|
|
 |
|
Product:
|
ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control Edition |
|
Price:
|
$128 (CAN) / $98 (U.S)
|
|
Supplied By:
|
Canda Computers
|
|
Author:
|
Hi-TEK
|
|
Date:
|
November 25th, 2003
|
|
Rating:
|
|
|
Click image for larger view
|
Click image for larger view
|
|
The middle portion of the TV Wonder remote controller includes volume adjustment, mute and channel changing
buttons as well as a set of numeric keys and options for opening a setup menu and root menu. The bottom
portion of the remove includes directional arrow keys, programmable keys (A,B,C,D,E,F) and standard DVD
functions for playing, rewinding, fast forwarding, stop/exit and record. I was very impressed by all the
options included with this full featured remote.
|
|
Click image for larger view
|
Click image for larger view
|
|
Installation of the ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control components is a very straightforward process. The first
step is to power off your PC and install the TV Wonder VE card into any free PCI slot. The second step
is to connect the audio extension cable from the Audio Out on the TV Wonder VE to the Line In on your
sound card. Finally, connect your antenna or coax cable to the CATV port on the back of the TV Wonder VE
and attach the RF Receiver to any free USB port.
|
|
With the hardware installation completed, the next step is to install the ATI Multimedia Center and the
ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control drivers. It is strongly recommended that you take a look at the ATI
website for reference in order to make sure that you are running the latest drivers for this product.
At the time of this review, the ATI Remote Wonder drivers were at revision 1.4 and the ATI Multimedia
Center at revision 7.9. Once the system is rebooted, consumers are treated to an interactive menu which
provides a series of options that can be controlled using the wireless handheld remote. The ATI
Multimedia Center provides a simple set of menu options to perform any multimedia function ranging from watching
TV, playing DVD's, VCD's and Audio CD's, as well as viewing TV Listings, stored Picture Gallery and media
files. During the initial configuration process, I found the software a little unstable and it would crash
Windows XP before finalizing any settings. It took approximately 30 minutes of troubleshooting to get
the software stable and after the issues were resolved, I was able to test the main functions using
the wireless handheld remote.
|
|
Click image for larger view
|
Click image for larger view
|
|
One of the best features of the ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control Edition is the Guide Plus+ application
software. This easy to use component is simple to configure and requires only a few steps to get working
correctly. Once the updated TV listings are downloaded, you can preview any existing channel, group channels
into specific search categories or schedule any of your favourite programs to be recorded, all with the
simple push of a button. All channels in preview mode can be full sized to be displayed entirely on your
screen. The TV Tuner playback was excellent with clear sharp images and good resolution when viewed at
close range or a few feet away from my Albatron L17AT TFT-LCD.
|
|
Click image for larger view
|
Click image for larger view
|
|
To test the DVD component of the ATI Multimedia Center, I placed in one of my all-time favourite movies
"Spiderman" and activated the DVD mode. DVD and playback was exceptionally smooth and the display quality
again was excellent. The only comment I can make about ATI's integrated DVD player is that it lacks some
of the more advanced robust features found in third party applications such as PowerDVD and WinDVD.
|
|
Conclusion:
The ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control Edition is a simple yet effective kit which allows any consumer to
add multimedia functionality to a standard PC. The package is very easy to install and the documentation
provides some good information to get this product working correctly. The USB powered RF receiver allows
you to easy control regular PC functions for navigating a desktop and at the same time introduces new
features which are bundled with this product. The wireless remote controller is very handy for everyday
use and has a nice non-complicated button layout. Finally, ATI's Multimedia Center and the Guide Plus+
TV Listing component provide easy to navigate menu items with a basic set of usable multimedia functions.
After using the ATI TV Wonder VE Remote Control Edition for the past week, the only negative comments
that I can make about this package is bundled application software. I found the ATI Multimedia Center
to be very unstable during the installation process, where at times the application would crash un-expectantly
during configuration or regular use. The software does serve its purpose of providing seamless integration
of all the multimedia functions, but there are third party applications that do a much better job than
this package. Finally, controlling your cursor using the thumb pad function on the Remote Wonder was
also a little frustrating. I had to keep re-adjusting my mouse sensitivity settings to finally get a
configuration that was easy to use. Aside from a few minor issues, I'm rating the ATI TV Wonder VE
Remote Control Edition an 8 out of 10.
If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Canda Computers
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
|
Pros:
- Excellent picture quality and sharp display
- Full multimedia suite
- Wireless functionality
- Full featured remote controller
- Robust Guide Plus+ and TIVO/Time Shifting options
- Easy installation
- Good documentation
- Price
|
Cons:
- A few stability issues noted with the ATI Multimedia Center
- Thumb pad features requires some practise in order to be productive
- File player overwrites all file extensions
|
|
|
|
|
|
