ADS Tech Instant TV USB 2.0 TV Tuner

The convergence of electronic entertainment devices such as TV's, DVD players, and stereos with personal computers is finally starting to happen. Purpose-built computers with direct support from Microsoft in the form of Windows XP Media Center Edition are available now. Even better news for the do-it-yourselfer is the availability of devices and software to create your own Home Theater PC (HTPC). Building a low budget HTPC was on my list of summer projects and this effort was greatly facilitated by the arrival of ADS Tech's "Instant TV" USB 2.0 TV Tuner.

Instant TV is an external USB 2.0 device that features a TV tuner and the capabilities of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In addition to watching television on a computer monitor (or television using TV-Out, the Instant TV can record to a hard drive, directly to a CD or DVD disc in VCD, SVCD, or DVD format, and perform Time-Shift recording functions.

Features and Specifications

• USB 2.0 connection to the PC
• Capture audio and video via the USB 2.0 port
• Pause Live TV
• Last viewed channel
• 125 Channel Analog TV tuner
• Includes remote control
• Time-Shift Recording - rewind, pause or fast forward live TV
• Scheduled recording with Electronic Program Guide
• Full Screen TV viewing on PC monitor
• Record video from any analog video source
• Direct to Disk Capture - capture TV shows directly to re-writable disks
• Edit and update re-writable disks - add shows to a disk, add chapters and menus
• Integration with full DVD authoring software applications

Includes:

• USB Instant TV
• Remote Control
• 125 Channel Analog TV tuner
• Audio/Video and USB cables
• CD containing:
  • Ulead Video@Home Windows Media Encoder 9
  • User's Manual

System Requirements:

• Windows XP Only
• 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon XP 2400, or better
• Available USB 2.0 port
• AGP Graphics Card
• Sound Card for audio playback
• CD-ROM for software installation
• CD or DVD writer for VCD, SVCD or DVD creation
• 4 GB for every 2 hours of video recording time

Test System:

• Biostar M7NCG (mATX nForce2 400)
• AMD Duron 800 CPU
• Elsa GeForce3 (64MB)
• Maxtor 7200 30GB HDD
• Lite-On 16x DVD-ROM
• Sony 8x CD-RW
• Samsung 15" SyncMaster 151s LCD
• Samsung 19" SyncMaster 950p CRT
• Logitech Z640 5.1 speakers

Note: The test system's specs are deliberately puny. As I noted in the introduction, the Instant TV is intended to live in a budget HTPC. With the exception of the motherboard, I had all other components on hand. The CPU in the test system is clearly well below the system requirements so any tests issues attributable to processor speed will be noted.

Installation is very simple, as one would hope with an external USB product. The product box and provided documentation very clearly state that Windows XP and USB 2.0 are required. XP is necessary to write directly to CD/DVD media and USB 2.0 is required for the throughput of the audio and video stream. The software is installed before the hardware and includes an audio and video driver. Please note that they have been updated since the product release and can be downloaded from ADS Tech. The installer checks for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and if it is not found it will install Microsoft's USB 2.0 drivers. The tuner can be plugged into a USB 2.0 port once the drivers are installed. The tuner requires a coaxial cable connection, but not a separate power source. Unfortunately, removing the tuner also means reinstalling the driver software. You don't have to use the installation CD each time, but you will have to click on numerous dialog boxes while the audio and video drivers reinstall. This isn't a crippling problem, but it is rather irritating.

As stated previously, my intended use for the Instant TV is with a Home Theatre PC. However, I also tested it with two PC monitors. The TV output is generated through the video card's S-Video TV-Out port using a S-Video to Composite adapter (the TV only has a composite input). Composite video is, unfortunately, the least desirable video input but using the PC monitors for TV display will offset the TV's quality loss in our visual analysis. The Biostar's onboard 6-channel Realtek audio provides the sound output to a set of Logitech Z640 speakers. The Z640's continue the theme of using budget components, but they are certainly good enough to test the Instant TV's audio integrity.

Connections for the Instant TV are:

• USB Port (USB 2.0 ONLY)
• Audio In (to record audio from external audio/video sources)
• Audio Out (pass-through audio from external sources)
• RCA (composite) Video In
• S-Video (Y/C) Video In
• Cable TV connector (F-Connector for NTSC, IEC for PAL)

The included Ulead Video@Home also has a product update that can be downloaded from ADS Tech. It installs neatly and quickly (one can never be sure with bundled software). All manipulation of the Instant TV tuner is performed through the Video@Home software. This is a big plus in my opinion. Too often hardware comes with numerous overlapping, conflicting, or incompatible applications. A one-stop-shopping control point is always welcome.