MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews

Input and Output:

TVBox 1440 has one VGA input, one MMI analog video input with sound, one Antenna/Cable input and one mini-Stereo input. It has a single VGA output and one mini-Stereo jack for sound output. The MMI uses the three input connector cables for Composite, S-Video and Component YPbPr. It can take multiple inputs and redirect to a single PC monitor and a pair of stereo speakers. Sadly, there is no 5.1 surround support, not that it was expected from a budget converter.

Functions and Capability:

TVBox 1440 can support a resolution up to 1440x900, as the name implies. Other supported resolutions are 4:3 ratios such as 800x600, 1024x768, 5:4 ratio such as 1280x1024 and 16:10 ratio such as 1440x900. It can also work with LCD monitors with higher resolutions such as 22" LCD with 1680x1050, albeit at lowered 1440x900 resolution. On both LCD and CRT type monitors, the TVBox 1440 can work without a hitch and can adjust the screen centering if the monitor doesn't support such a function. TVBox 1440 has an option to select the input screen ratio of 4:3 or 16:9. This option is used to adjust video input with the selected output resolution so that the image does not appear stretched or squashed. The resulting image is a very clear image (at least for the output screen) with correct aspect ratio. However, at a 1440x900 resolution there are only 4:3 and 16:10 ratios. So, the 16:9 output from the console games appear a tiny bit stretched vertically. There is PiP function with size and position adjustment to view TV and MMI video inputs while on a PC desktop screen, Channel-Preview mode to see six or nine channels at one time, and a Channel Order feature to line up the favorite channels in custom order. A small bonus is the ability to freeze the screen anytime without any distortion to the image.

While the TVBox 1440 is advertised to support 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p and 1080i input modes, the actual testing showed that it can receive these signals only when the component cable is set on YPbPr output mode PlayStation 2 console. It cannot work with component cable set on VGA mode. This was tested using both official Sony component and generic cables. On the Composite and S-Video input the pictures are as clear as they can be with no fuzzy or muddy artifacts on the part of the converter. The images are as clear as any HDTV. There is one issue with using Composite input; however it will make other inputs such as S-Video look muddy due to the signal noise. It is recommend leaving the Composite cable unplugged while other modes such as S-Video, Component, Antenna, VGA are being used.

Image Quality:

The test images were taken on a 19" Acer widescreen LCD screen. You can see pictures showing the difference between Composite, S-Video, Component 480i and 480p as well as the S-Video with and without Composite noise. There are black borders around the images for use with overscan, which is not present in standard TV sets which due to their analog nature. There is another model from KWorld TVBox 1680 which supports higher resolution 20" and 22" wide screen LCDs. I will have to see that for myself later in another hands-on review.