVR-500. You don't have issues with their front end, because especially in the PVR-500....they don't provide one. They pawn it off on the terrible windont's M.C. or on to the very EXCELLENT Snapstreams Beyond Tv (4), but they pawn it off. They don't provide a realistic functioning system and if you don't think that-that takes more time and energy to update their malfunctioning issues you are mistaken.
They (Hauppauge) charge more $139+ for the PVR-550 with has no front end, no cables, no remote, no HDTV capabilies and requires a third party system to run and record & burn...Whats the value? Dual Turners please the video quality is LACKING!
I have run Hauppauges, ATI TV tuners and most of the ATI All-In-Wonder Lines since 9700-9800-9600 days. I have learned what you do & do not to run to stream line your system. I run a stripped down version of ATI's media center on all the A-I-W cards and TV tuner cards (DITCH THE KLUDGEEEE - setups like windont's media center. I load the TV tuner directly and use the recording features that come with it. No fuss no muss very little CPU usage plenty of multi-tasking capablilties left over while watching TV & recording.
