FREE: ATI TV Wonder (tv tuner for your computer)

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ATI TV Wonder USB

Though this product shares its name with ATI?s popular internal PCI card lineup, the TV Wonder USB proved to offer rather disappointing audio quality during the testing process.? While the device features a simple one-cable installation, this limits the amount of audio data that can be relayed due to the current generation USB v1.1 limitation of 11 Mbps of bandwidth.? Sound information is down-sampled to 16 KHz mono, thus?a portion of the dynamic sound range is essentially lost.? While a second analog audio cable does add to the fuss of installation, it is a welcomed burden as compared to the negative impact in audio quality.

In stark contrast to the audio quality, video clarity is actually surprising for an external solution, though the occasional compression artifact or motion compensation error does appear because of the USB bus limitation.? While slightly annoying at first, this problem does seem to fade away from consciousness the more one watches the television feeds produced by this device.? External television tuners appear to be great candidates for the upcoming defacto USB v2.0 standard, as its nearly 500 Mbps of bandwidth should easily allow for the quality offered by comparative internal PCI bus devices.??

The included software bundle is the most impressive feature of the TV Wonder USB.? Advanced software capabilities include watching TV directly within Internet Explorer, live video desktop wallpaper, and zoom/pan display options.? The addition of Guide+ allows for interactive viewing by allowing the user to download, search, and schedule the recoding of programs for one's particular geographical location.? The TV Wonder USB is a great idea in regards to the single wire connection and superb software package,