The models that will be presented in our review were selected by GotView as the most popular products of this brand. It is noteworthy that among them there are both built-in TV tuners for PCI and PCI-E buses, and external model using the USB interface. First, let's try to compare them according to some general characteristics.
GotView TV tuner comparison table
* Average estimated cost taken from the website www.price.ru at the time of preparation of the materialNote: a complete list of features of GotView TV tuners can be found on the manufacturer’s home page: www.gotview.ru.
For information: the abbreviation "DVD" in the model name of the GotView TV tuner indicates the presence of a hardware MPEG2 encoder on the board.
Description of GotView models
Almost the entire range of GotView tuners is supplied in nice and small packaging boxes, designed according to the manufacturer’s proprietary template. For the convenience of the buyer, the functional features of the models, equipment, service functions, etc. are presented in detail directly on them. Despite the small dimensions of the packages, inside a potential buyer will find many components. Their set for all GotView built-in TV tuners is almost identical, and includes the following:
TV tuner;
Low-profile bracket for installing the tuner in “thin” cases;
Antenna dipole for radio receiver (with Velcro);
RCA (composite) to S-Video adapter;
remote control;
Batteries for remote control;
IR receiver for remote control;
Composite video cable;
S-Video cable;
Stereo audio cable;
CD with software;
InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 CD;
Installation Guide
All models of the company's built-in TV tuners have a low-profile design printed circuit board, and the delivery kits of the models also include additional low-profile strips, which allows the products to be used in specific small-sized system unit cases.
Many GotView TV tuner models come with a multimedia remote control. With its help, you can control not only the functions of the TV tuner itself, but also various applications. When studying the package contents, we discovered that in the GotView TV tuner range there may be at least two options for remote controls, photographs of which you see below:
GotView Remote Control Models
Reprogramming the keys on the remote control is carried out using
branded shell
The remote control in the black case is a “regular” remote control, and the one in the silver case is a “multimedia” remote control, corresponding in functionality to the Microsoft Media Center Remote. This remote control allows you to turn your computer on and off, which is undoubtedly a very useful feature. This remote control also allows you to control any programs, including multimedia applications and Windows Media Center, as well as emulate a mouse and keyboard. The multimedia control panel is sold separately, but its receiver is connected to USB port, and not to the tuner. Conveniently, it does not require a driver to operate, and due to its versatility, it can be used with any computer TV tuner.
The thin “regular” remote control is inferior to the “multimedia” one not only in functionality, but also in convenience - it does not fit well in the hand, and the identical membrane buttons are extremely inconvenient for working blindly.
GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe
DVD2 Deluxe in retail packaging
GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe appeared on the computer market in 2006, replacing the outdated GotView PCI DVD model. One of the main advantages of this model is that it is initially equipped with a multimedia remote control that allows you to turn the computer on and off.
Thanks to the additional low-profile bracket, the tuner can be installed not only in the system unit standard size, but also in “thin” computer cases, popular among assemblers of HTPC systems. By the way, the vast majority (if not all) of GotView's embedded TV tuners have a low-profile PCB design.
PCI DVD2 Deluxe PCB
View of the side panel of the tuner
The GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe tuner is built on the basis of the top model of the Philips FM 1216ME/I H-5 (Mk5) HF unit, which has long proven itself in business. It allows you to confidently receive both television and radio channels, having good selectivity and low level noise. On the printed circuit board, the RF block is distinguished by blank shielding.
Conexant CX23416
The encoder/decoder is a combination of CX25843 and CX23416 chips manufactured by Conexant. It must be admitted that such a combination is a long-tested solution, and is used by many manufacturers not only when designing TV tuners, but also video capture cards. Due to the capabilities of the CX26843 decoder chip, the tuner implements a three-band equalizer, as well as support for stereo broadcasting in A2 and NICAM formats. The CX23416 chip provides video capture in MPEG2 format in real time at a bit rate of up to 15 Mbit/s, without loading such tasks CPU computer. It also has hardware noise filtering with continuously adjustable noise reduction levels.
The tuner performed quite well in operation, demonstrating excellent quality of television picture transmission. GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe has very good sensitivity and can be recommended for purchase by those who do not have the most ideal receiving antenna.
GotView PCI Hybrid
GotView PCI Hybrid in retail packaging
The GotView PCI Hybrid TV tuner is a budget model, but the interests of this consumer audience do not seem to be infringed in any way. On the contrary, the rich (even excessively rich) package, which, by the way, includes a remote control, all kinds of cables, and a low-profile bar, will appeal to even a sophisticated user.
Tuner PCB
View of the side panel of the tuner
Perhaps this is a corporate style - all printed circuit boards of GotView embedded TV tuners are united purple varnish (or, more correctly, masks). The high-frequency part of the tuner is served by the XC3028 hybrid chip manufactured by Xceive Inc. (as you can see, the chip and its surroundings on the printed circuit board, unlike analog receivers, do not require external shielding). The selector allows you to receive both analog and digital broadcasts. As an analog-to-digital converter for the PCI Hybrid, the manufacturer chose the fairly common 10-bit ADC CX23883 from Conexant, which supports all types of video standards.
In operation, this TV tuner performed quite well, demonstrating acceptable quality of television picture broadcast. However, when initially setting up channels, the tuner could not automatically determine the color standard (PAL or SECAM), which had to be set manually. It should be noted that GotView PCI Hybrid is the cheapest model of TV tuners in the family, which, in relation to its rich configuration and quality of work, makes the model a very good purchase.
GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid
PCI DVD3 Hybrid in retail packaging
This model is a hybrid TV tuner with MPEG2 hardware compression, with the ability to receive both analog and digital TV and radio channels. The tuner comes with a remote control, made in a thin case with membrane buttons. In addition, rich equipment and software adapted for Russia (typical for all models of GotView TV tuners) will certainly appeal to many buyers.
PCI DVD3 Hybrid PCB
View of the side panel of the tuner
The tuner's input device is based on the Xceive 3028 chip and does not require additional metal shielding. For this reason, in hybrid models we do not see the tin casing inherent in analog tuners, which protects high-frequency circuits from interference (on digital receivers they are simply not among the mounting elements).
Conexant CX23418
The highest level of integration is on the Conexant CX23418 chip, which plays the role of an MPEG2 encoder with built-in audio and video decoders. For portable solutions, such a selection of the element base would give an advantage in low power consumption and small dimensions of the product, but the GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid board is already designed for a low-profile design (an additional special bracket is included in the package), and built-in TV tuners have no power supply there are no restrictions.
The CX23418 hardware encoder is capable of providing high-quality video capture in MPEG2 format in real time at a bit rate of up to 15 Mbit/s, without loading the computer's central processor. The chip has a hardware image noise reduction filter with continuously adjustable noise reduction level (the level is adjusted in the TV tuner driver).
While assessing the broadcast quality of a television picture, we discovered a very strange behavior of this tuner in dynamic scenes: the frames seemed to be layered on top of each other, forming a trail. This is especially noticeable in cartoons, where the number of frames is significantly smaller, and the difference between two adjacent ones is correspondingly large. This can be seen in the following screenshots:
In more or less static scenes, the trail is not so noticeable, and the screenshots look absolutely excellent:
However, the reason for this “bifurcation” of frames, as it turned out, lies in the tuner settings - more precisely, in the setting of an excessive noise reduction level. When this level is reduced, the described effect becomes unnoticeable.
GotView X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E
X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E in retail packaging
The GotView X5 DVD Hybrid TV tuner became the company's first model with a PCI-E interface. Let me remind you that this new interface has increased throughput, and the connector has fewer pins than standard PCI. In the near future, PCI-E should completely replace PCI interface, and even now PCI-E devices are already relevant - the number of classic PCI connectors on modern motherboards is steadily decreasing.
X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E PCB
Side plank view
Used as a channel selector in the tuner latest development Xceive company - the XC5000 chip, which allows you to receive both analogue and digital (DVB-T) radio and TV channels. Compared to the XC2028 and XC3028 chips, the new selector, with equally miniature dimensions, has better selectivity and sensitivity, which ensures good TV picture quality even at low signal levels.
Conexant CX23887 decoder
Due to the fact that this TV tuner uses the PCI-E interface, the Conexant CX23887 chip was chosen as the decoder. This chip is the latest ADC, which also integrates a PCI-E bus interface bridge. In addition, a hardware feature of the chip is an integrated 3D Comb Filter, the task of which is to separate the brightness and color components of the signal, which allows you to successfully suppress moire, improving image quality. This advantage is especially noticeable at the boundaries of high-contrast transitions, where light tones alternate with dark ones.
The GotView X5 DVD Hybrid TV tuner demonstrated outstanding quality of TV picture transmission, which you can also see by looking at the attached screenshots. By and large, there’s nothing to complain about.
GotView X5 3D Hybrid PCI-E
X5 3D Hybrid PCI-E in retail packaging
Immediately after the release of the TV tuner model discussed above, GotView prepared another new product for the PCI-E interface. It was the GotView X5 3D Hybrid model, which differs from the X5 DVD Hybrid in the absence of a hardware MPEG2 encoder on the board. In all other respects, the new product is completely similar to its older “sister”.
Tuner PCB
Side plank view
The design of the tuner's printed circuit board is very similar to the model discussed above, with the only difference being that the spaces for the hardware encoding chip and the accompanying memory chip with a power stabilizer were left empty. It can be stated that the X5 3D Hybrid is intended for those users for whom the video recording function is not of great interest.
This model also uses a Conexant CX23887 chip as a 10-bit ADC, capable of working with PAL/SECAM/NTSC video standards and NICAM/AM/BTSC/EIAJ/A2 audio standards, automatically detecting them.
The high-frequency part of the tuner is based on the XC5000 silicon hybrid chip. In the photograph of the board, this chip is hidden under a metallic golden screen, which was done, rather, solely for aesthetics (unlike analog RF blocks, digital ones do not require external shielding). The XC5000 accepts both analog and digital programs.
Having examined the screenshots of TV channels, it is extremely difficult to discern any big difference in quality with the above-considered model. GotView X5 3D Hybrid broadcasts the TV picture just as well as the older model.
GotView USB2.0 DVD2
USB2.0 DVD2 in retail packaging
In addition to built-in TV tuners, the GotView line also includes external devices connected via a USB interface. This is the GotView USB2.0 DVD2, which is an updated TV tuner model with hardware compression for MPEG1 and MPEG2 formats, and which now includes a radio receiver. To connect the device, you need two free USB ports: a USB cable is connected to the first, and an additional power cable is connected to the second.
The kit includes a stand for vertical installation of the tuner
The device body is aluminum, with plastic inserts at the ends. For ease of placement on a table, the package includes a plastic stand, which you see along with the tuner in the photo above.
Front panel view
On the front panel of the tuner there are connectors for connecting external multimedia peripherals. These are a composite low-frequency video input, a stereo audio input and an S-Video input. In addition, there is also a button to turn on the tuner (while the device is operating, it is illuminated by a red LED).
View of back panel
On the rear panel there is a row of “main”, so to speak, connectors. This is an input for USB power, TV and radio antenna jacks, as well as a USB input.
Tuner PCB
Reverse side of the tuner circuit board
The tuner is made on a modern element base: a 10-bit Conexant CX25843 ADC, a Conexant CX23416 hardware MPEG2 encoder and a Philips FM1216ME/I H-5 (Mk5) RF unit.
The only problem that arose during my acquaintance with this TV tuner was the delay and frame drops of the television picture. The solution was found in the video card driver, namely, in changing the hardware deinterlacing mode to software. There were no complaints about the quality of the television picture broadcast.
When preparing screenshots, software deiterlacing was used.
Software
The software package is unified for all GotView TV tuners, so the story about it can be included in a separate chapter. So, the performance of the TV tuners in this review is ensured by the GotView Pro 5.0 program. Its greatest advantage is, perhaps, excellent functionality along with complete Russification. One cannot help but rejoice in the fact that the manufacturer is constantly working to improve the program, and since the availability of updates is checked automatically, the user will receive a notification about the update almost immediately after a more recent version appears on the manufacturer’s website.The initial installation of the software from a CD will not cause problems: after identifying the tuner card and automatically installing the driver, you won’t even need to restart the computer. The user will be greeted by a completely user-friendly interface of the GotView Pro program, and learning to navigate it will not take much time. The program has the ability to use so-called “skins” (graphical shells of the main program panel). There are only a small part of them in the standard package, and the user can easily find the rest on the GotView website.
Initially, the program contains a table of all on-air television and radio channels with their frequency values. Thus, in some cases, after installing the program, all television and radio channels will already be configured; only residents of certain regions and cable network subscribers will need to use the channel search function.
Window for setting TV channel control settings
For channels with unstable reception, the automatic search for which did not give the desired results, you can use a manual search, or manually set their broadcast frequencies. Next, for the found channels, you can specify their name, select an icon, and also sort in the light of your own preferences.
Window general settings TV tuner
The hierarchical structure of the general settings window allows the user to quickly find the desired section to make any changes to the operation of the TV tuner. Each group of parameters has its own icon, which allows you to quickly find what you need.
The operation of the noise reduction filter is also interesting, the level of which can be adjusted smoothly and even separately for each channel. This filter can significantly improve the image, both when recording and when viewing. You just need to take into account that operating the filter in software mode will require additional CPU resources. If the computer resources are insufficient, then it would be preferable to use a tuner with hardware compression: only in this case will filtering be performed in hardware without loading the CPU. Let me remind you that TV tuners with software operation of the noise reduction filter include GotView PCI Hybrid, and those with hardware operation include GotView PCI DVD, GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe, GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid and GotView USB 2.0 DVD (in relation to the TV tuner models of this review).
TV program schedule ("Teleweek")
For GotView TV tuners, it is possible to receive the weekly TV schedule via the Internet. The database can be loaded either manually or automatically. It is convenient that if there is a fresh TV program, when you switch channels, information about the current program, as well as its start and end time, is displayed on the screen. The “degree of completion” of the transfer as a percentage is also visually displayed in the form of a status bar.
Video capture settings window
GotView software allows you to capture video with a wide variety of recording parameters. Implemented the ability to automatically split recordings into files given size, which is sometimes necessary (especially when generating large videos).
Window for information about the brightness components of the image
To obtain information about the current video image, the manufacturer has provided a “graphic observation window”. Here you can, based on graphically presented image data, independently set the white and black levels, as well as obtain information about the signal-to-noise ratio. Using the graphs, you can quickly determine whether the video image is overexposed or too dark, and based on this, you can more accurately adjust the picture.
The proprietary software has very high functionality. We have considered only a small fraction of its main functions. The interested reader will get the rest of the information from the manufacturer’s website, where, among other things, there is “ hotline", and a forum, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Conclusion
In general, GotView's range of modern TV tuners made a good impression. Taking into account complete and high-quality localization of software, as well as adaptation of models to Russian conditions, any GotView model can compete with the recognized giants of the Russian market. Big choice models designed for different categories of users allows you to easily select a TV tuner to suit your needs, and the high quality of broadcasting television images will not make you doubt the correctness of your choice. I will also note the modern element base that the manufacturer uses when designing models.Personally, I liked the X5 DVD Hybrid models most for PCI-E bus, DVD2 Deluxe for the PCI bus, as well as an external USB model. The only thing is that I cannot guarantee that the picture quality on your television antenna will be no worse than mine.
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It seems like only yesterday that a monophonic, huge and noisy VHS VCR was considered a luxury, but today compact and stylish household DVD players start at $50 and provide incomparable best quality sound and video. With the same emotions, in just a few years we will look back at DVD from the heights of the possibilities of new and orders of magnitude more capacious HDTV media, more advanced compression algorithms and wireless transmission of digital data. One thing can be noted today - it is becoming less and less reasonable to purchase video cassettes and VHS tape recorders, even with stereo support. On the shelves of the capital, a standard VHS cassette for 240 minutes costs 60-70 rubles, and a DVD+RW “disc” costs about 30 rubles. If you bargain in bulk, then there is always the opportunity to take discs for 20 rubles, if not cheaper. It turns out that one cassette is three “blanks”, which, moreover, can be re-recorded many times, and over the years the quality of video on DVD does not degrade. Advantages optical disks you can list endlessly in front of the tape, and how much easier and faster it is to copy a DVD to friends... You can use another disc for this or easily copy the files to HDD. The latter, by the way, are becoming cheaper almost continuously. There is no need to talk about the fact that a DVD takes up less shelf space than a video cassette.
A primitive DVD writer will cost you thirty dollars (for a used model), and quite decent examples for recording double-layer discs (more than 8 GB per side) are already quite available and cost less than a hundred dollars. Even a system based on a Pentium 4 or Athlon XP with a frequency of 1.5 GHz, which today can no longer be considered top-end, can handle recording video in MPEG2 on a hard drive and processing it further. At the same time, not all Russians have such PCs - the installed base of computers in the country as a whole does not stand up to criticism. It’s worth driving a couple of hundred kilometers beyond the borders of the Moscow region, and megahertz begins to flow down at the same speed with which water rushes to the ground in Niagara. And, nevertheless, progress, albeit slowly, is coming to Russia. Thus, according to a recently published IDC report, the volume of the Russian market information technologies amounted to 7.1 billion US dollars in 2003, and it is expected that summing up the results of the current year, it will be possible to talk about market growth by 26%. IDC suggests that by 2008, total IT spending in Russia will exceed $17 billion.
In his speech on November 10 at a meeting of the Federation Council, the head of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Leonid Reiman, noted that the number of subscribers mobile communications over 4 years it increased by 60 million - to 63 million, although it was previously predicted that in 2005 this figure would be only 9 million people. The number of Internet users has also exceeded all possible forecasts: if in 1997 only about 1 million people had access to the Internet, now 18.5 million people use the Internet. The active development of the Internet, in turn, contributed to the growth of the information technology market, which has increased threefold over the past five years and, according to forecasts for 2004, will amount to more than 250 billion rubles. This, in turn, allows us to say that computerization and informatization of the country is happening dynamically, and the day is not too far off when the “digital home” will turn from a futuristic concept into a completely ordinary concept. It seems to us that classic tape recorders have no place in the “digital home”. If the computer is gradually replacing household appliances, then it is the TV tuner that should most organically integrate into the “Digital Home” concept.
Actually, let's move on to the hero of the occasion.
The GoTView PCI DVD TV tuner is one of those devices whose descendants will become a de facto standard in computers in the near future and in a few years will displace VCRs as a class from our apartments. This model differs from most TV tuners in the presence of modern hardware that supports MPEG2 encoding on the fly, without the need for a central processor. As a result, this allows you to record video in high quality on a hard drive without frame drops and audio desynchronization, even on relatively slow computers, since it is video compression “on the fly” in high resolution and takes up most of the system resources. In our recent review of the USB model AverMedia AverTV USB 2.0 For laptops, we noted high processor load, and, in particular, this concerned the operation of the tuner on chips with a frequency of less than 1 gigahertz. On such systems, using delayed viewing (timeshift) and recording TV programs on the hard drive seems problematic. The GoTView PCI DVD tuner takes over the work of digitizing video into MPEG2, which is very beneficial for weak computers.
The key functions of the tuner became possible to implement thanks to the use of two chips: a Philips SAA7174HL capture operating chip and a hardware MPEG decoder Conexant CX23416 with support for improved noise reduction. GoTView provides not only viewing of TV channels with stereo sound in NICAM and A2 formats (if supported by the operator), but also hardware compression of the video stream into MPEG2 format. Compression is also supported by almost any other codec, for example, you can use DivX, AVI, Windows Media Video, ASF, and so on, but this procedure is carried out in software, that is, the entire load still falls on the system’s central processor.
The disadvantages of the GoTView PCI DVD model include the lack of an FM tuner, which could allow you to listen to the radio on your PC. However, according to the statistical information we have, this function is not in demand among all users. Among the advantages of the component base, we note that traditionally the Philips SAA7174HL demonstrates very decent quality of video capture from external sources, and the complex Conexant decoder is equipped with improved noise reduction and pre-filtering functions, resulting in very decent video quality on the screen, as well as high-quality digitization. Having recorded a television movie from the air and burned it to DVD using the bundled software, when viewed on household appliances you won't realize that the recording was made on a computer.
The GoTView PCI DVD package includes a tuner, an IR remote control with a receiver typical for most tuners, an audio cord (mini-jack for two “tulips”), two CDs with drivers and the WinDVD Creator 2 program, as well as instructions for operation in Russian.
The following connectors are located on the back panel of GoTView PCI DVD:
- tulip input (RCA) for video;
- remote control (non-standard mini-jack);
- antenna;
- S-Video input for connecting a VCR, DVD or other device;
- mini-jack input for sound.
Unlike "budget" tuner models, GoTView PCI DVD supports digital audio transmission via the PCI bus without losses associated with analog-to-digital conversions. This, in particular, allows you to minimize interference on the audio path, improve sound quality and increase maximum sampling. An important feature of GoTView PCI DVD is the ability to hardware encode not only television broadcasts, but also video from an external source into MPEG2. You can connect a VCR or tulip camera to the tuner or via S-Video in order to convert your video recordings made on regular VHS tapes into digital format. Also, you can connect a surveillance video camera to the tuner input, and the GoTView software supports starting video recording at the moment when there is movement in the frame, with flexible settings sensitivity. In fact, you get an inexpensive way to track a car in the parking lot in front of your house or your own front door. The WinDVD Creator 2 program included in the kit is not a standard of functionality and intuitiveness, but it will help you record video in DVD format to a blank for viewing on home appliances. WinDVD Creator 2 supports a number of special effects and transitions between scenes, overlaying titles, a control menu with your own photos or videos as a background, breaking videos into segments, etc.
It is also important that hardware encoding allows you to reduce the load on computer resources during delayed playback (Time Shifting). For software encoding, this feature is virtually useless on a PC with a processor speed of around 1 GHz. Finally, I would like to traditionally highlight GoTView tuners’ support for downloading TV programs from the manufacturer’s website. This allows you to set up not only the recording of movies on a timer, but also to be aware of when and what programs are on all TV channels. When you click on the right button, a menu appears, which even indicates in percentage how long a particular movie or TV show lasts, and how much is left until the end.
With hardware you can encode video into MPEG2/DVD/Video CD formats, and software into AVI and WMV. At the same time, for AVI you can use a full range of codecs, including DivX, XviD, ASF and many others of your choice. The only peculiarity is that you will have to install most of the codecs yourself. The manufacturer does not supply codecs with the tuner. Audio can be encoded into any format using an external codec. Finally, the tuner allows you to capture not only the video stream, but also individual frames, saving them to your hard drive in BMP, GIF or JPEG format.
Among the advantages of GoTView PCI DVD, we note instructions in Russian, a Russified program interface and a Russian user support site www.gotview.ru .
Installing drivers is smooth, but not very intuitive - you install the card into the PCI slot, close the case, turn it on and insert the driver CD into optical drive. After Windows XP Professional starts, it finds a new device and automatically installs its drivers from the CD.
After this, you need to launch the GoTView Pro shell distribution kit from the “gotview” folder. Strangely, there is no installer autorun system or menu on the disc. Note that the drivers are not digitally signed with WHQL, so you will have to select "Continue Anyway" when responding to the Windows warning. This does not affect the quality of the device in any way. After installing the drivers, a reboot may be required. If you plan to capture video from a tuner or external sources (via Tulip or S-Video) into MPEG2 format (with hardware compression), and also do DVD authoring, then you should install WinDVD Creator 2 from the second disk.
The CD included with the tuner contains the following subdirectories:
- Acrobat - program Acrobat Reader Versions 5 and 6 for reading documentation;
- DirectX - a set of libraries for the DirectX 9c version;
- DOC - Russian user manual in PDF format;
- DRV - drivers for 2000 and XP;
- gotview - distribution kit of the GotView Pro program; To install, you need to run GOTVIEW_setup.exe;
- IE6_russ - Internet Explorer 6.0, Russian version;
- WMV - Windows Media Payer 9.0 for working with the WMV format, as well as for transmitting video over the network.
It should be noted that there is good and detailed instructions in Russian. It even takes into account changes that occurred after Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. As already mentioned, after the driver we installed the GotView Pro software shell with a Russian-language interface. It allows you to implement all the main functions of the tuner. Note that the GoTView software, which we have already described in early reviews of tuners from this manufacturer, makes the most positive impression with its functionality. Unlike many Asian analogues and even a number of well-known tuners, this shell demonstrates both a high richness of capabilities and an intuitive interface. All that remains is to bring the appearance design up to international standards. More details about GotView Pro below.
The GotView shell is supplied with the tuner Pro versions 3.0.0.441. We recommend that you check the manufacturer’s website before installing it. www.gotview.ru. The fact is that the program is updated very often, and by the time we tested the newest tuner model, version 3.0.0.445 beta was posted on the website. We decided not to tempt fate and downloaded GotView Pro version 3.0.0.444, as well as the more current driver v.1.17.0.40.
Once launched, GotView Pro opens the main window from which you can access all device functions. Here, just a few tabs focus on the key settings of the device. For each channel, you can adjust image parameters (brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, white balance and sharpness), set personal sound volume, carry out precise signal calibration and perform a number of other functions. The information window displays the channel frequency and encoding. By the way, the image parameters are saved individually for each channel, so you don’t have to change them every time - very convenient.
Six icons in the main window allow you to navigate to bookmarks:
- video capture;
- channel settings;
- task scheduler;
- system settings;
- television programs;
- channel previews.
We'll look at these windows a little later.
Recording and capturing frames can be easily enabled immediately on the main program window using the appropriate keys, which is very convenient. Finally, the "TS" button enables the Time Shift function. Thus, at any time convenient for you, you can take a break from watching a movie or a news broadcast, go have a smoke, drink coffee, have dinner, and then return and continue watching the same episode from the same place where you left off. The maximum period for which the video is delayed is determined by the buffer size. Theoretically, if there is a completely free hard drive you can smoke for a whole week or even more, and if you compress the video in DivX and in low resolution, then at least a year. The limiting factor in this case will most likely be your lungs.
When you press the video capture key, the AVI panel opens by default. In this case, compression is carried out programmatically using an external codec. If you plan to compress the video programmatically In order not to convert it from MPEG2 in the future, or in order to save space on your hard drive, then first of all, make sure that your computer will have enough resources for real-time compression. This implies a processor with a frequency of gigahertz, a fast hard drive and sufficient memory. By the way, processor and hard drive load graphs are displayed at the bottom of the window, which will help you navigate.
As the documentation rightly states, for high-quality and error-free capture in AVI, you should make sure that the external codec settings are correct. So be careful. In the lower right corner you can select the video source (tuner, tulip input or S-Video), as well as the audio source. Channels are switched there.
Everything is visible in the AVI capture panel required parameters. From interesting features We note the presence of a deinterlacing filter (bypassing the “comb” effect at resolutions above 352x288), cropping the frame and changing its size, and setting the codec for video and audio. All functions are well described in the documentation, so we will not dwell on them in detail. The tuner allows hardware compression of the MPEG stream, so the most interesting is the MPEG2 capture panel. All parameters, again, are visible in the illustration and described in detail in the instructions.
The WMV capture panel has even fewer settings, and encoding is limited exclusively to profiles. It is worth noting that, in principle, in Windows you can edit these profiles and create your own, but this will require knowledge of Windows Media Encoder or other specialized utilities. Why pay attention to a format that is much less popular than DivX? The fact is that the new generation of personal media centers operates with video in WMV format. Moreover, it is files in this format that are best understood pocket computers governed by Windows Mobile 2003. In addition, this format supports streaming over the network, and channels recorded on the hard drive can be distributed over local home network. Perhaps in the future GoTView will release a shell that will support more settings Windows Media Video. So that you do not get the feeling that WMV support is poorly implemented, we emphasize that for the average-experienced user the basic profiles are more than enough. Manual settings are needed more by enthusiasts than by the majority.
In addition to video, you can capture audio and individual frames - all you need to do is use the appropriate panels. All settings are clearly visible in the illustrations.
The latest Network panel is experimental - it allows you to broadcast a broadcast over a network to another computer, laptop or Pocket PC. The function only works under Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and for it to work you need to install Windows package Media. It should be noted that the possibility of broadcasting local network, in our opinion, has interesting prospects. With its help, you can organize TV broadcasting on your home local network from one tuner, or turn an ordinary pocket PC with Wi-Fi into a TV. The system still requires improvement; in particular, it is impossible to control the stream remotely transmitted to the network. It would be a good idea to implement some sort of "IP-enabled remote control" based on PocketPC with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.
During the tests, we repeatedly used network broadcasting to pocket PCs over Wi-Fi and to laptops over a 100-megabit network. The only pity is that the maximum encoding bitrate is 2 Mbit. Potentially can be transferred to mobile device video with the same quality as shown by the tuner on the local PC. Of course, a handheld processor will not be able to decompress such a massive data stream in real time, but any modern laptop will do this without problems. And, by the way, video transmission over the network is carried out in the WMV format - to the question of previous thoughts about Windows settings Media Video.
After installation, the tuner already contains the preset channels for Moscow (with names and icons set). If you live in another region or even in the nearest Moscow region and use cable television, then you should conduct an automatic search for programs.
Context menu called by right-clicking the mouse.
In this case, you can search in a given frequency range or in ranges typical for broadcast or cable broadcasting. By setting up channels manually, you can set each of them with its own icon from an extensive catalog, or draw your own logo.
Also for each TV channel you can assign own program TV programs, which will be useful if your cable television broadcast network does not completely coincide with the standard one.
It should be noted that in this window you can adjust the image parameters for each channel individually. This is where the GotView PCI DVD tuner compares favorably with many TVs and competing models.
If the broadcast is broadcast in stereo, then the tuner has the ability to select the appropriate mode and standard.
The program allows you to set a schedule for recording programs using the "Task Scheduler". Just select the time, action, start and end time of the transfer - and the computer will do everything for you. A convenient function that eliminates the need for broadcast time. Now you can watch your favorite program at any time. Recording in any format is supported - MPEG, AVI, WMV with the settings specified in the corresponding panels.
Note that, in addition to the basic functions of starting and stopping recording, the shell supports feeding sound signal before and after encoding, notification by message, going into sleep mode, turning off the computer and a number of other actions. Well thought out.
System Settings
This tab contains the basic tuner settings. They are divided into four tabs: “View”, “Interface”, “Time Shift” and “About”.
Here you can set deinterlacing, select a noise reduction mode (by the way, performed in hardware), and also set other options. All of them are visible in the illustration.
Again, all possible options are visible in the illustration and are clear, so we won’t bother readers with listing them. The "Devices" button allows you to set the hardware resources used and connect a second tuner for the "Picture in Picture" function.
Finally, the third tab allows you to configure delayed playback (Time Shift). Let us remind you that this function allows you to leave the monitor screen at any time, and then watch the program from the same place. The tuner hardware encodes into an MPEG2 stream, and delayed playback will not particularly load the computer's resources.
One of the main advantages of the tuner is downloading a TV program from the website www.gotview.ru. Now you don’t have to bother yourself with purchasing newspapers with the program and visiting different sites.
Everything is grouped in the interface and is uploaded as one file, the size of which is about 250 kbytes.
After downloading the list, the name of the program and broadcast time are displayed on the screen.
Here, pictures of 16 channels are displayed one by one on the screen, which allows you to quickly view current programs across the entire broadcast range and select the most interesting one. By clicking the mouse, you can focus on one of the channels - while you hold the cursor and the left mouse button, broadcasting will be carried out for one “rectangle”. It’s also convenient that the window shows not only the image, but also the title taken from the program guide:
The green bar allows you to estimate how much time is left until the end of the program or movie. By double click on the “icon” the main window is switched to display mode of the selected channel.
The package includes a convenient infrared remote control with many buttons allowing you to access everything necessary functions. The receiving device connects directly to the tuner via a mini-jack. Compared to earlier models of GotView tuners, the new remote control has become more stylish and compact.
The remote keys can be programmed using the appropriate utility, so the user really has freedom of action. In addition to actually working with the tuner, the remote control supports a number of popular applications: Microsoft Media Player, Zoom Player, BSPlayer and WinAmp. In fact, you have at your disposal remote control of the main functions of the computer. Perhaps support for some other applications will be added in the future. What's missing in our opinion is the ability to control DVD playback programs such as PowerDVD or WinDVD.
We tested reception quality under standard conditions. When connecting the tuner to local cable television, GoTView Pro was able to detect all channels plus two phantom channels, which we removed from the list without any problems.
The GoTView PCI DVD noise reduction system showed itself on the most positive side. Even in the “weak filtering” mode, most background “noise” on channels with average reception quality is filtered out, and in the “maximum noise suppression” mode, interference is significantly reduced even on very noisy channels. Note that the stronger the filtering you turn on, the more inertial the image becomes. Also, suppression slightly reduces the sharpness of the image, but when watching a recorded DVD on a TV, this is absolutely unnoticeable.
Inexpensive TV tuner.
GoTView PCI DVD.
Pay attention to extraneous “noises” on the wall and faces. The screenshot cannot convey what it looks like in dynamics, although everyone has probably encountered “noise” on a regular TV when one or another channel has poor reception. There is significantly less noise on GoTView PCI DVD, and the image overall looks smoother and softer than on budget tuners. We also note the excellent image scaling - unlike inexpensive models, the GoTView PCI DVD tuner displays a picture without characteristic squares, with smooth straight lines on contrasting edges.
GoTView PCI DVD comes with the InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 package. The program allows you to perform basic video editing functions - cut advertising from a recording, add titles, menus, segment movies for easy navigation on a household DVD player. During testing, we digitized the "Black Boomer" clip from the MTV channel into MPEG2 and then recorded it on DVD. Several screenshots illustrate the process:
We open the video in the program, cut out the extra parts and divide it into segments (so that scrolling works for the DVD player).
We are looking on the Internet for a picture that matches the topic to insert as a background.
Select interface buttons (play and view segments).
By clicking "Make Movie" we select the best quality and disc name.
Select “save the resulting video to your hard drive for later recording.”
We burn the disc using Nero Burning ROM (it was possible simply in WinDVD Creator, but the drive was installed on another stand).
We note the simplicity and intuitiveness of working with WinDVD Creator. Just a few mouse clicks, and you will be offered to either save the video in DVD format to your hard drive for subsequent recording using third-party software (for example, Nero Burning ROM), or directly burn it to a blank. You can insert the result into a home DVD player and watch it just like any movie bought in a store. This allows you to record movies, clips or news broadcasts from the tuner to your PC using the scheduler, and then watch them on your TV at home or away. You can create a schedule for the day with a few clicks of the mouse and, upon returning from work, watch all the programs you are interested in either directly on your PC or on your TV from a recorded “blank”.
The GoTView PCI DVD TV tuner demonstrated excellent quality and functionality. Hardware encoding in MPEG2 can significantly reduce the system load and implement video recording and delayed viewing (TimeShift) functions on systems with slow processors. We can characterize the reception quality of the tuner as exceptional. Separately, we emphasize the high-quality noise reduction and video deinterlacing system, the possibility of hardware capture in high resolution not only from the tuner, but also from various external sources - a video camera, VCR or video surveillance system.
GoTView PCI DVD will be of interest not only to those users who would like to turn their PC into a high-quality and functional TV, but also to those who plan to transfer their video recordings from cassettes to DVD. Traditionally on high level software implemented, highly supported useful feature downloading a TV program from the manufacturer’s website. The GoTView Pro shell interface is intuitive, and access to all main functions is well structured.
Based on the test results, we award the GoTView PCI DVD model with a "THG RECOMMEND" medal.
Where can I buy this product?
At the time of writing this review, the cost of the GoTView PCI DVD tuner ranged from $118 to $124. Detailed information and technical specifications of the product can be found on the manufacturer’s website
Recently, it has been very pleasant to observe the tendency of IT companies to adapt their products to Russian-speaking users. Today you won’t surprise anyone with a Russian interface in software, Russian menus in monitors, Russian inscriptions on the boxes of various components and user manuals for the “great and mighty”.
But if you look at such a class of products as TV tuners, it becomes clear that some of them have gone much further in this very noble cause. For example, the well-known company AverMedia has long been producing specially adapted products for the Russian market, which, however, also turn out to be perfectly optimized for many other countries of the former Union of Indestructibles.
Another manufacturer that produces TV tuners with the inscription on the boxes “Adapted for Russian TV broadcasting” is the GOTVIEW company. Its solutions are also in wide demand. It is worth noting that this is not due to the low price (it is exactly at the level of competitors), but to the high quality of workmanship and excellent software.
Today we got our hands on the GOTVIEW PCI 7135 TV tuner. Judging by the numerous reviews, it is a very good product. However, it is always better to verify something yourself to be sure. This is what we are going to do next. So let's get started.
GOTVIEW PCI 7135
GOTVIEW PCI 7135 is more new version the previously presented PCI 7134 model. There are not many differences between them. In particular, we can highlight another Philips MK3 RF unit, which replaced TCL. In addition, PCI 7135 uses a new chip from Philips, the model of which is included in the name of the tuner in question. It has advanced audio processing capabilities, but we will talk about this in more detail below.
Contents of delivery
PCI 7135 comes in a small box containing quite good equipment. In particular, the following components can be distinguished:
- the TV tuner itself;
- remote control;
- batteries for the remote control in AAA format;
- infrared port for remote control;
- radio antenna;
- cable for external connection to the sound card;
- cable for internal connection to the sound card;
- CD with branded software;
- CD with WinDVD Creator 2;
- user manual in Russian.
The equipment is very, very good. It is especially worth noting the presence of two cables for connecting to the sound card, as well as the presence of a second CD on which the WinDVD Creator 2 program is located. GOTVIEW completes all its TV tuners with it, and this one is no exception. This application is used for video editing and DVD creation. For example, it can be used to create relevant content from material recorded from the tuner.
The remaining elements of the package do not deserve special attention - they are standard for most TV tuners.
Specifications and Design
GOTVIEW PCI 7135 has standard dimensions for this class of devices. The printed circuit board will protrude beyond the PCI slot by only a few millimeters.
Directly on the PCB there is a Philips MK3 RF unit, a Philips SAA7135HL ADC, as well as two internal audio connectors. And now more details about each.
The Philips MK3 RF unit was installed to improve reception quality compared to the 7134 model, which had a TCL2002MB-33F unit.
The Philips SAA7135HL ADC, which the company decided to use in this solution, has some features in comparison with other chips of a similar class. In particular, it supports decoding of all modern stereo audio standards:
Dolby ProLogic support;
- Virtual Dolby Surround (simulation of 4-channel sound);
- Philips Incredible Mono (pseudo-stereo for mono channels, surround effect);
- Philips Incredible Stereo (stereo sound enhancement).
This can be considered one of its advantages.
Of particular note is the presence of internal audio connectors. Today it is very rare to find such a solution on the market. Their presence allows you not to use the line input for audio transmission sound card, which can sometimes be quite useful. In addition, as is clear from the part of the article that talks about the configuration, the TV tuner is equipped with a special cable for internal connection. GOTVIEW PCI 7135 can also transmit an audio signal via the PCI bus, which eliminates the need for a direct connection to a sound card, and also eliminates desynchronization of audio and video when recording broadcasts and digitizing video material.
As for the front panel, the following connectors are located on it (from left to right):
- FM antenna connector;
- connector for connecting a television antenna;
- connector for connecting an infrared port;
- four-pin S-Video input;
- audio input;
- composite video input;
- audio output
Now let's briefly summarize the main specifications of GOTVIEW PCI 7135:
- support for resolutions up to 768x576;
- extended radio range from 66 MHz;
- support for television standards PAL/SECAM/NTSC, VHF, DM and cable channels are received;
- fine-tuning mode with the smallest possible step, as well as entering a specific wavelength value for a given TV or radio program;
- individual settings for each channel;
- ability to configure up to 255 TV and radio channels;
- capture TV window frames in BMP, GIF, JPG format by timer or by pressing a button (with a resolution from 80x60 to 768x576);
- deferred task manager for recording video at a specified time;
- capture and encode audio with any codec installed in the system;
- TimeShift function;
- downloading TV program guides and various ways display on the screen (if Internet is available)
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) function if there are two or more video capture devices in the system;
- broadcast over the network;
- security functions (motion detection in the frame, video recording or frame capture).
Software
Installing drivers and software is quick and without any problems. If, nevertheless, some questions may arise, it is very likely that the answers to them will be found in the detailed documentation in Russian, which is supplied with the TV tuner on a CD.
When you first launch the GoTView Pro software that comes with GOTVIEW tuners, a control panel appears on the screen with appearance"a la Winamp". As it turned out, the proprietary software supports changing skins and the default one was called TVAmp. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.
Returning to the control panel, it is worth noting that it allows you to set some parameters, thereby eliminating the need to search for them through the jungle of settings. For example, you can adjust the channel frequency, switch the signal receiving system, switch the video input, and also adjust the brightness, contrast, color “warmth”, volume of sound sources and some other parameters.
Setting up channels can be done by selecting the "TV channels" item from context menu, which appears when you right-click on any of the software windows, or by clicking the “channels” button on the main control panel. The TV tuner can store information about 255 channels. In addition, not only their frequency is saved, but also the parameters of sound, image, and effect settings for each of them. Moreover, you can assign your own icon to each channel for better recognition.
It is worth adding that initially there are 18 pre-configured channels. Frequencies are given for terrestrial television Moscow. For other cities, as well as for cable TV, there may be nothing on these frequencies. In this case, you will have to perform an automatic search or configure everything manually if you know their frequencies.
For automatic search Click on the button with black binoculars depicted on it, which is located in the upper left corner of the program. As a result, a window will appear on the screen where you can select search parameters. In particular, you can scan both a given frequency range and the entire one. As an option, you can scan only the standard Russian broadcast grid. But even if you are a resident of this vast country, then if you have any cable or satellite television, you shouldn't use it. Next, click on Scan and wait while the tuner scans the selected range.
The main settings window consists of seven tabs. The first, as you might guess from its name, serves to adjust the quality and parameters of the received image. There are a lot of settings available, which immediately confuses the user. However, over time you get used to it and begin to navigate what’s what. As for the video signal settings itself, you can select its resolution:
In addition, there is the ability to maintain screen proportions, select renderer, color scheme, deinterlacing, noise reduction, full-screen resolution, and so on.
The Sound tab is used to configure the sound signal. You can read all the capabilities provided by the program in the screenshot, and we will only note once again the presence of the sound output function via the PCI bus (enabled by default), as well as the ability to set the sound source
The Interface tab is used to configure the main toolbar of the proprietary software and the behavior of the image output window during operation. Here you can configure the display of the mouse cursor during full-screen viewing, a button on the taskbar, a skin, a shutdown timer, and much more.
The image output window has the ability to display information about the current channel and settings. The OSD tab is responsible for what and how to display it.
I'm very pleased with the ability to configure hot keys for quickly calling up TV channels and other TV tuner functions. And in fact, it’s not always possible to use the remote control for control!
On the Motion Detection tab, you can configure the function of the same name. It works as follows: while receiving a signal, any changes in the frame are monitored, which can be defined as the movement of objects. In this case, the software can perform some specified actions. In particular, you can record video and audio (or one of the two) information at this time.
This feature may be useful if you connect, for example, an outdoor surveillance camera to the tuner. This way, when motion is detected, a corresponding chunk of time will be recorded on the hard drive for as long as it lasts. Well, another plus for PCI 7135.
Image quality
Before we get into the image quality, we note that the preset channels were not found correctly. Only a few matched. Others turned out to have different channels or nothing at all, although later the preset channels were found among those found by the tuner's automation. This means that we are not broadcasting directly, but are rebroadcast via cable.
As you can see from the pictures, the Philips MK3 RF unit and the Philips SAA7135HL ADC do their job well: the image is of high quality. True, some extraneous grid is still noticeable on some channels:
However, such an effect was found only on one, which among the available 100 looks minuscule. In addition, if you do not watch this channel constantly, then this problem will not affect you at all.
The sound quality was also not satisfactory. It’s just worth noting that in some cases, when the tuner tried to decode a stereo signal, the latter was not of the highest quality. The result was a switch to mono. However, this may be a consequence weak signal, and when receiving a high-quality stereo signal, such a problem should not arise.
Other options
The gripping function is practically no different from similar implementations in competitor products. Yes, each has its own characteristics, but in general, approximately the same action always occurs - recording the received signal to the hard drive.
In our case, you can set the resolution of the received signal and the resolution of the output file, edge trimming, codec (can be any one present in the system), and apply your own filters when encoding. In addition, it is possible to record according to a schedule. By the way, it is worth noting that for the TimeShift function and scheduled recording to work correctly, you must install the WinDVD program, which was mentioned above. Along with it, the necessary MPEG2 codecs are installed, which are used when activating these features.
Configuring the settings for audio capture is also very simple: you only need to set the compression parameters, the path to the output file and other parameters if necessary.
Capture of a single frame can occur either with a certain specified frequency, and one at a time manually. I'm glad you can choose the file saving format (BMP, JPEG, GIF), as well as the resolution of the captured frame. By the way, when recording a picture in JPEG, you can even specify the compression level.
I really liked the ability to get program guides for preinstalled channels from the Internet. The thing, I must say, is simply amazing. You just need to click on the button Load the database automatically and voila - after 30 seconds (depending on the speed of your Internet connection) you have a TV schedule. You can press the enter button to display the program on the current channel, on all channels, and when switching channels, the name of the program running there, the start and end time, and the percentage of its completion will be displayed in the form of a bar.
When clicked right click mouse on the program toolbar and selecting TV Channels from the drop-down context menu, the entire list of available channels appears, where for channels with a program downloaded from the Internet the percentage of its completion is displayed! The function, however, is quite simple to implement from a programming point of view (you just need to calculate the time difference, convert it to a percentage and display the result) and, in our opinion, it is very pleasant for the user.
FM tuner
All settings and control of the FM tuner occur in the same way as for TV. Channel search is carried out in the same window (there are also preset stations):
And control and switching of channels can be done on a standard proprietary software control panel. It doesn't change at all when switching to the radio.
Remote control
The included remote control has 34 buttons that are small in size and spaced far enough apart. The latter prevents you from accidentally pressing the wrong button.
I would like to note the possibility of programming any from buttons. You can assign an arbitrary function to each of them.
conclusions
If you read the entire article carefully, it will be easy to guess that the conclusions will be the most positive, because GOTVIEW’s product turned out to be very good. Let's start with the software. Its capabilities are very wide, which allows for great flexibility in using the TV tuner. What is the motion tracking function worth? True, there are so many settings that at first your eyes just run wild and, frankly speaking, you simply lose the desire to read what each checkbox and switch means :-). But on the other hand, the program implements contextual help, called by pressing the F1 button, in which each menu item you are in is clearly described. So you can figure it out without difficulty, and the abundance of settings significantly expands the functionality of the program.
I would especially like to note the function of downloading the program guide. It will undoubtedly be very useful if you constantly watch TV. I also really liked the ability to customize each button on the remote control.
As for the picture and sound quality, they are excellent. Of course, there are some shortcomings (a grid on some channels, high quality of the incoming signal is required for correct stereo decoding), but we don’t see anything bad in them. And there are no ideal things.
However, we give the GOTVIEW PCI 7135 our highest "Our Choice" award for its very rich software features and high signal quality, and highly recommend it.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Russian representative office of GOTVIEW for providing us with the GOTVIEW PCI 7135 TV tuner for testing.
I think that I will not be mistaken if I say that the majority of users interested in computer devices trademark GOTVIEW is not even suspected. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese industrial group of the same name presented under this brand on the Russian market last year a rather interesting range of multimedia products, among which was our today's hero - the GoTView PCI internal TV tuner.
All products supplied by this company are adapted to the conditions of each country separately, and our experimental product is no exception. The manufacturer especially emphasizes its unique software, with which the Russian user will be very comfortable working. Well, let's see...
Equipment
The fact that this product did not accidentally end up on the Russian market becomes clear after you pick up the nice box. Just from the information that I found on the box, the potential buyer gets a “very positive” picture of the board’s capabilities, especially after the loud statement on the box about ideal television.
Inside this cardboard miracle of design, along with the tuner board, we found a remote control with a pair of AAA batteries, a standard T-shaped FM antenna, an audio cable for connecting to the linear input of the sound card, an external IR sensor for the remote control, two CDs - one with drivers and working software, the second with a set of programs for capturing and processing video from InterVideo (WinDVR and WinDVD Creator) and small instructions in Russian for installing drivers for different versions OSes from Microsoft.
Almost a standard set with the exception of one very nice thing - a disk with full versions software from InterVideo, which greatly expands the board's capabilities. Of course, I understand perfectly well that in our country getting any software is not a problem, but having at least some useful licensed software at home is a pleasant clearing of conscience :)
Design and technical characteristics
Black varnish, high-quality soldering, a golden plate with connectors - these are clear signs of a brand, and a brand with a big name. It seems that GOTVIEW is challenging the famous brands whose names are on everyone's lips. But one varnish is not enough. To qualify for leadership, the design must meet high modern requirements.
And this very design is based on the Conexant Fusion 878A chipset.
You can argue for a long time about the advantages of this or that chip, but still, more modern chips from the same Conexant or Philips provide better picture quality. However, they, like new, unused chips, do not yet have the choice of software and developments in it that the 878 can boast of.
The high-frequency analog receiver unit TCL2002MB-33F has its roots in the Philips past.
The engineers clearly did a great job on the design of the board itself - everything was done quite compactly. As a result, the length of the tuner does not extend beyond the PCI slot.
Even before the chipset, two four-pin audio connectors for connecting an input audio signal source and for connecting a tuner to a sound card caught my eye. For some reason, such a solution is not often seen on TV tuners of different, even very prestigious brands. Meanwhile, it is very useful, because thanks to these connectors you can free up external audio inputs/outputs, as well as overlay and mix audio from other audio sources.
The presence of these connectors speaks of some kind of professionalism.
Well, the main connectors, of course, are located on the golden plug. There are: FM antenna connector, TV antenna connector, socket for connecting an infrared sensor, low-frequency AV video input, minijack audio stereo input, composite S-Video input, minijack stereo audio output.
Well, in my opinion, everything necessary that only happens on TV tuners is present here.
Remote control and IR sensor
The 30-button remote control has a special curved ergonomic shape that fits perfectly in the hand. All rubber buttons are located not anyhow, but thoughtfully - for ease of operation. Even the lowest buttons are very easy to press, as the elongated shape of the remote control makes it easy to hold.
The remote control controls both TV and FM, so you don’t have to get up from the couch.
The only complaint I have about the remote control is the variety of colors on its body. It could have been done more modestly, but this is my personal opinion, and, as you know, there are few like-minded people in terms of taste and color.
The length of the wire of the remote IR sensor is, as always, short. I just don’t understand, is it a pity for manufacturers to make it not one meter long, but two? Well, if my computer is on the floor under the table, then where should I, excuse me, put this sensor? But this is most likely not GOTVIEW’s fault, because... The length seems to be some kind of standard.
Working with the supplied software
Installation of drivers was very fast and almost automatic. My Windows XP easily recognized two new devices in the system.
By the way, in old version GoTView added four devices to the system.
After that, I carefully examined the CD and there I found excellent instructions for installing and working with the TV tuner, where everything was described in great detail. The instructions are in PDF format, so to read it, there is a folder with AdobeAcrobatReader 6.0 on the disk. In addition, there is also a folder with InternetExplorer 6.0 and a folder with the main program for working with the GoTView Pro tuner, which occupies as much as 1.9 MB. But it’s not about size, but about quality.
Installing the program took no more time than installing the drivers. After launch, it was proposed to edit the settings for a specific job, but for now we will take a closer look at its interface:
The player's interface is quite unusual and does not at all resemble the usual elongated control panels from the software of other TV tuners.
Another innovation that the manufacturer introduced concerns switching between TV and FM operating modes. Now everything happens in the same panel - you switch channels and switch TV to radio. This is the situation if in the right corner of the three possible TV/FM/TV+FM modes you select the last one.
The lower left corner is occupied by six sliders responsible for brightness, contrast, warmth, saturation and other similar characteristics. They, along with the volume, are adjusted separately (!) for each channel. Indeed, each channel has its own display features, so why limit yourself.
To the right of these settings are icons for six items in the tuner's main menu - Capture, Channels, Scheduler, Settings, TV program and Channel Listing. They are located in a completely incomprehensible way, so we will consider them in a different sequence.
Channels. The first thing that catches your eye when entering this menu item is a huge table with the names, frequencies and characteristics (system type, volume, color settings) of not only TV channels, but also FM stations.
Firstly, the presence of this table immediately in the newly installed program indicates that the manufacturer took care of the end user and created a database for all Russian television broadcasting (16 channels) and partial radio broadcasting in the FM range (6 stations of the Moscow FM range). The small number of FM stations can be explained simply - each city has its own, and it is simply impossible to keep up with changes in the frequency of their broadcasts, as well as with their new names. Secondly, as you have already noticed, in the table both TV and FM are in one list. They can be distinguished only by the broadcasting system (varieties of SECAM, PAL, NTSC or FM).
The right side of the "Channels" field is reserved for editing certain characteristics of this table. Here you can not only change the channel name, broadcast system, adjust the volume and brightness, but also assign an icon for the channel or FM station. 16 icons for the main channels are already hardcoded into the GoTView Pro database. In addition, here you can fine-tune the channel frequency with an accuracy of 0.01 MHz (!) or simply set a new one by selecting it from the entire operating range of the tuner and writing it manually.
In the upper left corner there is an extremely useful Scan button, which will definitely come in handy for you. You can scan both the entire frequency range and the range of the standard channel grid. The scanning range, as well as the step (minimum step 0.02 MHz) are selected manually. In addition, the user can decide for himself which search method the tuner will work with.
In my opinion, the widest possible search opportunities are collected here desired channel. The signal will not go unnoticed!
Settings. This menu item consists of three fields - “View”, “Interface” and “About”. In the “View” field, you can adjust the resolution when viewing, with the ability to enlarge the image with cutting off the edges, adjust the aspect ratio, etc. The most important thing here can rightfully be considered the deinterlacing setting, which allows you to save your nerves. Let me remind you that interlacing is a comb that appears on moving objects and spoils the entire viewing experience. Usually this function is implemented in the tuner software, but not always efficiently. Here you can set one of five deinterlacing modes, or not use it at all.
The "Interface" field is responsible for setting up messages displayed on the screen, for selecting a sound source and for other functions, which you can familiarize yourself with from the figure.
Capture. A rare TV tuner can boast so many settings for capturing Video, Audio and just pictures. It’s not for nothing that GOTVIEW pays great attention to the ability to work with recorded video and even included a disc with software package from InterVideo. Five fields allow you to qualitatively configure everything connected with it - AVI, WMV, Sound, Image, Network.
AVI. Perhaps even an experienced user will initially have some concern about correct settings all parameters displayed here. But this is only at first glance, because... everything is done simply, conveniently and accessible to any user. All possible settings for the resulting video file are taken into account. For ease of use, there are settings such as reserving disk space for a file, limiting recording time, and setting the frequency of captured frames.
An important feature is the ability to display dropped frames during capture. This is a kind of indicator of the capabilities of your machine. If this indicator is different from zero, then it would be a good idea to change the recording parameters to easier ones.
In order not to contemplate the comb on moving objects after recording, it is possible to connect a deinterlacing filter during recording.
The function for setting the video capture resolution has a rather interesting addition that allows you to crop the image along any of the four edges (or all at once) to a width specified in pixels. In general, you can capture video with a resolution from 80x60 to 768x576.
Naturally, you can configure the video and audio stream compression parameters if necessary. In addition, GoTView allows you to set a timer for a single entry by date and time.
The right side of the AVI field is reserved for volume and color level settings. And the bottom one shows processor load in real time.
WMV. For this type of settings, the settings are a little smaller. For example, there is no possibility of reserving disk space, there is no possibility of setting the frequency of captured frames, as well as settings for video and audio compression.
Sound. The meaning of the settings in this field, I think, is clear to everyone. It is worth noting that the interface has not changed compared to the video settings field. The sound can, of course, be recorded in MP3 with any settings.
In addition, sound can be recorded not only from FM broadcasts, but also from TV. There are situations when you don’t need a picture. No problem - write only audio!
Regarding audio and video capture, it’s worth adding one more thing. Encoding in real time, i.e. directly during capture, it can be performed using any of your codecs, which seriously expands the capabilities of the tuner.
Snapshot. Even in this field of settings, GoTView has much more options than its competitors. You can capture individual frames not only with any resolution possible for the tuner, but also in any of three graphic formats- JPG, BMP, GIF, and compression quality JPG file configured manually.
There is also a great opportunity to set capture every N seconds during viewing.
Net. Well, this is completely new. The function is experimental, as evidenced by the red warning label. The manufacturer offers you to work with the tuner... over the network, i.e. capture video over the network. True, the recommended resolution is only 320x200, but it is recommended and not strictly limited.
Scheduler. Well, this is just a great thing for scheduling automatic recording of not only video, but also audio, as well as taking screenshots. In addition to standard actions, you can execute any command both before and after recording. The command is, of course, written on the appropriate command line.
TV programm. No less useful thing to download databases with programs for each channel. Well, everything seems to be clear here.
Channel listing. The last menu is for displaying a grid of 16 channels per page. Quite standard function. The only pity is that you cannot configure the location and number of channels shown manually.
Summing up the software, we can safely say that of the software supplied with tuners, this is the best. True, the manufacturer cheated a little - after all, in this case, high-quality alternative software for Fly DS TV tuners was taken as the basis. But in this case it is absolutely clear that its deepest processing has been done. Maybe it was the opportunity to create ideal software that became the reason for choosing the classic Conexant Fusion 878A chip.
The second disc with the software package from InterVideo is not only a full-fledged licensed copy, but also, in the best traditions of GoTView, the main program for creating home videos WinDVD Creator from the package is completely (including help) Russified, which makes the work of a beginner much easier.
It is most likely pointless to describe all the capabilities of WinDVR and WinDVD Creator, because... To do this, you will need a whole book dedicated to creating videos. One has only to mention that the package serves both for capturing and subsequent processing of video, is recognized all over the world and will certainly appeal to many.
Reception quality
Testing of the reception of TV and FM channels was carried out in two versions - with the connection of an external cable television and with the connection of the tuner to the indoor antenna. Test computer configuration: Athlon1200 processor, Soltek 75SL-75DRV2 motherboard, NVIDIA video card GeForce2 MX400, 256MB RAM, ESS 1969 sound, Windows XP SP1 operating system.
Having connected the cable to the tuner, naturally I had to search for channels again - the frequencies set by the manufacturer, of course, did not match. I did a search across the entire operating range in steps of 0.1 MHz (Well, 0.02 MHz is too steep). This process is not fast, so I managed to drink tea a couple of times during this time. But the result exceeded all expectations. Due to the small pitch, many duplicate channels were picked up, but the tuner caught the 17 channels that my TV receives with excellent quality. Almost nothing had to be adjusted.
Channel examples
Naturally, I immediately noticed an interlacing comb on all channels and hastened to get rid of it. Of the five deinterlacing modes, the most attractive was the second method from the list - Blend. Copying lines gives too rough a result, the errors of which are too noticeable when the image is stretched. The last two modes TwoFields and Weave (especially Weave) eliminate interlacing quite a bit. The Weave filter also produces good results, but the image quality after using it is noticeably worse than when using Blend. The Bob filter gives a result between the high-quality Blend and the rough Copy Strings.
Below you can look at footage of fast-moving skaters taken without deinterlacing and using the latter in all five filters. The sequence is as follows - no filter, Copy lines, Blend, Bob, TwoFields, Weave.
Also pay attention to the channel logo (the sequence of filter application is the same).
Well, it seems to me that real work filters are available.
After switching from cable to a simple indoor antenna, I didn’t have to configure anything - the channel grid from the manufacturer coincided perfectly with what actually exists. The reception quality was somewhat worse, but these are already the errors of my antenna (if you can even call it that). The TV doesn't pick it up any better.
The processor load when watching TV is clearly visible in the screenshots of the capture menu located above the text. When recording video, it was also not possible to load the test machine to capacity. That’s why all the test avi files were recorded without dropped frames or other glitches.
I was very pleased with the ability to download TV programs from the Internet. All you have to do is press the button, because... all necessary website addresses are already entered into the tuner database.
FM reception does not cause any complaints at all, because all the stations that I know in Moscow were caught clearly. Moreover, the reception was clear, even despite the position of the antenna. Well, in general, its length is quite enough to hang it anywhere.
Total
This is a serious bid for one of the leading positions in the TV tuner market. The capabilities of the device are simply amazing. In addition, the tuner is perfect for those who plan to frequently record TV programs. This tuner's software is simply impeccable - don't mess with it. An excellent dessert was a licensed disc with a package from InterVideo. The downside, of course, is the use of an outdated chipset, but without it, most likely, such almighty software would not exist. So I would like to wish the actively developing GOTVIEW to release a tuner on a modern chipset, but with the same software. The Conexant Fusion 878A chip still processes the signal of the most widespread SECAM standard in Russia, not in the best way - the colors are a little bit different. So five minus! By the way, at the company forum it was organized technical support online.
Revolutionary changes in the market personal computers quite rare. The industry is developing gradually, acquiring more and more new qualities. This happens even somehow imperceptibly, on its own, but, looking back a few years, we notice how strikingly modern hardware and software differ from what we used quite recently. It would seem that what could change in the TV tuner market? But here, too, software, hardware and functionality are constantly evolving. GoTView tuners have always been famous for their well-designed drivers, high-quality and functional video capture, as well as the ability to transmit a TV signal over a local network. Not long ago we tested the GoTView PCI 7134 model, and today it has been replaced by the PCI 7135 TV tuner. Among the features of the new model, we highlight the new universally recognized Philips MK3 RF unit, which has best characteristics compared to TCL, which was used in the GoTView PCI 7134 model, as well as the Philips chip, the number of which is included in the model name. Has the tuner become better, what qualities has it acquired, is it very different from the previous model? We will try to answer all these questions below.
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Equipment
The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner comes in packaging that is typical for most products from this manufacturer. All the inscriptions on the box, as well as the documentation and software shell, are in Russian, which once again confirmed the manufacturer’s desire to fully adapt its products to the Russian market.
Inside the package we found the following kit:
- TV tuner board;
- T-shaped FM antenna;
- IR receiver;
- double-sided sticker for fixing the IR receiver;
- remote control;
- 2 AAA batteries;
- short audio cable for connecting to the linear input of a sound card;
- instructions in Russian;
- 2 discs with software
The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner is compact and there are no problems when installing it in small cases. The board is limited by the size of the PCI slot, which is practically the norm in modern conditions.
The heart of the GoTView PCI 7135 is the Philips SAA7135HL chip, which provides advanced audio processing over the SAA7134 chip and earlier.
The 7135 model uses the original Philips MK3 RF unit, which is potentially capable of providing better reception quality compared to the 7134 model. Whether our expectations were met or not, we will tell you below.
As in the PCI 7134 model, the company uses high-capacity electrolytes with low internal resistance to minimize power supply noise, as well as a stabilizer designed to reduce voltage surges when powering the chip.
The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner, like its predecessors, is equipped with audio connectors directly on the board, which is quite rare on models from other manufacturers. These connectors are necessary to directly connect the TV tuner to the sound card inside the PC, which will allow you to avoid using the external line input of the sound card. Note that these connectors are located on the outside of the printed circuit board, as a result the user does not need to remove the TV tuner to connect or disconnect cables. However, the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner can transmit sound not only using an external or internal cable, but also via the PCI bus. This means you won't need to connect it to your sound card.
The following connectors are located on the bar from left to right:
- connector for connecting an FM antenna;
- connector for connecting a TV antenna;
- connector for connecting an external IR receiver;
- S-Video input (four pins);
- audio input (mini-jack);
- composite video input;
- audio output.
According to established tradition, as test bench we used home media center Depo Ego following configuration:
- CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz with 800 MHz bus;
- motherboard: MicroStar MS-6743;
- RAM: DDR400 512 MB;
- video card: Intel Extreme Graphics II, integrated on the board;
- sound card: Creative Audigy 2 ZS;
- hard drive: Samsung 160 GB SATA;
- operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 installed and all updates from Windows Update.
After installing the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner into a free PCI slot and turning on the PC, Windows XP finds a new device. Driver installation is carried out using operating system. After installation, the following hardware appears in Device Manager.
Unfortunately, the software disk is not equipped with a startup mode and a shell, but the installation process is described in some detail in the instructions. After completing the installation of drivers and programs, it is advisable to restart the computer, but this is not at all necessary.
Previously, the laboratory site had already tested three internal TV tuners from GoTView. These were GoTView PCI , GoTView PCI 7134 And GoTView PCI DVD. The GoTView Pro software shell supplied with the company's tuners has not undergone significant changes, and therefore, in order not to repeat it, we recommend that you read our previous reviews.
GoTView Pro version number 3.0.0.449, supplied with the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner, implements new feature- "Motion detector", which allows you to use the TV tuner as an inexpensive video surveillance system. You simply connect a video camera to the tuner with a cable with two tulips, display it on the window, and you can record video of your car in the parking lot on a PC or watch the area in front of the house. Similar "security" features are now popular among other TV tuner manufacturers.
The software shell allows, if there is movement in the frame, to save individual frames, record video or sound on the hard drive for later viewing. We have already tested a similar possibility in TV tuner Behold TV 403 FM, but it is worth noting that the Beholder company specializes in creating hardware and software systems for access control and video surveillance and, accordingly, tried to implement this function in its TV tuners, while GoTView does not deal with video surveillance systems, but its implementation of the system seemed quite decent to us.
The motion detector function in the GoTView Pro software shell is implemented as follows: first, the user is asked to select the check interval and sensitivity, and then set the action when motion is detected in the frame and the action when motion is stopped. The difference from a similar function from Beholder is that the GoTView Pro software shell does not have a mask that allows you to split the image into zones in which tracking would be carried out. In some cases, this may limit the use of the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner as a video surveillance system, since the software shell will not allow you to cut off areas that are not necessary to monitor.
In general, we would like to note that GoTView has adequately implemented the motion detector function, and we are confident that this feature will be further developed in new versions of the software shells.
Picture and sound quality
A regular antenna is installed on the roof of the editorial office building, and the testing laboratory is the sole user of the signal from it. However, the geographical location of a small laboratory building leads to the fact that many channels “arrive” at the antenna with great interference. It’s all the more interesting for us to test tuners in less than ideal conditions.
I would especially like to note that the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner demonstrated, in general, excellent image quality without any additional settings and the use of a noise reduction system. When viewing channels with average reception quality, the “noise” suppression function significantly improved image quality. On channels with poor reception quality, the “noise” suppression function also showed a good result, but as a result the image became more inertial, which led to a blurred picture when viewing dynamic scenes. Therefore, we do not recommend using maximum noise reduction modes unless absolutely necessary.
In the laboratory, the tuner was able to detect all 15 existing channels, which indicates the good sensitivity of the Philips MK3 selector. Note that a search using a standard frequency grid allowed us to detect only 6 channels. This allowed us to conclude that the channels in our antenna are not taken from the air, but are rebroadcast via cable. Therefore, a search was carried out across the network of broadcast and cable channels, which made it possible to detect 15 existing and 6 phantom channels.
Download video 2(5 MB)
GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner is included new model remote control. Compared to the remote control supplied with GoTView PCI and GoTView PCI 7134 TV tuners, the new remote control has a more thoughtful layout of buttons, as well as an increased number of them - 34 versus 30, which allows, for example, to control the delayed viewing function.
The remote control buttons can be programmed using the appropriate utility. In addition to actually working with the TV tuner, the remote control supports a number of popular applications: Microsoft Media Player, Zoom Player, BSPlayer and WinAmp. In fact, you have at your disposal remote control of the main multimedia functions of a personal computer.
Conclusion
The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner is a worthy representative of the line of internal TV tuners GoTView. A well-designed board, the use of high-quality components, and the use of today's best RF unit from Philips MK3 in conjunction with the SAA7135 chip together allowed us to obtain excellent image and sound quality and reliable reception of radio stations. The rich functionality of the software shell, which provides advanced capture and delayed viewing capabilities, organically complements the well-developed hardware. We also note the channel preview function and the ability to simultaneously operate two TV tuners in one system, which allows you to implement the “Picture in Picture” function.
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