Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the ATI TV Wonder Pro despite the bad reviews because I already had an ATI graphics card installed in my computer. I had been warned by IT professionals that it was best not to mix up TV cards and graphics cards from different manufacturers. If you don't already have a graphics card in your computer, consider the ATI All In Wonder which is more cost effective than buying separate TV and graphics cards.
Thanks to the advice from other reviewers on Amazon, the installation went very smoothly. I am running Windows XP Pro and I have a ATI Radeon Graphics card.
Key points about the installation. I did not use the included CD to install the TV Pro. Instead, I went to the ATI website and downloaded the newest versions of the drivers for the TV Pro. The downloaded files were executables and they installed drivers onto my computer. I also followed a link on the ATI website to get the latest version of Flash from Microsoft. I then installed the card into my computer and once I turned the computer on, XP recognized the new hardware and installed the drivers for me. I had expected to spend hours on the setup. Instead, it was incredibly easy.
One problem that I did have, however was a delay in the audio. Again thanks to another reviewer, I found that I had set up the TV Pro wrong. The TV Pro connects to your sound card through an external connection. An internal connection is possible, but ATI does not provide a cable to do so. The initial configuration of the TV Pro occurs when you first use the program. It is important that when you setup the audio connection that you choose line-in instead of microphone. If you do choose microphone, you will hear an annoying echo.
The other problem that I have had is channels being displayed in black & white rather than color. I originally had the cable connecting to my computer connected to the output from my VCR. The connection of the cables is actually key to good reception. If the connections between cables are not good and tight then bad reception and black & white images will occur. Turn off the TV Pro and the VCR and try again. Sometimes this works for me, but one channel refused to show in color. However, if I connect the computer directly to the cable and bypass the VCR, all channels come in just fine.
Lastly, don't expect any support from ATI if you do have problems. The FAQ and knowledge base are sparse at best. TV Pro has an option to run a self diagnosis and even though it is working fine, the diagnosis told me that it was missing a driver. I went to the ATI website and after a long search, I contacted ATI support for help. That was two weeks ago and I have not yet gotten a response.
In conclusion, taking some time to download the drivers before you install the card will save you a lot of the headaches described by others. The card works well and does exactly as advertised. However, I gave the card a rating of only three stars due to the poor customer support by ATI.
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ATI TV Wonder Pro TV / Video Input Adapter PCI NTSC 100-703147. Product may differ from image shown.
