The GOTVIEW PCI Hybrid TV and FM tuner is an interesting budget solution with DVB-T support. Innovations in the element base

The new year 2005 is still far away, but the new model year has already arrived, at least this is true for the GOTVIEW company, which presented to consumers a line of its new TV tuners on new chipsets with new characteristics and new capabilities.

This company, which recently appeared on the Russian market, was able in a year and a half not only to please consumers with its products, but also to turn into one of the leaders in the field of tuning.

In my opinion, three factors contributed to this - high-quality iron; the most functional and developed software with regular updates and not in words, but in fact, adapted for Russia (the only competitor for the included software for GOTVIEW can be considered the Beholder company); very responsive support, which not only answers all your questions in the forum on the company’s website, but also makes improvements to the software that correspond to your suggestions. Let’s hope that GOTVIEW will not depart from these “three pillars of success” in the 2005 model year, and the reason for checking has already appeared.

Today we will look at a new internal model of the tuner, in which GOTVIEW, judging by the brief specification, retained all the best that the company had developed during its existence, and also added a lot of new things. So, meet GoTView PCI DVD.

Equipment

Nothing has changed in the design of the packaging of the new tuners, and this is not necessary - so there is enough varied information written there, and the inscription “Adapted for Russian TV broadcasting” has not disappeared anywhere.

The kit contains the card itself, a brand new flat remote control, an external IR receiver, a minijack-RCA audio cable (2 connectors), a brief installation guide and a pair of CDs - with native software, drivers and full instructions for working in PDF format and with WinDVD Creator 2.0 from InterVideo.

Innovations in the element base

There have been some very serious changes here compared to the predecessors of this card. The fact is that the new TV tuner has become “double-headed”. It is based on two chips - the new Philips SAA7174HL (change of leader - 34th chip) and CONEXANT CX23416. Thanks to this, you can not only watch TV programs with the best quality for Russian SECAM and stereo sound in NICAM and A2, but also hardware compress the video stream on the fly into MPEG2 format.

The entire encoding process has now been transferred from the CPU to the hardware of the card, so digitization will occur without frame loss, desynchronization of audio and video streams and other glitches. But this, of course, only applies to MPEG2. For other recording formats, software codecs are used and the presence/absence of the above-described glitches rests on the conscience of the resources of your machine, in particular the processor.

Changes have occurred not only in the chips, but also in the RF unit. The channel selector has been changed - the old TCL has been replaced with MK3 - a selector with higher sensitivity and selectivity.

If we talk about the board layout, although there have been changes due to the advent of a new element base, the scheme for protecting the tuner from interference remains the same.

The board has acquired a hardware (and not just software, available in the new version of the included software) noise reduction filter. This function works both during recording and during normal viewing of a video stream and has five levels of adjustment.

But something has disappeared from the board - this is the FM block. According to the company's support, there will not be a version of this tuner with FM support. In principle, the board is really more intended for serious work with video (encoding, video processing and all that). On the other hand, there will probably be a number of dissatisfied users who will, for obvious reasons, like the board (as a TV tuner and MPEG encoder), but will be upset by the lack of an FM tuner.

Board appearance

As you can see, the shape of the board itself has changed. Instead of a wide PCB, the dimensions of which (namely the length) did not extend beyond the PCI bus, an elongated shape is now used, which slightly reminded me of some models of old tuners from other manufacturers. However, the GOTVIEW top style has not disappeared anywhere - burgundy varnish, golden panel with connectors, high quality workmanship.

This very golden panel contains: a low-frequency RCA input, a connector for connecting an external IR sensor, a socket for connecting an antenna, a composite S-Video input and a stereo audio input for a standard 3.5mm minijack.

Please note another significant change in the design - there is no longer an audio output on the board. Sound is now digitalized only in hardware and transmitted via the PCI bus. And the maximum audio sampling frequency has increased from 32KHz (on boards with yesterday's leader SAA7134) to 48KHz. It is unlikely that you will ever need a large value of this parameter in your work. Well, a stereo audio cable from a minijack to a pair of RCA connectors is used to transmit sound not “from”, but “to” the tuner when capturing video from any other device, for example, from a video camera.

Hardware summary

In fact, this is a completely new tuner with new capabilities, but it was clearly created taking into account the experience of building previous hardware (for example, the same anti-interference circuit). The only downside is the lack of such a nice addition as an FM tuner. But on the other hand, this step strictly positions the card as, to some extent, a professional model among amateur video capture.

Remote control

Changes have occurred here too. The design of the remote control has been completely redesigned - there is not even a hint of that “pop” rounded shape that the remote control of earlier GOTVIEW models had. Now the style and design of the remote control fully matches the elite look of the tuner board itself.

No more brightly colored buttons - black, white, gray. Well, just a little red - it lightly marks three buttons (Power, Rec/Play and Rec) and the inscription “GOTVIEW”.

On one side, the remote control appears completely flat. But on the other hand, when you take it in your hand, you understand that everything here was done, so to speak, for the people. The thin case even has special grooves for your fingers on the back side! Thus, the remote control does not slip out of your hand. I’m scared to say this (true electronics lovers will throw stones).

If we talk about the convenience of pressing buttons, then I would like to draw a small parallel with that miniature flat control panel that many TV tuner manufacturers (or simply hangers of their labels on OEM hardware) really like to put in their kits today. I think you are familiar with him. So, in terms of the convenience of pressing the buttons, they are very similar - quite specific, but you quickly get used to it. But unlike that remote control, the GOTVIEW one has 37 control buttons, which are definitely enough for you to work comfortably.

All keys are conveniently located, i.e. The remote control panel is divided into certain zones, to which not only your eyes, but also your hands will quickly get used to.

But the most important difference between this remote control (or rather the software that comes with it) and most others is the reprogrammability of all keys. The list of possible functions that you can attach to each key is large - 93 functions.

I couldn’t find any cons for this remote control, so I can give it five points unconditionally.

Testing the tuner and working with software

Since the release of the GoTView PCI 7134 card, the main digits of the supplied software version number have not changed - 3.0. However, at that time this program had just been released (we have already written about its main differences from the 2nd version) and contained a number of minor defects, which were gradually found (with the help of a demanding user) and corrected (with the help of responsive support ), fortunately the forum on the company’s website greatly contributes to this.

The current version of the program supplied with the tuner has the index 3.0.0.441. In general, this version of the software has already become slightly outdated, because version 442 and beta 443 appeared on the site (these are changes that occurred in about twenty days). New versions have added a feature such as “motion detector”. Now a TV tuner together with a television camera can, for example, be used as a guard for your car, which is parked in the yard.

Main interface

There have been no fundamental changes since testing the first version of the program with index 3.0. Old skins of the program still display the volume control, rewind, Rec, Photo buttons, as well as a panel with image settings and the tuner itself.

The only thing that has been added is a new skin - Standard XP. I must say that it has a very specific look and not everyone will like it. For example, I generally prefer the old classic image of the program. There are now six skins in total, although two of them are simply enlarged copies of two more from the same six.

There is no point in talking about all the program settings in full - take a look at past reviews of GoTView tuners and you will be able to track both the evolution of hardware and the evolution of software. The 3rd version has already been sufficiently described in previous reviews of GoTView tuners, so it is useless to look for any fundamental innovations here - only light tuning of some functions and fixed minor buggies. As a result, we will not describe everything in detail, but will only briefly talk about the very capabilities of this program for those who are encountering GoTView for the first time.

Setting up channels

What distinguishes the software of this card from the rest is the presence of a detailed channel grid, where for each channel separately all adjustable parameters relating to the settings of the picture, sound, and broadcasting system are displayed. Please note that each of these parameters is adjustable on a per-channel basis. Here they are, the advantages of the tuner over a TV (and, by the way, most models of TV tuners from other manufacturers).

By default, your eyes will see the frequency grid of our broadcast that is familiar to Russians - 16 channels with their own names and (!) icons. You can set icons yourself to visually designate channels, just like channel names.

For those who do not have an antenna, but a cable, or simply have channels whose frequencies do not coincide with this grid, but lie in the range from 40 MHz to 800 MHz, you can use any of the proposed range scanning options. You can scan the grid automatically with automatic steps. The automatic search is designed in such a way that an inexperienced user does not even have to think about it - click Next and the automation will do everything else for you.

For those who are not used to trusting electronics, a choice of search method, scanning range, step (minimum 0.02 MHz) and broadcast system is provided. In principle, it is not necessary to set the range - you can choose to scan the standard network of broadcast channels or the same method, only cable channels are added to the broadcast ones.

It’s simply impossible not to catch something! Moreover, the Russian-language software interface is intuitively easy to understand.

Tuner settings

By clicking on the Settings icon on the tuner panel, we get to a four-page interface. Here, compared to the earlier version of the software we reviewed earlier with the GoTView PCI tuner, there are some differences...

The "View" page contains all the settings related to viewing, images, filters, etc. (it would be strange if this were not the case).

First, some good old fashioned... Here you can choose from five types of filtering; set aspect ratio; play a video stream over the desktop; disable OverlayMixer; change the resolution during “simple” viewing and during full-screen viewing; You can even enlarge the image a little to remove edges with artifacts.

Now about what has been added... A choice of work priority has appeared; choosing a video renderer type; a software noise suppression feature with five operating modes has been added (for our card this function is performed at the hardware level); it became possible to automatically select stereo sound.

But the changes to the “Interface” page were almost untouched (maybe because serious changes took place there earlier - during the transition from the 2nd version of the software to the 3rd (see review of the GoTView PCI 734 TV tuner). But the settings here are also without that is enough. Unlike many other tuners, using the device from GoTView is very convenient. Why? Yes, because this tuner will give you complete information on the screen about everything related to reception, display or recording.

Here you can also bring beauty, i.e. change the skin and font. Of the more or less significant innovations, it is worth noting only the display of the video standard on the screen.

Among the extremely useful (in my opinion) old features, I would like to note the function of blocking channel switching during capture. Well, we can’t forget about such functions as automatic frequency control, sound card control... you can’t list everything, and we agreed not to write about the old ones in detail here, because... already written.

"TimeShift". Not long ago, this tab appeared in GOTVIEW software, and therefore it is undergoing changes. If earlier it was too confusing and branched (the poor user was shuddering from all kinds of settings), today the situation has calmed down a little - all the settings (both video and audio) have somehow made room, grouped and are accessible directly from the same page.

In fact, time shifting is the temporary encoding of an audio and video stream if, say, you went away for half an hour to chat with a friend (girlfriend) and then watch a TV show with a time shift for this half an hour.

Our device encodes everything in MPEG2 on the fly, i.e. hardware, so you just have to tweak a few things (mere trifles - bitrate, resolution, etc.) and free up space on the drive.

Capture

This is the next icon, which is no less, but more interesting to us than all the others. After all, the specialization of our tuner is hardware encoding in MPEG2. It is noteworthy that of the six tabs, the first one here is MPEG (previously, its place was occupied by the page for encoding settings in the AVI format).

"MPEG". Just like in the time shifting settings, the “Video encoder settings” button has disappeared here - everything is now located directly on the main page. Naturally, you don’t choose any software encoder now. True, it’s a pity, but the possibility of cutting along the edges and the ability to pause (no, without Twix - the most common pause in a recording) have disappeared. This is again due to hardware encoding in MPEG.

But, along with setting the recording time, it became possible to set the maximum file size.

In general, the recording settings interface has the same appearance as in previous releases of the 3rd version of the program - the processor load graph is clearly shown below, and the picture settings are on the right. True, another one has been added to the processor load graph - the screw load graph!

"AVI". The only innovation in the settings of this format is the possibility of resizing. Everything else is old. Yes, actually, what else can you come up with - connecting deinterlacing filtering, setting recording time, frame rate, resolution, quality, codec.

And of course, unlike the MPEG format, here you will have access to both cropping and the Pause button.

But it is important not only to set it up correctly, but also to keep the situation under control. Therefore, all the necessary information about the recording is displayed on the screen.

"WMV". There have been no changes here at all, and what is there to change - there are significantly fewer settings here.

"Sound". The peculiarity of this software is that you can use not only your own video codecs from the system, but also audio codecs. In addition, you can record only sound without video from any channel received by the tuner, or simply from the incoming information stream.

"Snapshot." Also nothing new - capturing individual frames in JPG, BMP, GIF.

"Net". The inscription "Experimental function!" It hasn’t disappeared anywhere, it’s still hanging (it’s been there since the 2nd version), which means it’s still being finalized. This function is used to implement the ability to broadcast TV shows over a local network.

TV programm

A super function that saves all progressive humanity from buying newspapers and magazines, and also helps humanity itself maintain total (automatic at will) control over the broadcast time of current and future programs on all channels!

The principle of operation is elementary - the program itself connects to the desired server, downloads a small file (there will be no problems even on the most rotten dialup - tested) and that’s it. Now on each channel, immediately after switching on, the name of the program and the time it was broadcast are automatically displayed - convenient, however.)

Scheduler

Now that you have a program, you specify an action - "capture", which is recorded in the Scheduler. The program itself will start recording at the right time.

You can set tasks manually, of course, indicating the time and action (see screenshot).

Summary of software functionality

This is such a multifaceted (without exaggeration) software of GoTView tuners, in particular GoTView PCI DVD. Let me remind you that this software is also suitable for other models of GoTView TV tuners - this is a very big plus. Perhaps even this is the secret of such multifunctionality of this program - programmers do not need to develop and improve software for each tuner separately, it is easier to do this for all at once. Although, who knows - I’m not a programmer...

Be that as it may, you can only give GOTVIEW software an A+ and it has never been different.

Reception quality

Both the software and the reception quality of GoTView hardware have always been excellent. Our test system configuration: Athlon1200 processor, Soltek 75SL-75DRV2 motherboard, NVIDIA GeForce2 MX400 video card, 256MB RAM, ESS 1969 sound, Windows XP SP1 operating system. The channel reception was tested using a collective antenna. The frequency grid from the software package did not cause any failures - all 16 channels were detected with excellent reception quality and high clarity.

The quality of deinterlacing filters has already been tested in previous reviews - there have been no changes here. Blend and Bob showed themselves to be the best (Bob's picture is a little rougher).

The MPEG encoder also performed excellently. Well, of course - there are no dropped frames, there is no mismatch between audio and video, the load on the system is zero. Speaking of load...

System Load

With deinterlacing filters connected, the load does not exceed 65-70% - good performance for such an old machine. When encoding in MPEG2, the load on the CPU is significantly lower, although the capture is carried out in maximum resolution, because all problems fall on CONEXANT's head.

Results

GoTView PCI DVD is a high-quality multifunctional capture card with TV tuner capability, based on the latest chipsets and accompanied by the latest and most powerful package of constantly updated software.

The only complaint that can be made to this card may be the lack of an FM tuner that is needed by so many. On the other hand, as I already said, this is a more professional model. The price for a new card is 125 USD.

TV tuners GoTView PCI 7135 and GoTView PCI DVD

Maxim Babenkov

The Taiwanese company GOTVIEW specializes in the development and production of multimedia products and peripherals for desktop and laptop computers. The company's line of multimedia products includes devices for receiving television and radio signals on a computer TV-FM tuners, as well as TV tuners with additional capabilities for capturing and digitizing images.

The company has been present on the Russian market for two years, but in such a short time it has already proven itself quite well, since its products are of high quality, well-equipped, functional software and fully adapted to the conditions of Russian television broadcasting.

In this article we will focus on just two internal models of GoTView TV tuners with a PCI interface: GoTView PCI 7135 and GoTView PCI DVD.

The first model of the TV tuner GoTView PCI 7135 is made on a purple PCB and has a gold-plated strip. This style is traditional for all TV tuners of the company.

The GoTView PCI 7135 model is built on a Philips SAA7135HL decoder. The bulk of the chip's radioelements are located in close proximity to it. The board contains several large and small capacitors (LC filters), which serve to eliminate interference arising from other elements inside the computer, as well as from power supply interference.

The Philips SAA7135HL video/audio decoder processes PAL/SECAM/NTSC signals and supports A2 and NICAM stereo broadcast formats. The decoder also provides advanced audio processing and allows audio to be digitized at sampling rates up to 48 kHz. In addition, the decoder supports various effects such as Virtual Dolby Surround and Dolby Surround Prologic.

The third generation Philips FM1216ME/I H-3 unit is used as a high-frequency block in GoTView PCI 7135, which supports PAL/SECAM/NTSC format signals in the frequency range from 48.25 to 855.25 MHz. Most modern TV tuners are equipped with a similar high-frequency unit.

The device allows you to implement traditional functions such as capturing video with sound, as well as receiving FM radio stations in stereo mode.

On the back of the GoTView PCI 7135 there are the following connectors: two antenna inputs (one for connecting a television antenna and the other for a radio antenna), a 2 mm connector for connecting an IR receiver, composite and S-Video video input, audio input and audio output. The strip with connectors, like in many other models of the company, has a golden color.

In addition to the traditional audio connectors on the rear panel, the GoTView PCI 7135 is additionally equipped with internal audio input and audio output connectors. These connectors are useful primarily when connecting a TV tuner to a sound card, which allows you to leave the external line input of the sound card free. Audio input and output connectors are located on the outside of the printed circuit board, which simplifies device switching. We emphasize that in some cases there is no need to connect via these connectors, since the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner also transmits sound via the PCI bus.

The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner is equipped with a remote control, which, in addition to working with the TV tuner itself, allows you to control various multimedia applications. The presented remote control differs from the remote control that was included with previously released TV tuner models. Thus, the new remote control has an increased number of buttons and a more thoughtful placement of them, and in addition, the remote control buttons can be programmed using the utility supplied in the kit.

The GoTView PCI 7135 package includes a remote control with batteries, an IR receiver for remote control, an FM antenna, a mini-jackmini-jack audio cable and an audio cable for connecting the tuner's audio output to an external line-in input of the motherboard or sound card , user manual in Russian and two CDs with InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 video editor in Russian and GoTView PRO software.

GoTView PCI 7135 is one of the best TV tuners among similar models on the market today. A well-designed board using high-quality components provides excellent image and sound quality, and also allows reliable reception of various video signals.

The second of the TV tuner models under consideration, GoTView PCI DVD, differs from the first not only functionally, but also externally. The printed circuit board, as emphasized above, is also made in purple, but in terms of size it is much inferior to the GoTView PCI 7135 card, especially in width.

The GoTView PCI DVD TV tuner is based on Philips SAA7174HL and CONEXANT CX23416 chips, which allows video capture and compression into MPEG format with a bit rate of up to 15 Mbit/s and an audio sampling rate of up to 48 kHz. PAL/SECAM/NTSC standards and A2 and NICAM stereo broadcast formats are supported. The main difference between the Philips SAA7174 decoder and the Philips SAA7135 is the absence of a PCI interface, the function of which in the TV tuner is performed by another chip CONEXANT CX23416. This chip serves as a hardware MPEG1/2 codec for video and audio streams. In addition, the CX23416 has a hardware noise reduction filter, which removes noise from the video image and increases the MPEG compression ratio. On the reverse side of the printed circuit board there is one HY57V643220CT-6 memory chip manufactured by Hynix Semiconductor, which serves as a buffer for the MPEG stream. The specifications of this chip are as follows: voltage 3.3 V, operating frequency 166 MHz, four banks of 512 Kbit each

for MPEG stream

The third generation Philips MK3 unit is used as a high-frequency block in GoTView PCI DVD, which supports PAL/SECAM/NTSC format signals in the frequency range from 48.25 to 855.25 MHz. Unlike the model described above, the GoTView PCI DVD TV tuner uses a high-frequency unit without an FM receiver Philips MK3 1216.

The main capabilities of the device include support for terrestrial and cable television, ample opportunities for searching and setting up channels, the ability to capture real-time video in MPEG-2 format with a resolution of up to 720×480, capture frames in various graphic formats, etc. Other features of the GoTView PCI DVD model include high-quality image processing with noise reduction and deinterlacing filters with normal and double frequencies. I would especially like to note that the program uses the hardware capabilities of modern video cards to process images with deinterlacing filters, which can significantly reduce the CPU load.

On the back of the GoTView PCI DVD there is a composite video input, an IR receiver socket for the remote control, an antenna TV input,

S-Video input and audio input.

The traditional analog audio output is not implemented in this model at all, which, however, is not surprising. Sound transmission is carried out only via the PCI bus, as a result of which there is no need to equip the device with an audio cable to connect the tuner to the sound card. However, the GoTView PCI DVD includes another audio cable for connecting external sources, which has a mini-jack plug on one side and two RCA plugs on the other. This cable is convenient for connecting various video cameras and a VCR to the tuner.

The GoTView PCI DVD remote control is completely different from the first model. First of all, the remote control is very flat and equipped with a large number of buttons - their number reaches 37 pieces. In addition, the buttons are touch sensitive, which prevents dirt and dust from entering. Tactile sensations when pressing buttons allow you to accurately assess whether a key was actually pressed. In general, we can say that the remote control is compact, and in addition, it is lightweight and functional. Frequently used buttons for changing volume and switching channels are located very well on the remote control. The remote control is powered by a 3 V lithium cell.

In our opinion, the GoTView PCI DVD TV tuner can today be considered the simplest solution for digitizing both television channels and video signals from a home video camera and VCR. The advantages of a TV tuner include the fact that during the digitization process a hardware noise reduction filter will be used, which will slightly improve the quality of the digitized signal.

An added benefit is that GoTView PCI DVD can run Windows MCE 2005, something that few tuner manufacturers currently boast. If you have two or three GoTView PCI DVD tuners in this OS, you can schedule multiple channels to be recorded simultaneously.

The GoTView PCI DVD package includes a remote control with a battery, an IR receiver for remote control, an FM antenna, an audio cable for connecting various audio sources (mini-jackRCA), a user manual in Russian and two CDs -disc with InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 video editor and GoTView PRO software.

Now let's briefly talk about the software that comes with both models of GoTView TV tuners and its functionality. The GoTView PRO 4.0.0.475 program has a number of interesting and unique functions, including, for example, PIP (picture in picture), which allows you to watch two channels simultaneously if you have a second tuner. The ability to separately record audio and video streams greatly facilitates and speeds up video editing, and also helps to avoid the use of additional software. A unique feature of the program is support for third-party Direct Show (DS) and DirectX Media Objects (DMO) filters, designed for additional image and sound processing.

The Motion Detection function allows you to use the device as a video surveillance system. To do this, just connect a video camera to the tuners, which will record the monitored area. Thanks to support for an unlimited number of skins, the appearance of the program is quite easy to change.

Installing device drivers and software does not cause any difficulties, especially if you follow the installation sequence, as well as the recommendations specified in the user manual.

The main window of the GoTView PRO program contains buttons for switching TV channels, buttons for setting the reception frequency, a button for displaying all channels in a separate window that opens, a video capture button, a scheduler button, a button for updating the TV program via the Internet, and a settings button. There is also a display that displays various information, such as channel number, channel name, current time, audio mode, television standard and much more. The main window also contains sliders for setting the overall sound and separately for channel sound, brightness, contrast and saturation.

The software allows you to capture frames in BMP, JPEG and GIF formats with a resolution of up to 768x576, record audio and video streams with compression capabilities (for this, audio and video codecs must be installed in the system). Various functions are also supported, such as channel preview and Time Shift the latter allows you to simultaneously record and playback video.

Of all the other features of the program, we note the functions used to configure the interface, video and audio signals, remote control buttons, display menus and indicators in windowed and full-screen modes, as well as to control the program using keyboard hot keys.

In general, we can say that the software shell has very rich functionality and is currently one of the best, perfectly complementing and implementing all the capabilities of the device hardware.

The editors express gratitude to GOTVIEW ( http://www.gotview.ru )for the provided TV tuners GoTView PCI 7135 and GoTView PCI DVD.

Introduction

I think no one will argue with me that today the Russian market is saturated with TV tuners for personal computers. For any computer and for every taste - internal, external, standalone - they all have similar functionality, often common advantages and disadvantages. We can talk endlessly about bad TV tuners. After all, when buying such a device from an unknown manufacturer, the user risks encountering not only low-quality software, but also the lack of support for the SECAM format, which is used to broadcast most television channels in Russia today. As a result, you will have to enjoy only black and white images. No matter how strange it may seem, this is a very common situation. And we can talk about non-working drivers and inconvenient software for days on end.

When talking about good TV tuners, you immediately think of reputable manufacturers Aver, Pinnacle and Prolink (PixelView). During their presence on the Russian market, these companies have done everything to ensure that their products become the standard of quality. But today these three will have to make room, because a new company is claiming their place, a new name in the TV tuner industry - GoTView, whose tuners were specially developed taking into account the specifics of the Russian user and Russian broadcasting. We welcome the first TV tuners for Russian roads from GoTView! Today, the GoTView line of TV tuners includes two models - internal with a PCI interface and external, stand-alone, connected between the monitor and the computer. In this review, we will look at the internal GoTView PCI tuner version with a built-in FM receiver.

GoTView PCI

A small cardboard box with a rather simple design somehow did not fit into the general mass of other computer hardware boxes. Probably because the box design was done entirely in Russian. Although this localization seemed unusual, it left a very good impression.

Inside the box are:

• The GoTView PCI TV tuner itself
• Remote control
• T-shaped radio antenna
• Audio cable for connecting the tuner to the sound card
• IR receiver (eye) for remote control
• Instructions for installing a TV tuner
• Two CDs with software

Before moving on to a more detailed examination of the TV tuner itself, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with its characteristics and understand what all the advantages of localizing this device for the Russian user are.

Characteristics of the GoTView PCI TV tuner

• Interface - PCI, 32-bit
• Chip - Conexant BT878
• 125-channel analog block manufactured by TCL
• Supports PAL/SECAM/NTSC standards for TV broadcasting
• FM stereo decoder for radio playback
• Extended range of VHF-FM radio broadcasts

Connectors:

• Coaxial connector for TV antenna
• Coaxial connector for FM antenna
• Composite RCA video input
• S-Video video input
• Line stereo audio input

Software features

• Ability to scan a specified range with a specified step
• Adjustment of channel frequency in 0.01 MHz steps with the ability to enter a specific wavelength value
• Preset settings for the main channels of Russian television and radio
• Individual picture and sound settings for each channel
• Selecting the resolution for preview and full screen viewing
• Ability to capture individual frames in BMP, GIF and JPEG formats with resolutions from 80x60 to 768x576 at the touch of a button or on a timer
• Capture video images in resolutions from 80x60 to 768x576. Ability to set timer recording
• Capture and encode audio with any codec installed on the system
• Ability to set application priority when capturing
• Ability to play recorded AVI and WAV files without exiting the program, as well as directly during recording
• Full capture information:
  • size and duration of the captured fragment
  • free disk space
  • possible recording time based on available free disk space
  • number of frames captured and dropped
• A video editing program from InterVideo with great editing capabilities and a wide range of professional capabilities. Completely in Russian.
• Automatic saving of settings.
• Possibility of reserving disk space for recording a fragment.

Many of the software features are unique to GoTView tuners. Those who do not record programs from television and radio on a computer will never need many of them, but fine-tuning channels and searching with a given step will clearly appeal to those users who are in an area of ​​​​uncertain reception of high-frequency signals. We will look in more detail at some of the capabilities of the tuner software a little later, but for now it’s time to take a closer look at the device itself.

The TV tuner itself is made on a printed circuit board coated with dark brown varnish. The board is quite small in size - its length does not extend beyond the contacts of the PCI slot. The board panel is golden in color and contains the following connectors (from top to bottom):

FM antenna

TV antenna

Jack for connecting an IR sensor

RCA video input

TV input socket

Line audio input

S-Video video input

Line audio output

To the right of the sockets located on the board socket, the tuner has two four-pin connectors for connecting a sound card via internal input and output.

Thus, the sound card can be connected to the tuner using standard audio cables from a CD-ROM. The presence of such internal connectors can be considered an advantage of the board, because although in modern conditions nothing prevents you from transmitting sound via the PCI bus, but in the case when you need to transmit the audio stream directly through a sound card, such a connection is more convenient than using a cable through sockets on the tuner and sound card bracket.

The heart of the TV tuner is the Conexant Fusion 878A chip. In general, this is almost a standard solution for modern TV tuners. This endcoder has proven itself well over the past years and today is already that “old, good, proven” solution that can be used without fear of consequences.

The analog TV tuner unit is manufactured by TCL. By today's standards, of course, it looks a little anachronistic, since on modern TV tuners the analog blocks are several times smaller, but this is not a reason for concern. This analog unit combines a television and radio receiver and, as we will see later, copes with its task perfectly.

As befits any normal tuner, GoTView PCI has a control panel that operates on IR rays. True, this remote control, unlike many others, is very convenient. The remote control is powered by two AAA batteries. Oddly enough, against the backdrop of the total Russification of the TV tuner, the remote control is distinguished by English-language inscriptions. Although, if you think about it, how, for example, can you translate the signature “Sleep” or “Mute”? These words are already so familiar to our Russian users that it’s time to include them in the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.

Some expensive TV tuners and combiner boards, which combine a powerful 2D/3D accelerator with tuner functions, use radio wave-based control panels. There is nothing to say - this solution is very convenient, but the remote control in this case will cost much more, and we are talking about a tuner for the Russian market, and here the price is of great importance. Therefore, to control the tuner in GoTView PCI, we use infrared rays that are already familiar to us.

The IR ray sensor connects directly to the TV tuner board and can be placed anywhere on the computer case. In the kit for the GoTView remote control, we did not find a sticker for attaching the sensor to the computer, but the fact is that the GoTView PCI tuner had been in some other test laboratories before us, so it’s possible that the sticker was lost somewhere because they didn’t want to I wish they “deliberately” forgot to put it in the box for the tuner.

Installation and testing

After installing the TV tuner into a free PCI slot and booting the system, you need to install drivers and software. Under the Windows XP operating system we use, the drivers installed themselves when the CD was inserted into the CD-ROM drive. Installation of the program for receiving television and radio programs is also done with a few keystrokes.

As software, GoTView offers us software created on the basis of the best program for TV tuners - Fly DS. The original program, adopted by thousands of users around the world as an alternative to the viewers that come with default tuners, has been redesigned by GoTView programmers specifically for this tuner.

This program already contains frequencies of Russian television channels and FM radio stations. That is, after installing the tuner, you most likely will not have to go through the procedure of scanning and sorting channels. Although, this is not a fact, because if your TV programs are broadcast on cable TV, you will have to scan the entire range. True, scanning here is at the highest level. You can scan the entire frequency range, as well as a selected one, with a specified step. For each channel, you can manually set the frequency with an accuracy of 0.01 MHz. Here you can also adjust the sound volume and brightness, contrast, warmth and color saturation for each channel individually.

A special task scheduler will help you organize turning on and recording TV programs at the right time. Here you select the channel, date and time when the tuner will be turned on and the duration of its operation or capture. It’s very convenient, by the way, so as not to overwork yourself on the computer and not miss your favorite series. True, when capturing video in this way, you do not display any statistics on the capture and you may not even know whether the recording is being made to the hard drive or not.

But manual capture, called by one press of a button, is replete with settings. Here you can reserve disk space for the next video file, select the resolution, apply filters, change the quality of video and audio compression, and also get full statistics on the capture - what frame rate is being recorded and how many frames are skipped. At the bottom of the video capture window there is an indicator of the system's CPU load, and if the load is high, you can manually increase the priority of the recording program.

Impression

Our test laboratory carried out cable television, so the preset frequencies of Russian TV channels turned out to be useless and we had to scan the entire range. The scanning was carried out with a minimum step, so it took quite a long time. Of course, if you don’t have a lot of time, you can reduce the scanning step, but we were in no hurry. As a result, the TV tuner found all available channels and even a couple of those that were not found by the existing Samsung TV, which, according to the manufacturer, was also adapted to Russian broadcasting specifics. I was very pleased with such a high sensitivity of the tuner, because more channels were available on the computer than on the TV.

The image quality produced by the tuner was also pleasing. Fine-tuning the channel frequencies helped minimize noise on the channels where there was noise. Video capture and compression also did not cause any complaints. The abundance of settings and convenience of the software allows you to maintain the same balance when convenience is not put at the expense of functionality.

As for radio broadcasts, as a rule, there are no complaints about radio tuners and GoTView is no exception. The tuner received VHF channels and to receive them there was no need to run a separate module or a separate program - in the viewer you just need to switch the channel and the computer will turn from a TV into a radio.

conclusions

A TV tuner optimized for the Russian user will have a great future in our country. High sensitivity of the analogue unit, high-quality software, complete Russification and a set of unique features - this is what a tuner for Russian roads should be like.

No flaws were found in GoTView during testing. Perhaps the WinDVD Creator program for editing and creating your own video collection is less convenient than Pinnacle Studio 8. But again, inexpensive Pinnacle tuners come with a trial version of Studio 7 or Studio 8 with a validity period of 30 days, and GoTView comes with a full licensed version of WinDVD Creator in Russian. True, if you wish, you can purchase any installation software on the Russian market.

Summing up all of the above, we can state the fact that such whales of the TV tuner market as Aver, Pinnacle and Prolink (PixelView) will still have to move up and share a place on the pedestal with the newcomer GoTView.

Mikhail Degtyarev (aka LIKE OFF)
02/10.2003

One is gray, the other is white.
folk song

Despite the fact that the spread of digital terrestrial television in Russia recently does not give much reason for optimism, the domestic market for computer TV tuners is developing at a much faster pace. To date, such models have been presented by almost all major market participants. The price difference with analog tuners is usually small. In addition, in light of recent government initiatives to switch to H.264/AVC broadcasting, computer tuners only require software support for the corresponding decoders compared to some DVB-T-enabled consumer devices designed to receive MPEG2.

Over the course of several years, the company has persistently built up a reputation as a prophet of hardware MPEG2 compression in its homeland. In particular, the first tuner from GOTVIEW with support for DVB-T PCI DVD3 Hybrid had a hardware encoder, which at the time of the start of sales provided this model with functional leadership. However, such an approach inevitably affects the final cost, so the place of an affordable hybrid solution in the lineup remained vacant. Obtaining a junior model from a senior one by cutting off unnecessary circuitry could not work in this case due to the lack of a PCI bridge in the ADC used, so the consequence of simplification was a change in the element base. Note that the tuner discussed in this review was the first device under the GOTVIEW brand since the PCI 7135 that does not have a hardware compressor.

In order for our readers to better understand the positioning of GOTVIEW PCI Hybrid, here is a list of materials on potential competitors of this model:

• Compro VideoMate DVB-T300 - a hybrid TV tuner without significant drawbacks
• Leadtek WinFast DTV2000 H - hybrid TV and FM tuner with a classic receiver and original antenna connections
• TV and FM tuner AVerTV Hybrid+FM PCI - a hybrid option for a common interface from AVerMedia Technologies
• Compro VideoMate E650 - hybrid TV and FM tuner with PCI-Express interface

Contents of delivery

The white and purple color scheme has already been used by GOTVIEW in the design, but none of the boxes with the latest models have this color combination.

Despite the modest dimensions of the box, you can find quite a few items inside:

• Tuner
• Remote control
• Remote sensor for remote control
• Portable DVB-T antenna
• FM antenna
• S-Video to RCA adapter for connecting composite video sources
• Adapter 2 RCA - mini-jack for connecting audio sources
• S-Video to S-Video cable
• RCA to RCA cable
• Mounting bar for low profile enclosures
• Tuner Installation Guide
• 2 CDs with drivers and software

The package package is completely identical to that of the PCI DVD3 Hybrid, so the manufacturer's attention to this aspect is once again worthy of praise.

Additional software is traditionally presented WinDVD Creator 2 from , designed for creating VCD, SVCD or DVD. The serial number is located on the disc sleeve.

The codecs installed with this program also provide software recording in MPEG2 and the functioning of the Timeshift delayed viewing mode.

Design and specifications

PCI Hybrid illustrates the company's traditional concern for the latest products for owners of compact cases and barebone systems; the board has a standard length with a low-profile design. In the GOTVIEW tradition, the combination of purple PCB and gold-plated strip (oddly enough, unlike the PCI DVD3 Hybrid kit, the additional strip for installation in low-profile cases does not have a coating).

Reception of digital and analog signals lies on the silicon shoulders of the XC3028ACQ semiconductor hybrid RF block from the Californian company, currently the leader in the production of receivers of this type.

According to the specifications, the microcircuit is protected against interference and does not require additional shielding. However, it should be borne in mind that achieving maximum reception quality when using the XC3028 and its analog brother XC2028 requires compliance with certain wiring requirements. You don’t have to look far for examples; PCI DVD2 Lite is noticeably inferior to PCI DVD3 Hybrid in this indicator.

The ADC is somewhat surprising. While most competing PCI models use analog-to-digital converters from Philips (the semiconductor division is now a separate company with corresponding changes in the labeling of new batches), the PCI Hybrid carries a 10-bit CX23883-39 with support for all existing video - and audio standards from Conexant Systems, Inc. . However, the image quality provided by this chip is in no way inferior to the popular SAA713x, as for potentially interesting differences in the additional capabilities of different ADCs, we will talk about them later in the text.

Digital mode support is implemented using the COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) demodulator Intel CE 6353, which was named ZL10353 before being transferred in November 2005, along with other solutions developed by .

Unlike PCI DVD3 Hybrid, the PCI Hybrid board layout does not provide for the installation of additional chips.

As with the older model, the specifications include power stabilization to reduce interference from other devices. The absence of a hardware encoder and buffer memory made it possible to reduce the number of integrated stabilizers that help reduce possible voltage ripples from 5 to 3. An additional benefit from installing several stabilizers is the increased efficiency of thermal load distribution; when the tuner is operating, there is no noticeable difference in the heating of individual areas.

With the exception of support for hardware compression, PCI Hybrid is not much different from the older model in its capabilities, the list of which includes the following:

• Broadcast and cable TV support
• Supports all analogue television standards PAL/SECAM/NTSC
• Support for digital television and radio broadcasting in DVB-T format
• Scan channels in any specified range, with any specified step
• Deinterlace filters, including double frame rate
• Individual settings for each channel: volume, brightness, warmth, color, sharpness, encoding type
• Assigning an icon for each channel
• Motion Detector
• Function "Picture-in-Picture"(PIP) if there are two or more video capture devices in the system
• Optional mute when starting a program, searching or switching channels
• Eliminating edge defects in an image (scaling and cropping edges)
• Software support for recording in AVI/DV/WMV/MPEG4 formats with any codec installed in the system
• Supports all modern containers (AVI, WMV, ASF, MPEG-1.2, fvASFDirect, Matroska, etc.) when recording
• Capture TV window frames in BMP, TIFF, PNG, TGA, PCX, GIF (including animated), JPG formats by timer or by pressing a button
• Possibility to automatically change the file name.
• Full information about the capture
• Processing the recorded image with filters
• Delayed viewing mode Timeshift
• Ability to temporarily pause recording
• Ability to adjust settings (change brightness, contrast, etc.) during recording
• Video over desktop
• Ability to turn off image and sound if there is no signal for a long time
• Broadcast over the network (HTTP/UDP)
• Support for a weekly TV program with the ability to download updates
• Displays the name of the current TV program, as well as the start and end time of this program, indicating the length of time that has passed since the beginning
• Ability to reserve disk space for recording a fragment
• Fully Russified interface

Test computer configuration

• Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
• Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard (Intel P965 + Intel ICH8)
• RAM 4 GB (4x1024 DDR2 PC6400 KingMax)
• Video cards HIS ATI RADEON X1900XT/NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX
• Sound card Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS
• Hitachi 250 GB HDD (HDT722525DLA380)
• Hard drive 120 GB Maxtor Plus9-6Y120M0
• DVD ReWriter BENQ DW1640
• DVD ReWriter NEC ND-3500A
• Power supply Thermaltake Purepower 680APD (W0049 rev. 2, 680 W)
• Operating systems Windows XP Professional (SP2) ENG and Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit version) RUS

List of broadcast channels during testing

The source of the DVB-T signal was a transmitter broadcasting in test mode on television channel 34. The antennas are installed on a mast located in the Khoroshevo - Mnevniki area of ​​Moscow at the address: st. Demyan Bednogo, 24. Testing was carried out on the street. General Glagolev (near the Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station). Reception was carried out using the compact antenna included in the package.

Connection

The layout of the connectors on the bracket completely copies the layout used in the PCI DVD3 Hybrid. The TV antenna is connected to a standard IEC connector, the FM antenna is connected to a 2.5 mm mini-jack connector. Note that the identical connectors located nearby for connecting the IR sensor of the remote control and the FM antenna require some care when installing the tuner. The composite signal is fully removed from the S-Video connector; the corresponding adapter is included in the kit.

Despite the fact that GOTVIEW PCI Hybrid is one of the few CX23883-based tuners with the ability to transmit audio over PCI, the board has a connector for connecting to an additional sound card input.

Installation and configuration

The single-level menu of the installation disk provides access only to the software; the driver is installed using standard operating system tools.

To remove the driver, use the utility available on the same CD and on the manufacturer’s website. DriverTool, which can also help with installing/removing other devices (the program’s capabilities are expanded by launching with an arbitrary key up to “/” without additional parameters).

As usual, let us remind you that the CD contains detailed documentation in HTML format, which can reduce the entry barrier for inexperienced users, and help, called up by a textbook button F1 when working with a standard program.

During testing, driver versions were used 3.0.2.2 and program GoTView PRO 5.0.0.506 beta 2.

After installing the driver in the section Sound, video and game controllers Device Manager can be found GOTVIEW Audio AVStream Device, GOTVIEW Hybrid TV Tuner Card And GOTVIEW TS Capture Device.

An icon for the remote control program appears in the system tray, also acting as a resident scheduler program.

The program supports various design options, some of which are included in the distribution, others are available on the manufacturer's website.

The manufacturer is not lying at all, promising “wide possibilities for searching and setting up channels.” The available options are not limited to standard search options by frequency (range and step are set by the user) and channel list, offering automatic frequency correction to the nearest standard values, accelerated search, saving time in the absence of channels with poor reception, and skipping encrypted digital channels. A special feature of the program is a general list of analogue, DVB-T channels and FM radio stations.

This approach involves a general search menu with the ability to select a format and set default video parameters for analog channels.

Inherent to digital channels VPID(Video Program Identification) and APID(Audio Program Identification) are viewable only, but editing the cnls.ini file allows you to change these settings. The inconvenience of this approach is compensated by the lack of need to adjust these values ​​under normal conditions; moreover, some manufacturers do not provide access to such settings at all. Individual adjustment of video parameters (brightness, contrast, warmth, color, sharpness, gamma, software noise reduction) for digital channels requires outputting the image using Video Mixing Renderer9. However, this mode is supported by almost all video cards on the market.

The CX23883 does not have a built-in equalizer, so the corresponding settings are not available. The lack of a full-fledged system for automatically determining the color system compared to ADCs from Philips/NXP and Conexant of the next generation could be considered a disadvantage if not for the ability to manually set the standard for each channel individually.

In the latest versions of the program, the place of several tabs with large And m number of parameters on each was taken up by a tree-like structure of the settings interface, simplifying navigation through the sections.

Chapter Video contains scaling settings (common for all channels), aspect ratios (4:3, 14:9, 16:9, 16:10), deinterlacing filter settings (hardware and several types of software, including doubling the frame rate). In the conditions of our broadcasting, the ability to swap fields or move a frame by a line may be in demand.

In the subsection Options you can find the video stream output settings in viewing mode - selecting the resolution and renderer (VMR7 and VMR9 are supported). The architecture of the tuner allows you to do without additional color conversion, so owners of weak configurations do not have to worry about increasing the CPU load. The ADC works with standard formats, so the corresponding setting is not available.

There are also checkboxes responsible for switching the video standard and displaying the image on the desktop.

When working with digital channels, only scaling settings, selection of video renderer and parameters of the selected decoder are available.

The decoder is selected by editing the file decoders.ini. If the values ​​described there do not match (you can check them using the program), you can edit the file or add a new decoder manually. In accordance with the selected decoder, the item is edited Preferences, For example,

Video=8
Audio=8

means that an NVIDIA decoder with parameters is used And . In the case of digital broadcasting in H.264/AVC, it is also enough to add the appropriate decoder; depending on the type of compression, the program will automatically select the appropriate option.

Button Charts calls an interface built into the program for measuring and displaying such parameters of an arbitrary visible line of a television frame as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the distribution levels of color components.

Subsection Effects is responsible for selecting video effects when switching channels (not available in digital mode).

In chapter Sound For this model, only the selection of playback and recording lines is available.

A separate subsection is allocated for volume control, in which, in particular, the volume control interface (system mixer or DirectSound) is selected.

A unique feature of the program is the connection of third-party Direct Show (DS) filters and DirectX Media Objects (DMO) both during viewing and recording, for which there is a corresponding section.

The section dedicated to interface settings contains a lot of settings - from choosing a design to displaying a television program in the menu.

In the subsection Control There are two new settings. If the indicator blinks ScrollLock on the keyboard when recording and in delayed viewing mode is one of the pleasant little things, then the checkbox that activates the mode Master/Slave, deserves further explanation. Mode support "picture-in-picture"(Picture-In-Picture, PIP) if there is a second video capture device (selection is made in the section Devices) was implemented in the program FlyDS, the developments of which formed the basis GoTView PRO. Master/Slave provides full-fledged work of two copies one programs with two devices without the previously required physical installing a second instance and then making changes to the configuration files. Regardless of the exit sequence, on subsequent launches the program works with the main device. The only limitation is the lack of support for third-party tuners.

Experienced users may find the checkbox for showing additional settings useful, which is responsible for accessing hidden parameters. This subsection also contains a shutdown timer and forced region setting, which can help with non-standard operating system settings.

Traditionally, access to setting up keyboard hot keys is provided, implemented in a separate subsection.

The OSD (On Screen Display) section is responsible for the on-screen menu settings. You can change almost all parameters that affect the visual design.

We have already talked about the appearance of the weather display function (an Internet connection is required) in the PCI DVD3 Hybrid review, but let’s focus on one of the new features - displaying signal strength in both digital and analogue modes, implemented for all the company’s tuners equipped with receivers from Xceive . Despite the fact that when working with analogue broadcasting, the result is given in the form of two values ​​with a step of 10 dB (“40-50 dB”, “50-60 dB”, etc.), even in this form it can significantly facilitate the search possible reasons for image deterioration. To display additional information on the screen, use the button "WITH".

The deferred viewing mode settings (autostart viewing, deleting a buffer file, blocking channel switching, launching at program startup) are covered in the section Timeshift. Stream settings are also available in the recording menu.

When using VMR9 in this mode, it is possible to adjust the video image parameters in real time.

In additional settings (remember that for display it is activated in the subsection Control) there are options such as accelerated launch of the program, operation on one processor/processor core, recording the operation log to a file (can be useful when contacting the manufacturer’s support service) and launching the program without enabling viewing.

The recording interface with the ability to save and edit profiles has not undergone significant changes. Let us note, perhaps, support for recording Transport Stream when working with DVB-T.

Since the first acquaintance with the motion detector in the GOTVIEW PCI DVD review, this part remains without significant changes. However, the ability that has appeared in the program to upload screenshots to an FTP server with optional HTML page generation (!) significantly expands the functionality of the tuner as a component of the security system.

Scheduler supports Timeshift as a task and turn off the computer/switch to energy saving mode after completing the task.

In the TV program settings (available on the manufacturer’s website, both manual and automatic updating is possible) export in HTML or text format has been added.

Quality

When working with digital channels, the signal strength display is also functional. Unlike analog mode, DVB-T broadcasting provides higher accuracy in determining this parameter (in our case, about 69 dB). No MPEG compression artifacts or image stuttering, characteristic of unstable reception, were noted during testing.

The image quality when working with DVB-T is determined by the provider and can vary in the range from low resolutions with low bitrates to HDTV.

There was no desynchronization of image and sound in digital mode during testing.

PCI Hybrid did not follow in the footsteps of PCI DVD2 Lite, demonstrating good reception quality of analog channels. We can only be glad that in the absence of hardware noise reduction, there would be nothing to correct the shortcomings of the receiving part.

The tuner provides good image quality. When preparing screenshots, hardware deinterlacing was used.

The default filter in the driver with a cutoff frequency of 1.5 MHz for SECAM, which reduces image clarity in most CX23881/2/3 tuners, is disabled in PCI Hybrid, which also has a positive effect on quality.

Alas, it was not without its shortcomings. Under certain conditions (to be fair, let us clarify that quite rare ones, the effect may not appear even once during the entire time the tuner is used), there is a possibility of artifacts characteristic of ADCs of this series in the form of small green spots on saturated colors.

Strange behavior of the program in full-screen mode on widescreen displays with software deinterlacing also does not belong to the category of problems that significantly complicate life, but it is also impossible to remain silent about this.

Six months ago, we expressed hope that subtitle support would appear when working with DVB-T channels, but this feature has not yet appeared in the program.

FM tuner

The program has a common interface for TV and FM modes. As we said above, the list of FM stations is combined with television (in our case, analogue and digital) channels, and the search is also carried out in a similar way.

A pleasant surprise was the almost complete coincidence of the radio stations detected during the automatic search with the actually existing ones. Interestingly, neither PCI DVD2 Lite nor PCI DVD3 Hybrid could boast of such a result. And the reception quality allows us to classify PCI Hybrid as one of the best TV tuners for this parameter.

The sound quality deserves a good rating (download test fragment, 471 KB, MP3, 192 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz).

There was no delay when switching radio stations, as well as the deterioration in image quality noted in the PCI DVD2 Lite review after switching TV-FM-TV in analog mode.

Remote control

The tuner comes with the same remote control as the PCI DVD3 Hybrid/PCI DVD2 Lite, which is a classic example of slim design. Standard sizes and distribution of buttons among functional areas provide good ergonomics, and membrane technology guarantees the absence of internal contamination. The remote control is powered by the included CR2025 3V battery.

Self-configuration of buttons is supported, up to turning off the computer when you press the button for a long time Power.

Emulation of multimedia keyboards allows you to use the remote control in some third-party applications, which include MS MediaPlayer, Zoom Player, BSPlayer, Winamp, etc. To prevent potential conflicts, this function can be disabled in the settings.

conclusions

pros

• DVB-T format support
• Supports all used analogue video and audio standards
• Stereo Decoding
• Low profile design
• Good reception quality in digital and analogue modes
• Good picture and sound quality
• Software support for third-party codecs
• Individual adjustment of the color system for each channel
• Individual video and audio settings for each channel
• Hardware deinterlacing support
• Ability to connect third-party Direct Show and DirectX Media Objects filters both during viewing and recording
• Full function "Picture-in-Picture"(if there is a second video capture device)
• Mode Master/Slave(if you have a second tuner from GOTVIEW)
• Multi-channel preview
• Play video over desktop
• Motion detector with the ability to post captured frames on an ftp server
• TV program support
• Broadcast over the network (HTTP/UDP)
• Possibility to turn off the computer after finishing recording
• Ability to use the remote control to work with other applications
• Russian-language interface
• Support Windows 2000/XP/2003/MCE 2005/Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Availability of additional software included in the package

Minuses

• Lack of automatic detection of the color standard in the case of PAL/SECAM
• Possible image artifacts under certain conditions
• Lack of subtitle support when working with digital channels (current at the time of publication of the review)

GOTVIEW PCI Hybrid is somewhat different from the company's other current products. Unlike them, this model does not pretend to carry out various kinds of local revolutions, being, so to speak, a workhorse. On the other hand, the quality of reception and the capabilities of the standard software significantly distinguish the tuner from its closest competitors, and its reasonable price allows us to add PCI Hybrid to the list of the most likely candidates for purchase among hybrid devices without hardware compression support.

GOTVIEW PCI Hybrid in Moscow retail: N/A(0)

Via est vita.
(Movement is life)

A short period of existence on the market did not prevent the Russian company from achieving a certain popularity. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the use of alternative software developments and the organization of a full-fledged forum for technical support for users, however, the market model used by the company deserves a separate comment. From the very beginning, the family of computer TV tuners with a PCI interface had to fit into the $60-70 price segment, that is, significantly more expensive than the cheapest models, but somewhat cheaper than what is commonly called high-end. But if the first model, based on the obsolete 8-bit Conexant Bt878 ADC, to put it mildly, did not quite correspond to its positioning, then the GOTVIEW PCI 7134 that replaced it, under certain circumstances, could already be considered a successful purchase. Thus, PCI 7134 could have had a long and happy market fate, if not for the discontinuation of production of the TCL2002MB-33F RF unit used in this tuner from Huizhou TCL King High Frenquency Electronic Co. A logical solution from the point of view of maintaining cost would be to install a selector from LG or TVision (TDA8275 semiconductor selectors offered at fairly low prices would inevitably lead to a deterioration in reception quality). To the company's credit, the decision was made to use the more expensive, but also higher quality Philips mk3 RF units. This equalized the element base of the new model with AVerTV Studio Model 307 and Terratec Cinergy 600 TV Radio, but it turned out to be not the only innovation. The “ace in the hole” was the installation of the Philips SAA713 ADC 5 HL, which differs from the SAA7134HL in its expanded capabilities for working with sound.

Contents of delivery

The box is traditionally miniature, the color design is typical for all the company's products.

The delivery set is also familiar to us from previous products and includes:

• Tuner
• Remote control
• Remote IR remote control sensor
• Cable for connecting to the linear input of a sound card
• FM antenna
• 2 CDs with drivers and software
• Russian-language tuner installation guide

All internal tuners of the company are equipped with the program WinDVD Creator 2 from designed for creating VCD, SVCD or DVD. The program supports the Russian language, the serial number is indicated on the envelope with the disc.

In addition to being used for its intended purpose, the program is designed to install MPEG1/2 codecs necessary for recording in these formats and normal operation of the function Timeshift.

Design and specifications

All of the company's PCI tuners have a purple textolite color, and GOTVIEW PCI 7135 was no exception.

The board layout differs from all models currently presented on the Russian market. Apparently, the PCB design was developed for mk2 format selectors, which included the TCL2002MB-33F. However, this did not prevent us from installing the Philips FM1216ME/I H-3, which is well known to us from models from many manufacturers.

One of the features of the Philips SAA7135HL is support for decoding all existing stereo audio standards. Modern RF modules of the classical type, as a rule, are produced with simultaneous support for two formats, PAL/SECAM or PAL/NTSC, which was the reason for the low distribution of this ADC. In this regard, so far we have only encountered this SAA7135HL in TV tuners with multi-standard semiconductor selectors.

The main capabilities of the tuner, determined largely by the software used, almost completely coincide with the features of its predecessor.

• Extended VHF band from 66 MHz
• Fully Russified interface
• Scan channels in any specified range, with any specified step
• Three channel search methods (by image presence, by signal presence and combined)
• Deinterlace filters, including double frame rate
• Individual settings for each channel: volume, brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, encoding type
• Ability to configure TV and radio channels while saving the setup results in one table
• Assigning an icon for each channel
• Motion Detector
• Function Timeshift
• Function Picture-in-Picture (PIP) if there are two or more video capture devices in the system
• Capture frames in BMP, GIF, JPG format by timer or by pressing a button
• Optional mute when starting a program, searching or switching channels
• Eliminating edge defects in an image (scaling and cropping edges)
• Capture individual frames at resolutions from 80x60 to 768x576
• Audio capture via PCI bus
• Possibility to automatically change the file name.
• Full information about the capture
• Processing the recorded image with filters
• Ability to temporarily pause recording (to skip advertising)
• Ability to adjust settings (change brightness, contrast, etc.) during recording
• Video over desktop
• Broadcast over the network
• Support for a weekly TV program with the ability to download updates
• Displays the name of the current TV program, as well as the start and end time of this program, indicating the length of time that has passed since the beginning
• Ability to reserve disk space for recording a fragment

Changing the ADC made it possible to implement support for a sampling frequency of 48 KHz (including when transmitting audio via the PCI bus), adjusting high/low frequencies and balance. Dolby ProLogic support is unlikely to be in demand in our conditions, unlike the Philips Incredible Sound (Incredible Mono, Incredible Stereo) and Virtual Dolby Surround effects.

Test computer configuration

• Processor Athlon 64 3000+
• ASUS K8V SE DELUXE motherboard (K8T800 chipset)
• RAM 1 GB (512 MB PC3200 from Samsung + 512 MB PC3200 from Kingmax)
• Video card HIS Excalibur X800 Pro IceQ II
• Sound card Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS
• Modem Genius GM56PCI-LA
• Hard drive 120 GB Maxtor Plus9-6Y120M0 7200rpm SATA150 8mb
• DVD ROM 12x/48x Hitachi GD-7500BV
• CD ReWriter TEAC 540E 40×12×48
• DVD ReWriter NEC ND-3500A
• Thermaltake HPC-420-102 DF power supply
• Operating system Windows XP Professional (SP2) ENG

List of broadcast channels during testing

Connection

The set of connectors is a standard set.

The placement of additional audio connectors allows you to avoid possible problems when installing PCI devices in an adjacent slot; the connectors are located parallel to the board.

Settings

The driver is installed from the supplied disk using standard operating system tools. Programs are installed manually; autorun is still missing. In chapter DOC There is detailed documentation in PDF format.

After installation we get the following devices

and the remote control program icon in the system tray.

Changing the selector for the first time allowed the internal tuner from GOTVIEW to confidently cope with the reception of all my channels (information about the operation of the TCL2002-33F in my conditions can be found in the GOTVIEW PCI 7134 review).

During testing, the latest version of the program was used at that time GoTView PRO 3.0.0.449.

Program features GoTView PRO are described in detail in the reviews of GOTVIEW PCI 7134 and GOTVIEW PCI DVD. Let us note the emerging differences and functions characteristic of GOTVIEW PCI 7135.

Unlike GOTVIEW PCI DVD, the CPU is used to operate the noise reduction filters.

In the function settings Timeshift automatic start of viewing appeared.

The operation of the motion detector was described in the GOTVIEW PCI DVD review.

The program has several options for searching channels, including searching by frequency. Let us remind you that one of the features is a general list of television channels and FM stations.

In addition to the individual setting of the color standard (which left one of the capabilities of the SAA 7135HL idle - hardware determination of the audio standard), advanced sound settings were added. The choice of Incredible Mono/Incredible Stereo is made depending on the availability of stereo sound on a given channel.

Capture and additional features

There are few changes in this section.

It is now possible to capture without viewing while recording.

Transmission of video streams over the network now has support for deinterlacing.

Quality

Philips SAA7135HL belongs to besides the family, as SAA7134HL. In this regard, you should not expect any changes in picture quality compared to the previous model (of course, if you do not take into account the positive effect of the Philips mk3 RF module in certain conditions). However, the SAA713x series ADCs currently already occupy a leading position when working with the SECAM standard. The result is predictably good quality (a deinterlacing filter was used Blend).

Despite the “improved noise immunity” listed in the specifications, GOTVIEW PCI 7135 became the first and so far the only PCI tuner that was directly dependent on the system used during testing. When the test subject and the Genius GM56PCI-LA modem were simultaneously present inside the system unit, vertical stripes were observed on channel 1 (49.75 MHz).

Some justification in this case can be the fact that by selecting a combination of device placement in PCI slots, it was possible to minimize the effect to almost complete imperceptibility even when using a deinterlacing filter, not to mention the operation of noise reduction algorithms.

A few words about audio decoding. A feature of the NICAM stereo sound standard, adopted in Russia as a state standard, is the sampling frequency of 32 KHz. So there is no advantage to 48KHz support as sound when working with NICAM Stereo (this feature can be useful during subsequent processing of recorded content). Fortunately, this limitation does not apply to A2 channels (common on cable providers), FM stations, and channels with mono audio. Again, individual adjustments to treble, bass, balance, and sound effects can be useful in any environment.

FM tuner

Due to the fact that FM stations are in the same list as television channels, the interface does not change when working in FM mode. A combined operating mode is possible, allowing you to simultaneously select both television channels and FM stations.

Updating the HF module did not affect the operation of the radio station search algorithm. Regardless of the scanning settings, the resulting result led to the manual addition of most stations.

A bonus of the Philips selector is the ability to receive FM radio on a television antenna.

An ADC is used for FM decoding. However, the difference compared to tuners based on SAA7134, in which the selector is used for this, is practically not felt.

Let's illustrate additional audio processing. 20-second fragments, mp3, 192 Kbps, 48 ​​KHz are available for download.

• Philips Incredible Mono (pseudo stereo mode)
• Philips Incredible Stereo (stereo widening)

Remote control

GOTVIEW PCI 7135 comes with an updated remote control. The number of buttons has increased (34 instead of 30). Powered by two AAA batteries included in the package.

Manual assignment of functions to remote control buttons is available.

First appeared in GoTView PRO versions 3.0.0.445 the ability to operate the remote control with third-party programs. During operation, the functions of multimedia keyboards and keyboard shortcuts are emulated. Supported applications include MS MediaPlayer, Zoom Player, BSPlayer and Winamp.

The microcontroller used allows the tuner to work with the remote control of other household equipment. At the same time, the standard software supports the ability to configure buttons in this case. However, if there are TV/DVD player/VCR remote controls within the sensor’s coverage area that operate simultaneously with the tuner software, this feature can cause certain inconvenience.

conclusions

The implementation of additional capabilities for working with sound allows us to award GOTVIEW PCI 7135 an award from our site for original design.

Convenient adapted program GoTView PRO With a large number of available settings and the presence of additional software included in the package, it deserves an award for the package.

pros

• Good picture and sound quality
• BG/DK support
• Support A2/NICAM decoding
• Supports resolutions up to 768x576
• Audio transmission via PCI bus with sampling rates up to 48 KHz
• Possibility of connecting to an additional sound card input
• Support in one list of TV channels and FM stations
• Individual settings for high and low frequencies, balance and audio post-processing for each channel
• Individual settings of video image parameters and color standard for each channel
• Controlling automatic gain control modes
• Deinterlacing filters
• Software noise reduction filters
• Extended range VHF+FM
• Full function "Picture-in-Picture"(if there is a second video capture device)
• Function Timeshifting
• Motion Detector
• Software support for recording in AVI/DV/WMV/MPEG-4 formats with any codec installed in the system
• Multi-channel preview
• Play video over desktop
• TV program support
• Broadcast over the network
• Possibility to turn off the computer after finishing recording
• Customizable remote control (only for working with the program GoTView PRO)
• Russian-language interface
• Availability of additional software included in the package

Minuses

• Lack of audio cable to connect to the auxiliary jack
• Possible vertical stripe effect on some channels in certain configurations

Of course, the new model in the GOTVIEW line surpasses its predecessors in all respects. The assets include the best selector at the moment, an ADC with expanded sound capabilities, dynamically developing standard software and a full-fledged technical support forum.

It would be logical to expect a significant increase in retail price, but GOTVIEW managers turned out to be faithful to the approach described at the beginning of the review, and therefore, in terms of price/quality ratio, GOTVIEW PCI 7135 is noticeably superior to previous models.

P. S.: To tell the truth, for the first time the price of a PCI tuner from this company does not seem overpriced to me.

GOTVIEW PCI 7135 in Moscow retail: N/A(0)