Ever since I bought a HDTV LCD, it’s been difficult to watch standard-definition programming, and all but impossible to put up with choppy online videos. Enter my new favorite USB notebook accessory: the OnAir GT HDTV USB mobile tuner. The wallet sized device makes the high-def and DVR experience portable. At first glance the OnAir GT’s telescoping antenna reminded me of the bygone era of turning the knobs and fiddling with the bunny ears on my parent’s TV. But in the age of broadband, EVDO cards and WiFi that deliver postage-stamp sized video clips from YouTube and the like, it’s incredibly refreshing to watch the World Series live and in high-def on my notebook. And if that means I have to go back to play with an old-school antenna- so be it.
Most notebooks are capable of displaying high-def video, but content is generally lacking. Online videos are compressed as much as possible, and HD-DVD and BluRay formats are still battling their ways into notebooks.
The tuner and included software make it easy to watch HDTV in a small window, full screen or even as your desktop background, delivering quality online video services and news sites could only dream of.
The OnAir Creator is identical in Digital TV 'quality' and performance. It does excel a bit for Analog TV though, due to the encoder you mentioned. However, for most people, they cannot see a difference in the quality of Analog TV for the OnAir GT / OnAir Creator. OnAir Solution's USB HDTV-GT is a moderately priced, but full-featured HDTV adapter for your PC. It doesn't have the couch potato appeal that a real TV has, but this probably works better than.
The OnAir GT locks on to nearly any TV signal you can throw at it, including analog (NTSC), Digital (ATSC) and Digital Cable (QAM), with support for HDTV up to 1920 x 1080 pixels. A quick scan in San Francisco added 15 analog channels and 25 digital channels (7 in HD), many of which I’d never watched before. Thanks to cable I’ve mostly ignored all the “low channels,” but apparently our local affiliates run some great music channels, high-def documentaries, news programs and some pretty steamy sitcoms on the Spanish channels.
DRIVER ONAIR HDTV GT WINDOWS 8 X64. Ati remote wonder. Ntsc digital cable. Dvr digital video recorder. Cartoon network american. Gt tuner page, turner broadcasting system. Autumnwave onair gt usb hdtv tuner review. Digital video recorder reviews, amazon streaming movies theatre. Bjorn3D take a look at the AutumnWave OnAir GT (USB HDTV Tuner). A few months ago, I reviewed the VisionTek TV Wonder HD 650 PCIe. It is a great expansion card for desktop users but it has small limitation that it will only work with desktop.
Screen Grab from a DTV standard def broadcast
The only channel the OnAir GT couldn’t pick up was the local NBC affiliate, which cares so little about its signal that it’s actually hosted parties where signal-less residents can gather to watch big events such as the Olympics. Backup for mac os x.
I was pleasantly surprised with the reception quality, especially after reading a somewhat mixed review over at CNET. That reviewer said the OnAir GT was only able to receive standard definition digital channels and: that only one HD broadcast was clear, while the rest of the HD signals were “choppy, shuddering so much they were almost unwatchable in full-screen format. In a smaller window, the jarring was still annoying but tolerable for short periods.”
During our testing over three days the digital and HDTV signals were flawless. All of these channels were crystal clear and much richer and sharper than DVDs on my notebook. Analog channels were lackluster however, with the typical snow and shadows, some of which could be negated by fiddling with the antenna. This isn’t the OnAir GT’s fault however, since bad signals can’t magically be improved.
Like all digital tuners (and all things digital for that matter) there is a “cliff effect,” meaning you either get an excellent signal or nothing at all. No fuzz or snow. If you want to get a true sense of the quality of the picture the OnAir GT delivers, check out these photos which were captured with the handy screen grab function that’s built into the OnAir application. A screen grab in HD mode results in an image that’s over 3MB.
You can pause, record and rewind, just like a TiVo, but without all the fancy controls. Setting up recordings is easy thanks to the OnAir GT channel manager, which has a built in program guide. Program names and times are added to the channel manager automatically thanks to data included in digital broadcasters’ signals, so it will work sans Internet connection. Up to 80 future programs can be scheduled to record. At full resolution recordings need about 4GB per hour, but you can record at lower resolutions if you chose.
Another bonus is the included S-Video/RCA adaptor that makes it possible play your XBOX 360 or Playstation on your notebook’s screen. You can also plug your cable or satellite provider’s coaxial directly into the OnAir GT if you don’t mind sacrificing the portable factor, but want more channel selection.
The OnAir GT is distributed in the U.S. by AutumnWave for OnAir, a Korean company. Though impressive, the OnAir GT still has room for improvement. The user interface could be more elegant and user friendly, as could the installation process. We received an error the first time we plugged the unit in, and the software was automatically reinstalled. On the third day of using the tuner, the same error came back and required yet another install. We were disappointed by the lack of documentation and support. The Help function in the player didn’t work and the install-CD only had a Korean manual. Update: We downloaded the updated application and drivers from autumnwave.com and several of these issues have been solved, including the Help function. This is the company’s first run and the CD will probably be updated before it is sold broadly.
Priced at $179, the OnAir GT comes with a remote control, the S-Video and RCA input adaptor, AAA batteries, USB Cable, Antenna and carrying case. This is definitely a better choice than the analog TV Tuner cards offered by many notebook manufacturers, including HP, in terms of features.
Despite the glitches, this is one of the coolest gadgets I’ve plugged into a notebook recently and would definitely recommend it to anyone that wants to squeeze a ton of functionality into their notebook. The OnAir GT is an affordable HDTV solution for a dorm room, cubicle, or for just zoning out between meetings.
And if these girls in the Spanish sitcoms are on everyday, I might finally learn the language.
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Page 3 - Testing/Usage and Conclusion Megaman 11 descargar full pc.
Installation is quite simple -- I won't go over the installation process in detail, but popping in the driver CD reveals that it contains drivers for two other AutumnWave devices other than the OnAir GT. Select the right unit, and it brings you to the next screen for the appropriate drivers and software. The necessary software required to install includes the OnAirGT drivers, OnAir GT program (For viewing TV, etc), as well as the NVIDIA PureVideo 2 decoder -- which, by the way, works with ATI cards as well as NVIDIA. WinDVD Creator Creator is included but optional. Installation is quick and simple; once the drivers are installed just plug in the USB HDTV tuner and you are good to go.
The drivers are non-logo certified drivers; which according to Ryan at AutumnWave 'the non-Logo Certified drivers don't affect Vista x64. Vista x64 only requires 'kernel mode driver signing', which the OnAir GT has (It's different than Microsoft Logo Testing). We have quite a number of XP x64 and Vista x64 customers using our tuners'.
Firing up AutumnWave's OnAir GT TV program somewhat reminds me of the old ATI Multimedia Center I used to have with my ATI All-In-Wonder graphics card; except with a more modern interface -- but somewhat similar ideologies in layout. It separates into two distinct portions by default; the control section in one box and the TV display section in another which can be separately dragged around. Generally speaking, navigation is understandable with standard PVR feature controls such as record and 'rewind' up to two hours live TV (By caching a certain amount of time of live TV on the hard drive), input settings, volume, channel; basically the standard array of navigation/usage buttons and options boxes. Recording TV creates files in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 with user configurable quality settings.
The program uses the overlay portion of the graphics adapter, therefore in Vista will turn off Aero because typically only one program can use overlay at a given time -- which will, in turn by using the overlay portion, offer better quality with the images. The video performance is generally excellent and definitely up to par with the input source with both digital and analog. Of course, analog is noticeably different from high resolution HDTV signals, but either way -- it's one of the best I've seen around. No lag, hiccups, or artifacting is noticed during usage. CPU usage is also acceptable with less than 10% on my Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.45GHz, with recording going up to around 25% CPU load.
I am really impressed with the channel switching speed though. While most modern day analog tuners can switch quickly, digital tuners are still somewhat behind in this regard -- the OnAir GT USB is certainly a winner in this area. Channel switching is literally switching without delay -- it's fast, snappy, and lag-free like a short throw manual transmission. (Well, after all, it's an OnAir GT that looks like a radar detector!) I can hold down the 'down' or 'up' button on my keyboard for changing channels and it changes channels as fast as the keyboard can send signals to the computer. This makes the channel scan performance quite a painless process during setup.
Other features include using live TV as wallpaper, which is similar to ATI ThruView Desktop -- a cool feature to have to many users, but I have to be honest -- I rarely use it. After all, we use our computers only for.. uhh.. work, right?
Right clicking the TV display window brings up a plethora of options within a single menu.
The Options section is quite simple; with relatively simple configuration settings -- I haven't done much here, except to change the default location for still captures and video recording.
I am not the first one to say it, but I am sure I will not be the last one to say it either -- the OnAir GT HDTV USB tuner is certainly an impressive product. With a simple, portable, and small package, it packs all the features you'd expect from other products less portable and convenient -- maybe all except for hardware acceleration, but it takes better advantage of your graphics card rather than the usual limited processing capabilities on board. Personally, I'd prefer portability and convenience -- and this is one package that offers it all. The only thing to complain about is the included software, which has room for improvement to allow more flexibility as well as a more user-friendly interface. Other than that, I am impressed with its performance and the form factor it comes in. I was never into USB TV tuners, but the AutumnWave OnAir GT HDTV USB is something that certainly changed my perception!County line water pump. Special thanks to Ryan over at AutumnWave for making this review possible.
APH:Renewal Award | APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that aren't likely going to matter to the end user.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 8.0/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
OnAir HDTV GT – USB HDTV Tuner Reviewed | Technogog
Small, convenient, and excellent performance -- the AutumnWave OnAir GT has it all in one package! Only complaint? The included software for usage has room for improvement.
Page IndexAutumnWave OnAir GT Review - NotebookReview
1. Introduction, Specifications, Bundle2. A Closer Look - Hardware
AutumnWave / OnAir USB HDTV Tuners - AVS Forum | Home Theater ..
3. Testing/Usage and Conclusion