Revolutionary changes in the market personal computers are quite rare. The industry is developing gradually, acquiring more and more new qualities. This happens even somehow imperceptibly, on its own, but looking back a few years ago, we notice how strikingly modern hardware and software differ from what we used quite recently. It would seem that what can change in the market of TV tuners? But even here software, hardware and functionality are constantly evolving. GoTView tuners have always been famous for their well-designed drivers, high-quality and functional video capture, as well as the ability to transmit a TV signal over local network. Not so long ago we tested the GoTView PCI 7134 model, and today it has been replaced by the PCI 7135 TV tuner. the best performance compared to TCL, which was used in the GoTView PCI 7134 model, as well as the Philips chip, the number of which was included in the model name. Has the tuner become better, what qualities has it acquired, is it much different from the previous model? We will try to answer all these questions below.

Equipment

The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner comes in a package typical for most products from this manufacturer. All inscriptions on the box, as well as documentation and software shell, are in Russian, which once again confirmed the manufacturer's desire to fully adapt its products to the Russian market.

Inside the package we found the following kit:

  • TV tuner board;
  • T-shaped FM antenna;
  • IR receiver;
  • double-sided sticker for fixing the IR receiver;
  • remote controller remote control;
  • 2 batteries type "AAA";
  • short audio cable for connecting to the line-in of a sound card;
  • instruction in Russian;
  • 2 software discs

The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner is compact and easy to install in small cases. The board is limited by the size of the PCI slot, which is practically the norm in modern conditions.

The heart of the GoTView PCI 7135 is the Philips SAA7135HL chip, which provides advanced audio processing over the SAA7134 and earlier chip.

The 7135 uses the original Philips MK3 HF unit, potentially capable of providing better reception quality than the 7134. Whether our expectations were met or not, we will tell below.

As in the PCI 7134 model, the company uses high-capacity electrolytes with low internal resistance to minimize power noise, as well as a regulator designed to reduce power surges when powering the chip.

The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner, like its predecessors, is equipped with audio connectors directly on the board, which is quite rare on models from other manufacturers. These connectors are necessary in order to directly connect the TV tuner to the sound card inside the PC, which will allow you not to occupy the external line-in of the sound card. Note that these connectors are located on the outside of the printed circuit board, as a result, the user does not need to remove the TV tuner to connect or disconnect cables. However, the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner can transmit sound not only using an external or internal cable, but also via the PCI bus. This means that you do not need to connect it to a sound card.

On the bar from left to right are the following connectors:

  • connector for connecting an FM antenna;
  • connector for connecting a TV antenna;
  • connector for connecting an external IR receiver;
  • S-Video input (four pins);
  • audio input (mini-jack);
  • composite video input;
  • audio output.

According to the established tradition, as a test stand, we used home media center Depo Ego the following configuration:

  • processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz with 800 MHz bus;
  • motherboard: MicroStar MS-6743;
  • RAM: DDR400 512 MB;
  • video card: Intel Extreme Graphics II, integrated on the board;
  • sound card: Creative Audigy 2 ZS;
  • hard drive: Samsung 160 GB SATA;
  • operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 installed and all updates from Windows Update.

After installing the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner in a free PCI slot and turning on the PC, Windows XP finds a new device. The driver is installed using the operating system. After installation, the following hardware appears in Device Manager.

Unfortunately, the software disk is not equipped with an autoload mode and a shell, but the installation process is described in some detail in the instructions. After completing the installation of the drivers and the program, it is advisable to restart the computer, but this is not at all necessary.

Previously, the laboratory site has already tested three internal TV tuners from GoTView. These were GoTView PCI , GoTView PCI 7134 and GoTView PCI DVD. The GoTView Pro software shell supplied with the company's tuners has not undergone significant changes, and therefore, in order not to repeat ourselves, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our previous reviews.

The GoTView Pro version 3.0.0.449, supplied with the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner, has a new feature - "Motion Detection", which allows you to use the TV tuner as a low-cost video surveillance system. You simply connect a video camera to the tuner with a cable with two tulips, bring it out to the window, and you can record video of your car in the parking lot or monitor the area in front of the house on your PC. Similar "safety" features are popular with other TV tuner manufacturers today.

The software shell allows, in the presence of movement in the frame, to save individual frames, record video or sound on a hard disk for later viewing. A similar possibility has already been tested by us in TV tuner Behold TV 403 FM, but it is worth noting that the Beholder company specializes in creating hardware and software systems for access control and video surveillance and, accordingly, tried to implement this function in their TV tuners, while GoTView does not deal with video surveillance systems, but its implementation of the system seemed to us quite worthy.

The motion detector function in the GoTView Pro software shell is implemented as follows: first, the user is prompted to select the interval of checks and sensitivity, and then set the action when motion is detected in the frame and the action when motion stops. The difference from the similar function of the Beholder company is that the GoTView Pro software shell does not have a mask that allows you to split the image into zones in which tracking would be performed. In some cases, this may limit the use of the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner as a video surveillance system, since the software shell will not allow you to cut off zones that do not need to be monitored.

In general, we would like to note that GoTView has adequately implemented the motion detector function, and we are confident that this feature will be further developed in new versions of software shells.

Image and sound quality

A regular antenna is installed on the roof of the editorial building of the site, and the test laboratory is the sole user of the signal from it. However, the geographical location of the small laboratory building leads to the fact that many channels "arrive" at the antenna with high interference. The more interesting it is for us to test tuners in far from ideal conditions.

I would especially like to note that the GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner demonstrated, in general, excellent image quality without any advanced settings and use of the noise reduction system. When viewing channels with an average reception quality, the noise reduction function made it possible to significantly improve the image quality. On channels with poor reception quality, the "noise" suppression function also showed a good result, but in the end the image became more inertial, which led to blurring of the picture when viewing dynamic scenes. Therefore, we do not recommend using the maximum noise reduction modes unless absolutely necessary.

In the laboratory, the tuner was able to identify all 15 existing channels, which indicates a good sensitivity of the Philips MK3 selector. Note that the search on the standard frequency grid made it possible to detect only 6 channels. This allowed us to conclude that the channels in our antenna are not taken from the air, but are relayed via cable. Therefore, a search was carried out on a grid of terrestrial and cable channels, which made it possible to detect 15 existing and 6 phantom channels.

Download video 2(5 MB)

The GoTView PCI 7135 TV tuner comes with a new remote control model. Compared to the remote control supplied with the GoTView PCI and GoTView PCI 7134 TV tuners, the new remote control has a more thoughtful button layout, as well as an increased number of buttons - 34 versus 30, which allows, for example, to control the delayed viewing function.

The remote control buttons can be programmed using the appropriate utility. In addition to actually working with a TV tuner, the remote control supports a number of popular applications: Microsoft Media Player, Zoom Player, BSPlayer and WinAmp. In fact, you get at your disposal remote control from the main multimedia functions of a personal computer.

Conclusion

TV tuner GoTView PCI 7135 is a worthy representative of the line of internal TV tuners by GoTView. A soundly designed board, the use of high-quality components, the use of the best RF unit from Philips MK3 to date in conjunction with the SAA7135 chip made it possible to obtain excellent image and sound quality and confident reception of radio stations. The rich functionality of the software shell, which provides advanced capture and delayed viewing, organically complements the well-developed hardware. We also note the function of previewing channels and the possibility of simultaneous operation of two TV tuners in one system, which makes it possible to implement the "Picture in Picture" function.

Today our test lab will review the lineup TV tuners Taiwanese company GotView. This manufacturer is notable for the fact that for many years it has been dealing exclusively with TV tuners, and all its products, which are easy to find in the vast majority of computer stores, are focused specifically on the Russian user. Interestingly, for many countries in the world, GotView is mainly engaged in OEM deliveries to multimedia companies. In Russia, the manufacturer offers, under its own brand, fully adapted products to the existing specifics of our television broadcasting; and this applies not only to Moscow or St. Petersburg, but also to all other regions of Russia and neighboring countries.

The models that will be presented in our review are selected by GotView as the most popular products of this brand. It is noteworthy that among them there are both built-in TV tuners for PCI and PCI-E buses, as well as an external model using the USB interface. First, let's try to compare them on some common characteristics.

Comparison table of GotView TV tuners

* The average estimated cost was taken from the website www.price.ru at the time of preparation of the material

Note: For a complete list of GotView TV tuner features, please visit the manufacturer's homepage: www.gotview.ru.

For information: the abbreviation "DVD" in the model name of the GotView TV tuner indicates the presence of a hardware MPEG2 encoder on the board.

Description of GotView Models

Almost the entire range of GotView tuners comes in cute and small packaging boxes, designed according to the manufacturer's corporate template. For the convenience of the buyer, the functional features of the models, equipment, service functions, etc. are presented in detail directly on them. Despite the small dimensions of the packages, a potential buyer will find many components inside. Their set for all GotView built-in TV tuners is almost identical, and includes the following:

TV tuner;
Low-profile bracket for installing the tuner in "thin" cases;
Antenna dipole for radio receiver (with Velcro);
RCA adapter (composite) - S-Video;
remote control;
Batteries for remote control;
IR receiver for remote control;
Composite video cable;
S-Video cable;
Stereo audio cable;
Software CD;
InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 CD;
Installation Guide

All models of the company's built-in TV tuners have a low-profile PCB design, and the delivery kits of the models also include additional low-profile brackets, which allows the use of products in specific small-sized system unit cases.

Many models of GotView TV tuners come with a multimedia remote control. With it, you can control not only the functions of the TV tuner itself, but also various applications. When studying the package, we found that in the GotView TV tuner lineup there can be at least two options for remote controls, the photos of which you see below:


GotView Remote Control Models



Reprogramming the keys on the remote control is carried out using
proprietary software shell


The remote in the black case is a "regular" remote control, and in the silver case it is a "multimedia" one, corresponding in functionality to the Microsoft Media Center Remote. This remote control allows you to turn your computer on and off, which is without a doubt a very useful feature. Such a remote also allows you to control any programs, including multimedia applications and Windows Media Center, as well as emulate a mouse and keyboard. The multimedia control panel is also sold separately, while its receiver is connected to the USB port, and not to the tuner. It is convenient that a driver is not required for its operation, and, due to its versatility, it can be used with any computer TV tuner in general.

The thin "regular" remote control loses to the "multimedia" one not only in functionality, but also in convenience - it does not fit well in the hand, and the same membrane buttons are extremely inconvenient for blind work.

GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe



DVD2 Deluxe in retail packaging


GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe appeared on the computer market in 2006, replacing the outdated GotView PCI DVD model. One of the main advantages of this model is the initial equipment with a multimedia remote control that allows you to turn the computer on and off.

Thanks to the optional low-profile bar, the tuner can be installed not only in system unit standard size, but also in the "thin" computer cases popular among HTPC system builders. By the way, the vast majority (if not all) of GotView's built-in TV tuners have a low-profile PCB design.



PCB PCI DVD2 Deluxe



Side view of the tuner


The GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe tuner is built on the basis of the top model Philips FM 1216ME/I H-5 (Mk5) RF unit, which has proven itself in business for a long time. It allows you to confidently receive both television and radio channels, with good selectivity and low noise level. On the printed circuit board The HF block is distinguished by deaf shielding.



Conexant CX23416


The encoder/decoder is a combination of CX25843 and CX23416 chips manufactured by Conexant. It must be admitted that such a bundle is a well-tested solution, and is used by many manufacturers not only in the design of TV tuners, but also in video capture cards. Due to the capabilities of the CX26843 decoder chip, the tuner has a three-band equalizer, as well as support for stereo broadcasting in A2 and NICAM formats. The CX23416 chip provides real-time MPEG2 video capture at bit rates up to 15 Mbps without loading the computer's CPU with such tasks. It also has hardware noise filtering with smooth noise reduction level adjustment.

In work, the tuner performed quite well, demonstrating the excellent quality of broadcasting a television picture. GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe has very good sensitivity and can be recommended for those who do not have the most ideal receiving antenna.





GotView PCI Hybrid



GotView PCI Hybrid in retail packaging


The GotView PCI Hybrid TV tuner is a budget model, but the interests of this consumer audience do not seem to be infringed in any way. On the contrary, a rich (even overly rich) delivery set, which, by the way, includes a remote control, all kinds of cables, and a low-profile bar, will appeal to even a sophisticated user.



Tuner circuit board



Side view of the tuner


Perhaps this is such a corporate identity - all printed circuit boards of GotView built-in TV tuners are united by a purple color of varnish (or, more correctly, masks). The high-frequency part of the tuner is served by the XC3028 hybrid chip manufactured by Xceive Inc. (as you can see, the chip and its environment on the PCB, unlike analog receivers, do not need external shielding). The selector allows you to receive both analogue and digital broadcasts. As an analog-to-digital converter, the manufacturer chose for the PCI Hybrid a fairly common 10-bit ADC CX23883 from Conexant, which supports all types of video standards.

In operation, this TV tuner proved to be quite good, demonstrating an acceptable quality of broadcasting a television picture. However, during the initial channel setup, the tuner could not automatically determine the color standard (PAL or SECAM), which had to be set manually. It should be noted that the GotView PCI Hybrid is the cheapest model of TV tuners in the family, which, in relation to its rich package bundle and quality of work, makes the model a very good purchase.





GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid



PCI DVD3 Hybrid in retail packaging


This model is a hybrid TV tuner with MPEG2 hardware compression, capable of receiving both analog and digital TV and radio channels. The tuner comes with a remote control, made in a thin case with membrane buttons. In addition, rich equipment and adapted for Russia software(characteristic of all models of GotView TV tuners) will surely appeal to many buyers.



PCB PCI DVD3 Hybrid



Side view of the tuner


The tuner's input device is based on the Xceive 3028 chip and does not require additional metal shielding. For this reason, in hybrid models, we do not see a tin casing inherent in analog tuners that protects high-frequency circuits from interference (they are simply not among the mounting elements on digital receivers).



Conexant CX23418


The highest level of integration falls on the Conexant CX23418 chip, which plays the role of an MPEG2 encoder with built-in audio and video decoders. For portable solutions, such a selection of the element base would give an advantage in low power consumption and in small dimensions of the product, but the GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid board is already designed for a low-profile design (an additional special bracket is included in the package), and built-in TV tuners have no power supply. there are no restrictions.

The CX23418 hardware encoder is capable of real-time high-quality MPEG2 video capture at bit rates up to 15 Mbps without loading the computer's CPU. The chip has a hardware image noise reduction filter with smooth adjustment of the noise reduction level (the level is set in the TV tuner driver).

Assessing the quality of broadcasting a television picture, we found a very strange behavior of this tuner in dynamic scenes: the frames seemed to be layered on top of each other, forming a stub trail. This is especially noticeable in cartoons, where the number of frames is significantly less, and the difference between two adjacent ones, respectively, is large. You can see it in the following screenshots:


In more or less static scenes, the trail is not so noticeable, and the screenshots look completely excellent:




However, the reason for such a "bifurcation" of frames, as it turned out, lies in the tuner settings - more precisely, in setting an excessive level of noise reduction. With a decrease in this level, the described effect becomes invisible.

GotView X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E



X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E in retail packaging


The GotView X5 DVD Hybrid TV tuner is the company's first model with a PCI-E interface. Let me remind you that this new interface has increased bandwidth, and the connector has fewer pins than standard PCI. In the near future, PCI-E should completely replace the PCI interface, and even now PCI-E devices are already relevant - the number of classic PCI slots on modern motherboards is steadily decreasing.



PCB X5 DVD Hybrid PCI-E



View of the side plank


As a channel selector, the tuner uses the latest Xceive development - the XC5000 chip, which allows you to receive both analog and digital (DVB-T) radio and TV channels. Compared to the XC2028 and XC3028 chips, the new selector, with the same miniature dimensions, has better selectivity and sensitivity, which ensures good TV picture quality even at low signal levels.



Conexant CX23887 decoder


Due to the fact that this TV tuner uses the PCI-E interface, the Conexant CX23887 chip was chosen as the decoder. This microcircuit is the latest ADC, which also integrates a matching bridge with the PCI-E bus. In addition, the hardware feature of the chip is an integrated 3D Comb Filter, whose task is to separate the brightness and color components of the signal, which allows you to successfully suppress moiré, improving image quality. This advantage is especially noticeable at the edges of high-contrast transitions, where light tones alternate with dark ones.

The GotView X5 DVD Hybrid TV tuner demonstrated the outstanding quality of broadcasting a television picture, as you can also see by looking at the attached screenshots. By and large, there is nothing to complain about.





GotView X5 3D Hybrid PCI-E



X5 3D Hybrid PCI-E in retail packaging


Immediately after the release of the TV tuner model discussed above, GotView prepared another novelty for the PCI-E interface. It was the GotView X5 3D Hybrid model, which differs from the X5 DVD Hybrid in the absence of a hardware MPEG2 encoder on the board. In all other respects, the novelty is completely similar to its older "sister".



Tuner circuit board



View of the side plank


The design of the tuner's printed circuit board is very similar to the above model, with the only difference that the places for the hardware encoding chip and the accompanying memory chip with a power stabilizer remained empty. It can be stated that the X5 3D Hybrid is intended for those users for whom the video signal recording function is not of great interest.

This model also uses the Conexant CX23887 chip as a 10-bit ADC, capable of working with PAL/SECAM/NTSC video standards and NICAM/AM/BTSC/EIAJ/A2 audio standards, automatically detecting them.

The high-frequency part of the tuner is based on the XC5000 silicon hybrid chip. In the photo of the board, this chip is hidden under a metallic golden screen, which is rather done purely for aesthetics (unlike analog RF units, digital ones do not need external shielding). The XC5000 accepts both analog and digital programs.

Having examined the screenshots of TV channels, it is extremely difficult to see any big difference in quality with the above model. The GotView X5 3D Hybrid delivers TV picture quality just as well as the older model.





GotView USB2.0 DVD2



USB2.0 DVD2 in retail packaging


In addition to built-in TV tuners, the GotView line also includes external devices connected via USB. This is GotView USB2.0 DVD2, which is an upgraded TV tuner with MPEG1 and MPEG2 hardware compression and now includes a radio. To connect the device, two free USB ports are required: a USB cable is connected to the first one, an additional power cable is connected to the second one.


Included is a stand for vertical installation of the tuner


The body of the device is aluminum, with plastic inserts on the ends. For ease of placement on the table, a plastic stand is included in the package, which you can see along with the tuner in the photo above.



View of the front panel


On the front panel of the tuner there are connectors for connecting external multimedia peripherals. These are composite low frequency video input, stereo audio input and S-Video input. In addition, there is also a button to turn on the tuner (during the operation of the device, it is highlighted with a red LED).



Rear panel view


On the rear panel there is a number of "main", so to speak, connectors. This is an input for USB power, TV and radio antenna jacks, and a USB input.



Tuner circuit board



The reverse side of the tuner circuit board


The tuner is based on a modern element base: a 10-bit ADC Conexant CX25843, a hardware MPEG2 encoder Conexant CX23416 and a Philips FM1216ME/I H-5 (Mk5) RF unit.

The only problem that I had in the course of my acquaintance with this TV tuner was the delay and loss of frames of the television picture. The solution was found in the video card driver, namely, in changing the hardware deinterlacing mode to software. There were no complaints about the quality of the broadcast of the television picture.

Screenshots were prepared using software deiterlacing.





Software

The software package is unified for all GotView TV tuners, so the story about it can be taken out in a separate chapter. So, the performance of the TV tuners of this review is provided by the GotView Pro 5.0 program. Its greatest advantage seems to be, perhaps, excellent functionality along with complete Russification. The fact that the manufacturer is constantly working on improving the program cannot but rejoice, and since the availability of updates is checked automatically, the user will receive a notification about the update almost immediately after the appearance of a more recent version on the manufacturer's website.

The initial installation of the software from the CD will not cause problems: after determining the tuner board and automatically substituting the driver, even restarting the computer is not required. The user will be greeted by a completely friendly interface of the GotView Pro program, and it will not take much time to learn how to navigate it. The program has the ability to use the so-called "skins" (graphic shells of the main program panel). There are only a small part of them in the standard delivery, and the user can easily find the rest on the GotView website.

Initially, the program included a table of all on-air television and radio channels with their frequency values. Thus, in some cases, after installing the program, all television and radio channels will already be tuned, only residents of certain regions and subscribers of cable networks will need to use the channel search function.



Window for setting TV channel control settings


For channels with uncertain reception, the automatic search of which did not give the desired results, you can use the manual search, or manually set their broadcast frequencies. Further, for the found channels, you can specify their name, select an icon, and also sort in the light of your own preferences.



Window general settings TV tuner


The hierarchical structure of the general settings window allows the user to quickly find the desired section to make any changes to the TV tuner. Each group of parameters has its own icon, which allows you to quickly find what you need.

The work of the noise reduction filter is also interesting, whose level can be adjusted smoothly and even separately for each channel. This filter allows you to significantly improve the image, both when recording and when viewing. It is only necessary to take into account that additional resources will be required for the filter to work in program mode. CPU. If there are not enough computer resources, then it will be preferable to use a tuner with hardware compression: only in this case the filtering will be done in hardware, without loading the CPU. Let me remind you that GotView PCI Hybrid belongs to TV tuners with software operation of the noise reduction filter, and GotView PCI DVD, GotView PCI DVD2 Deluxe, GotView PCI DVD3 Hybrid and GotView USB 2.0 DVD (applicable to TV tuner models of this review).



TV Schedule ("TV Week")


For GotView TV tuners, it is possible to receive a weekly TV schedule via the Internet. The database can be loaded either manually or automatically. It is convenient that if there is a fresh TV program, when you switch channels, information about the current program is displayed on the screen, as well as the time it starts and ends. The "degree of completion" of the transfer is also visually displayed as a percentage in the form of a status bar.



Video capture settings window


GotView software allows you to capture video with a variety of recording options. The ability to automatically split the recording into files of a given size has been implemented, which is sometimes necessary (especially when creating a large video).


Window of information about the brightness components of the image


To obtain information about the current video picture, the manufacturer has provided a "graphic observation window". Here, based on the graphically presented data about the picture, you can independently set the levels of white and black, as well as get information about the signal-to-noise ratio. From the graphs, you can quickly determine whether the video image is overexposed or too dark, and on this basis, fine-tune the picture more accurately.

Proprietary software has a very high functionality. We have considered only a small fraction of its main functions. The interested reader will get the rest of the information from the manufacturer's website, where, among other things, there is also " hotline", and a forum, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Conclusion

In general, the range of modern GotView TV tuners made a good impression. Given the complete and high-quality localization of software, as well as the adaptation of models to Russian conditions, any GotView model can compete with the recognized giants of the Russian market. A large selection of models, designed for different categories of users, allows you to easily select a TV tuner according to your needs, and the high quality of broadcasting a television picture will not cast doubt on the correctness of the choice made. I will also note the modern element base that the manufacturer uses when designing models.

Personally, I liked the X5 DVD Hybrid for the PCI-E bus, the DVD2 Deluxe for the PCI bus, and the external USB model the most. The only thing I cannot guarantee is that the picture quality on your television antenna will be as good as mine.

Other materials on this topic


Pinnacle PCTV 110i: the tuner is not for everyone
Behold TV 507 RDS: the ultimate PC tuner
Behold Columbus - a tuner for you and your laptop

Recently, it is very pleasant to observe the tendency of IT companies to adapt their products to Russian-speaking users. Today, you will not surprise anyone with a Russian interface in software, Russian menus in monitors, Russian inscriptions on the boxes of various components and user manuals in "great and mighty".

But if you look at such a class of products as TV tuners, it becomes clear that some of them have gone much further in this very noble cause. For example, the well-known company AverMedia has been producing specially adapted products for the Russian market for a long time, which, however, also turns out to be perfectly optimized for many other countries of the former Union of the Unbreakable.

Another manufacturer that produces TV tuners with the inscription "Adapted for Russian TV broadcasting" on the boxes is GOTVIEW. Her solutions are also in high demand. It is worth noting that this is facilitated not by the low price (it is just at the level of competitors), but by the high quality of execution and excellent software.

Today we got a TV tuner GOTVIEW PCI 7135. Judging by numerous reviews, it is a very good product. However, it is always better to verify something yourself to be sure. This is what we are going to do next. So let's get started.

GOTVIEW PCI 7135

GOTVIEW PCI 7135 is a newer version of the previously introduced PCI 7134 model. There are not so many differences between them. In particular, we can highlight another Philips MK3 RF unit, which replaced TCL. In addition, the PCI 7135 uses a new chip from Philips, the model of which is included in the name of the tuner in question. It has advanced audio processing capabilities, but we will talk about this in more detail below.

Contents of delivery

The PCI 7135 comes in a small box containing a very good bundle. In particular, the following components can be distinguished:

  • directly the TV tuner itself;
  • remote control;
  • batteries for the AAA remote control;
  • infrared port for remote control;
  • radio antenna;
  • cable for external connection to a sound card;
  • cable for internal connection to the sound card;
  • CD with proprietary software;
  • CD with WinDVD Creator 2;
  • user manual in Russian.

The set is very, very good. Of particular note are the presence of two cables for connecting to a sound card, as well as the presence of a second CD containing the WinDVD Creator 2 program. GOTVIEW bundles all its TV tuners with it, and this one is no exception. This application is for video editing and DVD authoring. So, for example, it can be used to create appropriate content from the material recorded from the tuner.

The remaining elements of the delivery set do not deserve special attention - they are standard for most TV tuners.

Specifications and design

GOTVIEW PCI 7135 has standard dimensions for this class of devices. The printed circuit board will only protrude a few millimeters beyond the PCI slot.

Directly on the PCB is a Philips MK3 RF unit, a Philips SAA7135HL ADC, and two internal audio jacks. And now more about each.

The Philips MK3 HF unit was installed to improve reception quality compared to the 7134 which had the TCL2002MB-33F unit.

ADC Philips SAA7135HL, which the company decided to use in this solution, has some features in comparison with other chips of the same class. In particular, it supports decoding of all modern stereo sound standards:

Dolby ProLogic support;

  • Virtual Dolby Surround (imitation of 4-channel sound);
  • Philips Incredible Mono (pseudo-stereo for mono channels, surround sound effect);
  • Philips Incredible Stereo (stereo enhancement).

This can be written in his pluses.

Of particular note is the presence of internal audio connectors. Today it is very rare to find such a solution on the market. Their presence allows you not to use the line input of the sound card for sound transmission, which can sometimes be very useful. In addition, as is clear from the part of the article where it is said about the configuration, the TV tuner is equipped with a special cable for internal connection. Also, GOTVIEW PCI 7135 is able to transmit an audio signal over the PCI bus, so that the need for direct connection to the sound card disappears, besides, this eliminates the desynchronization of sound and video when recording the air and digitizing video material.

As for the front panel, the following connectors are displayed on it (from left to right):

  • connector for FM antenna;
  • connector for connecting a television antenna;
  • infrared connector;
  • four-pin S-Video input;
  • audio input;
  • composite video input;
  • audio output.

Now let's briefly summarize the main specifications of GOTVIEW PCI 7135:

  • resolution support up to 768x576;
  • extended radio range from 66 MHz;
  • support for PAL / SECAM / NTSC television standards, VHF, DM and cable channels are accepted;
  • fine-tuning mode with the smallest possible step, as well as entering a specific value of the wavelength of a given television or radio program;
  • individual settings for each channel;
  • the ability to tune up to 255 TV and radio channels;
  • capturing frames of a TV window in BMP, GIF, JPG format by timer or by pressing a button (with a resolution from 80x60 to 768x576);
  • deferred task manager for recording video at a specified time;
  • capturing and encoding sound with any codec installed in the system;
  • TimeShift function;
  • download TV guide and various ways on-screen display (if Internet is available)
  • "Picture-in-Picture" (PIP) function if there are two or more video capture devices in the system;
  • network broadcast;
  • security functions (motion detection in the frame, video recording or frame capture).
Well, I must say - very good. GOTVIEW once again shows that its products are really good. But how do they behave in practice? We will try to answer this question further.

Software

Installing drivers and software is quick and hassle-free. If, nevertheless, some questions may arise, then it is very likely that the answers to them will be found in the detailed documentation in Russian, which is supplied with the TV tuner on a CD.

When you first launch the GoTView Pro software that comes with GOTVIEW tuners, a control panel appears on the screen with appearance"a la Winamp". As it turned out, the proprietary software supports changing skins and the one selected by default was called TVAmp. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Returning to the control panel, it is worth noting that it allows you to set some parameters, thereby removing the need to start searching for them through the wilds of settings. For example, you can adjust the channel frequency, switch the signal reception system, switch the video input, as well as adjust the brightness, contrast, color "warmth", the volume of sound sources and some other parameters.

Channels can be configured by selecting the "TV channels" item from the context menu that appears when you right-click on any of the software windows, or by clicking the "channels" button on the main control panel. The TV tuner can store up to 255 channels. In addition, not only their frequency is saved, but also the sound, image, and effect settings for each of them. Moreover, each channel can be assigned its own icon for better recognition.

It is worth adding that initially there are 18 pre-configured channels. Frequencies are given for on-air television in Moscow. For other cities, as well as for cable TV, there may not be anything on these frequencies. In this case, you will have to perform an automatic search or set everything manually if you know their frequencies.

For automatic search, click on the button with black binoculars on it, which is located in the upper left corner of the program. As a result, a window will appear on the screen where you can select search options. In particular, it is possible to scan both a given frequency range and the entire one. As an option, only the standard Russian broadcast grid can be scanned. But even if you are a resident of this endless country, then if you have any cable or satellite television, you shouldn't use it. Next, click on Scan and wait for the tuner to go through the selected range.

The main window with settings consists of seven tabs. The first, as you might guess from its name, is used to adjust the quality and parameters of the received image. There are a lot of settings provided, which immediately introduces the user into some stupor. However, over time you get used to it and you begin to navigate what's what. As for the video signal settings directly, you can select its resolution:

In addition, there is the ability to observe screen proportions, the choice of render, color scheme, deinterlacing, noise reduction, full screen resolution, and so on.

The Sound tab is used to set up the sound signal. You can read all the features provided by the program in the screenshot, and we will only note once again the presence of the sound output function via the PCI bus (enabled by default), as well as the ability to set the sound source

The Interface tab is used to configure the main toolbar of the proprietary software and the behavior of the image display window during operation. Here you can customize the display of the mouse cursor during full screen browsing, the button on the taskbar, the skin, the shutdown timer and much more.

In the image output window, it is possible to display information about the current channel and settings. It is for what and how to display it that the OSD tab is responsible.

I am very pleased with the ability to set up hot keys for quickly calling up TV channels and other functions of the TV tuner. And in fact - it is not always the same to use the remote control to control!

On the Motion Detection tab, you can configure the function of the same name. It works as follows: while receiving a signal, any changes in the frame are monitored, which can be defined as the movement of objects. In this case, the software may perform some specified actions. In particular, you can record video and audio (or one of the two) information at this time.

This feature can be useful if you connect, for example, a surveillance camera to the tuner. Thus, when movement is determined, on HDD the corresponding piece of time will be recorded while it lasts. Well, another plus for the PCI 7135.

Image quality

Before proceeding to the description of image quality, we note that the preset channels were not found correctly. Only a few matched. Other channels turned out to be different or nothing at all, although then the preset channels were found among those found by the tuner's automatics. This suggests that we are not broadcasting directly, but relayed via cable.

As you can see from the pictures, the Philips MK3 RF unit and the Philips SAA7135HL ADC do their job well: the image is of high quality. True, some extraneous grid is still noticeable on some channels:

However, a similar effect was found only on one, which among the available 100 looks minuscule. In addition, if you do not watch this channel constantly, then this problem will not affect you at all.

The sound quality is also not satisfactory. It is only worth noting that in some cases, when the tuner tried to decode the stereo signal, the latter did not have the highest quality. The result was a switch to mono. However, this may be due to a weak signal, and when receiving a high-quality stereo signal, such a problem should not arise.

Other features

The capture function is practically no different from a similar implementation in competitor products. Yes, each one has its own characteristics, but in general, approximately the same action always takes place - recording the received signal on the hard disk.

In our case, you can set the resolution of the received signal and the resolution of the output file, crop the edges, codec (can be any that is present in the system), apply your own filters when encoding. In addition, there is the possibility of recording according to the schedule. By the way, it is worth noting that for the correct operation of the TimeShift function and scheduled recording, you must install the WinDVD program, which was mentioned above. Along with it, the necessary MPEG2 codecs are installed, which are used when activating these features.

It is also very easy to set up parameters for sound capture: you only need to set the compression parameters, the path to the output file and other parameters, if necessary.

The capture of a single frame can occur both at a certain specified frequency, and one by one manually. Pleased with the ability to select the file save format (BMP, JPEG, GIF), as well as the resolution of the captured frame. By the way, when recording a picture in JPEG, you can even specify the compression ratio.

I really liked the possibility of getting a program guide for pre-installed channels from the Internet. The thing, I must say, is simply amazing. You just need to click on the button Download the database automatically and voila - in 30 seconds (depending on the speed of the Internet connection) you have a TV schedule. You can, by pressing the enter button, display the program on the current channel, on all channels, and when switching channels, the name of the program going there, the start and end times, and the percentage of its completion will be displayed in the form of a bar.

When you right-click on the program toolbar and select TV Channels from the drop-down context menu, the entire list of available channels appears, where for channels with a program downloaded from the Internet, the percentage of its completion is displayed! The function, however, is quite simple to implement from a programming point of view (you just need to calculate the time difference, convert it to percentages and display the result) and, in our opinion, it is very pleasant for the user.

FM tuner

All settings and management of the FM tuner is the same as for TV. Channel search is carried out in the same window (there are also preset stations):

And the management and switching of channels can be done on a standard control panel of proprietary software. It does not change at all when switching to the radio.

Remote control

The remote control that comes with the kit has 34 small buttons and spaced quite far from each other. The latter allows you not to accidentally press the wrong button.

I would like to note the possibility of programming any from buttons. Each of them can be assigned an arbitrary function.

conclusions

If you read the entire article carefully, it will be easy to guess that the conclusions will be the most rosy, because the product from GOTVIEW turned out to be very good. Let's start with the software. Its capabilities are very wide, which allows you to achieve great flexibility in using the TV tuner. What is the motion tracking function worth. True, there are so many settings that at first your eyes really run up and, frankly, you just don’t want to read what each checkbox and switch means :-). But on the other hand, the program implements context-sensitive help, called by pressing the F1 button, which describes each menu item in which you are accessible. So you can figure it out without difficulty, and the abundance of settings significantly expands the functionality of the program.

I would especially like to note the function of downloading the program guide. It will undoubtedly be very useful if you constantly watch TV. I also really liked the ability to customize each button on the remote control.

In terms of picture and sound quality, they are excellent. Of course, there are some shortcomings (grid on some channels, high quality of the incoming signal is required for correct stereo decoding), but we don't see anything wrong with them. And there are no ideal things.

However, we give GOTVIEW PCI 7135 our highest "Our Choice" award for its very wide range of software features and high signal quality and highly recommend this product.

We express our gratitude to the Russian representative office of GOTVIEW for the GOTVIEW PCI 7135 TV tuner provided for testing

The new year 2005 is still far away, and 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 based on new chipsets with new features and new features.

This recently appeared on Russian market the company, in a year and a half, was able not only to please the consumer with its products, but also to become one of the leaders in the field of tuner building.

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 (Beholder can be considered the only competitor in terms of the supplied software for GOTVIEW); very sensitive support, which not only answers all your questions in the forum on the company's website, but also makes improvements to the software corresponding 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 consider a new internal model of the tuner, in which GOTVIEW, judging by the brief specification, has left all the best that the company has 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 quite a variety of information is 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 quick 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.


Element base innovations

There have been some very serious changes compared to the predecessors of this card. The fact is that the new TV tuner has become "two-headed". It is based on two chips - the new Philips SAA7174HL (leader change - the 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 compress the video stream in MPEG2 format on the fly.

The entire encoding process is now shifted 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 glitches lies on the conscience of the resources of your machine, in particular the processor.

Changes have taken place not only in the chips, but also in the RF unit. There was a change in the channel selector - the old TCL was replaced by MK3 - a selector with higher sensitivity and selectivity.

If we talk about the layout of the board, then although there have been changes due to the advent of a new element base, the tuner protection circuit from interference has remained the same.

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

But something has disappeared from the board - this is the FM block. According to the support company, there will be no FM version of this tuner. In principle, the board is really designed more for serious work with video (encoding, video processing, and all that). On the other hand, a number of dissatisfied users will surely appear, who will like the board (as a TV tuner and MPEG encoder) for obvious reasons, but the absence of an FM tuner will upset them.

Board appearance



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

On this very golden panel, there are: a low-frequency RCA input, a connector for connecting an external IR sensor, a jack for connecting an antenna, a composite S-Video input and a stereo audio input for a standard 3.5mm minijack.


Pay attention to another significant change in the design - there is no longer an audio output on the board. The sound is now digitized only by hardware and transmitted over 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 serves 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 features, but it was clearly created taking into account the experience of building previous pieces of iron (for example, the same anti-interference circuit). The only negative is the rejection of such a nice addition as an FM tuner. But on the other hand, this step just firmly positions the card as a professional model among amateur video capture to some extent.

Remote control

Changes have taken place here as well. The design of the console has been completely redesigned - there is not even a hint of that "pop" rounded shape that the console of earlier GOTVIEW models had. Now the style and design of the remote control is fully consistent with the elite look of the tuner board itself.

No more brightly colored buttons - black, white, grey. Well, only a little bit of red - three buttons (Power, Rec / Play and Rec) are lightly marked with it and the inscription "GOTVIEW" is made.

On the one hand, the remote seems completely flat. But on the other hand, when you take it in your hand, you understand that everything here is done, so to speak, for people. On the thin case on the reverse side, there are even special recesses for fingers! Thus, the remote control does not slip out of the hand. It's scary for me to say this (true electronics lovers will throw stones).

If we talk about the convenience of pressing buttons, then here I would like to draw a small parallel with that miniature flat control panel, which many TV tuner manufacturers (or just hang 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, GOTVIEW-shny has 37 control buttons, which you will definitely have enough for comfortable work.

All keys are conveniently located, ie. The remote control panel is divided into certain zones, 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) from most others is the reprogrammability of all keys. The list of possible functions that you can assign to each key is large - 93 functions.

I could not 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 version number of the supplied software have not changed - 3.0. However, then this program had just been released (we already wrote about its main differences from the 2nd version) and contained a number of minor flaws that were gradually found (with the help of a demanding user) and corrected (with the help of a responsive support). ), the benefit of the forum on the company's website is very conducive to this.

The current version of the program supplied with the tuner has an index of 3.0.0.441. In general, this version of the software has already managed to become slightly outdated, because the 442nd and beta 443rd appeared on the site (these are changes that have occurred in some twenty days). In new versions, such a function as "motion detector" was added. Now a TV tuner together with a TV camera can, for example, be used as a guard for your car, which is standing in the yard.

Main interface

There have been no fundamental changes since testing the first version of the program with index 3.0. The 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, not everyone will like it. For example, I generally prefer the old classic image of the program. There are now six skins in total, however, two of them are just enlarged copies of two more from the same six.

It makes no sense to talk about all the settings of the program in full - take a look at the past reviews of GoTView tuners and you can track both the evolution of hardware and the evolution of software. The 3rd version has already been described enough in previous reviews of GoTView tuners, so it's useless to look for some fundamental innovations here - only light tuning of some functions and fixed minor bugs. As a result, we will not describe everything in detail, but only briefly talk about the very possibilities of this program for those who meet GoTView for the first time.

Channel setup

What distinguishes the software of this card from the rest is the presence of an expanded channel grid, where for each channel, all adjustable parameters relating to picture, sound, and broadcasting system settings are displayed separately. Pay special attention to the fact that each of these parameters is adjusted for each channel individually. Here they are, the advantages of a 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 air, familiar to Russians - 16 channels with their own names and (!) Icons. You can set icons for visual designation of channels yourself - as well as 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 on the machine with automatic step. The automatic search is arranged in such a way that an inexperienced user does not even have to think - click Next and the automation will do all the rest 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. The range, in principle, is not necessary to set - you can choose to scan the standard grid of on-air channels or the same method, only cable channels are added to the on-air channels.

It is simply impossible not to catch something! Moreover, the Russian-language interface of the software 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, in comparison with the earlier version of the software we considered earlier with the GoTView PCI tuner, there are some differences ...

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

First, the good old… Here you can choose from five types of filtering; set the aspect ratio; start a video stream over the desktop; disable OverlayMixer; change the resolution for "simple" viewing and for full-screen viewing; you can even enlarge the image a bit to remove the edges with artifacts.

Now about what was added ... There was a choice of work priority; select the type of video renderer; added noise suppression software with five modes of operation (for our card, this function is performed at the hardware level); there is an option to automatically select stereo sound.

But the "Interface" page was hardly touched by the changes (maybe because serious changes took place there earlier - when switching from the 2nd version of the software to the 3rd (see the review of the GoTView PCI 734 TV tuner). But the settings here and Unlike many other tuners, GoTView is very convenient to use.Why?Yes,because this tuner will give you full information screen about everything related to receiving, displaying or recording.

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

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

"timeshift". Not so long ago, this tab appeared in the GOTVIEW software, and therefore it is undergoing changes. If earlier it was too confusing and branched (the poor user was shivering from all kinds of settings), today the situation has settled down a bit - all settings (both video and audio) have somehow made room, grouped and turned out to be available directly from the same page.

In fact, timeshifting is the temporal coding of audio and video streams, if you, say, went away for half an hour to chat with a friend (girlfriend) and then watch a TV show with a time shift for these half an hour.

Our device encodes everything in MPEG2 on the fly, ie. hardware, so you just have to tweak something (mere trifles - bitrate, resolution, etc.) and free up space on the screw.

capture

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

MPEG. As well as in the timeshifting settings, the "Video encoder settings" button has disappeared here - everything is now located directly on the main page. You do not choose any software encoder now, of course. True, it's a pity, but the possibility of cutting along the edges and the opportunity to pause (no, without Twix - such a very common pause in the recording) have disappeared. This is again connected with hardware encoding in MPEG.


But, along with setting the recording time, there was also the possibility of setting 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, one more thing has been added to the processor load schedule - the screw load schedule!

"avi". Of the innovations in the settings of this format - only the possibility of resizing. Everything else is old. Yes, in fact, what else can you think of - connecting deinterlacing filtering, setting the recording time, frame rate, resolution, quality, codec.


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

But it is important not only to correctly configure, 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 at all here, and what to change here - there are much 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 write 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 living there since the 2nd version) - it means that the revision is still underway. This function is used to implement the ability to broadcast TV shows over a local network.


TV programme

A super function that saves all progressive humanity from buying newspapers and magazines, and also helps this very humanity to 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 - checked) 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, having a program, you specify an action - "capture", which is recorded in the Scheduler. The program will automatically start recording at the right time.


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

Software functionality summary

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

Be that as it may, but for the GOTVIEW software you can only bet fives with a plus, and it has never been different.

Reception quality

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



The quality of deinterlacing filters has already been tested in previous reviews - nothing has changed here. Blend and Bob proved to be the best (Bob has a slightly rougher picture).

The MPEG encoder also performed superbly. Well, still - there are no missed frames, there is no mismatch of sound and video, the load on the system is zero. Speaking of loading...

System load

With connected deinterlacing filters, the load does not exceed 65-70% - not bad figures for such an old machine. When encoding to MPEG2, the CPU usage is much lower, although the capture is at the maximum resolution, because all problems fall on CONEXANT's head.

Results

GoTView PCI DVD is a high quality multi-function capture card with TV tuner capability based on the latest chipsets and accompanied by the latest and most powerful software package.

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

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, autonomous - they all have similar functionality, often common advantages and disadvantages. You can talk endlessly about bad TV tuners. Indeed, when buying such a device from an unknown manufacturer, the user runs the risk of encountering not only low-quality software, but also the lack of support for the SECAM format, which today broadcasts most television channels in Russia. As a result, you will have to enjoy only black and white images. Strange as it may seem, this is a very common situation. And about non-working drivers and inconvenient software, you can talk for days on end.

Speaking of good TV tuners, you immediately remember the proven manufacturers Aver, Pinnacle and Prolink (PixelView). During their presence on the Russian market, these companies have done everything to make their products a quality standard. But today this trio will have to make room, because new company, a new name in the TV tuner industry - GoTView, whose tuners are specially designed taking into account the specifics of the Russian user and Russian broadcasting. We meet the first TV tuners for Russian roads from GoTView! To date, there are two models in the GoTView TV tuner line - an internal one with a PCI interface and an external, stand-alone one, connected through the cut between the monitor and the computer. In this review, we will consider the internal tuner GoTView PCI version with a built-in FM receiver.

GoTView PCI

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

Inside the box are:

  • 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
  • TV tuner installation instructions
  • Two software CDs

Before proceeding to a more detailed examination of the TV tuner itself, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with its characteristics and understand what all the delights of localization are this device under the Russian user.

GoTView PCI TV Tuner Specifications

  • Interface - PCI, 32-bit
  • Chip - Conexant BT878
  • 125-channel analog block manufactured by TCL
  • Support for 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 the specified range with a given step
  • Channel frequency tuning 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
  • Resolution selection for preview and full screen
  • Ability to capture individual frames in BMP, GIF and JPEG formats from 80x60 to 768x576 at the touch of a button or by timer
  • Capture video 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 captured and dropped frames
  • Video editing program from InterVideo with great editing capabilities, a wide range of professional features. Completely in Russian.
  • Automatic saving of settings.
  • Ability to reserve 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 to 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 the zone of uncertain reception of high-frequency signals. We will dwell on some of the features 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 covered with dark brown varnish. The board is rather small in size - its length does not go beyond the pins of the PCI slot. The board panel has a golden color, on it (from top to bottom) the following connectors are located:

    FM antenna

    TV antenna

    IR sensor socket

    RCA video input

    TV input jack

    Line audio input

    S-video video input

    Line-out audio

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

The sound card can thus be connected to the tuner using standard audio cables from a CD-ROM. The presence of such internal connectors can be attributed to the advantages of the board, because although in modern conditions nothing prevents the transfer of sound through the PCI bus, but in the case when you need to transfer the audio stream directly through sound card, such a connection is more convenient than using a cable through the 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 encoder has proven itself well over the past years and today is already that "good old, 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 analog blocks on modern TV tuners are several times smaller, but this is not a cause for concern. This analog unit combines a television and radio receiver and, as we will see later, does an excellent job.

As any normal tuner should, the GoTView PCI has an IR-powered control panel. True, this remote control, unlike many others, is very convenient. The remote control is powered by two AAA batteries. Oddly enough, but against the background 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, to translate the signature "Sleep" or "Mute"? These words are already so familiar to our Russian user that it is time to enter them into the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.

Some expensive TV tuners and combo boards that combine a powerful 2D/3D accelerator with tuner functions use radio wave based remote controls. You can't say anything - such a solution is very convenient, but in this case the remote control 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, infrared rays are already familiar to us.

The IR sensor is connected directly to the TV tuner board and can be placed anywhere on the computer case. We did not find stickers for attaching the sensor to the computer in the kit for the GoTView remote control, but the fact is that before us the GoTView PCI tuner visited some other test laboratories, so it is possible that the sticker was lost somewhere with them, because they didn’t want to so that they "intentionally" forgot to put it in the box to the tuner.

Installation and testing

After installing the TV tuner in a free PCI slot and booting the system, you need to install drivers and software. Under the one we use operating system Windows XP drivers installed themselves when the CD was installed in CD-ROM drive. Installation of the program for receiving TV 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 default viewers supplied with the tuners, has been redesigned by GoTView programmers specifically for this tuner.

This program has already recorded the 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 you have TV programs broadcast on cable TV, you will have to scan the entire range. True, the scanning here is top notch. You can scan both the entire frequency range and selected ones, with a given 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 organize the inclusion and recording of 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 is very convenient, by the way, so as not to earn money at the computer and not to miss your favorite series. True, when capturing video in this way, you do not see any capture statistics and you may not know at all whether the recording is being made to the hard drive or not.

But manual capture, caused by one click on the button, is replete with settings. Here you can reserve disk space for the next video file, choose a resolution, apply filters, change the video and audio compression quality, as well as get full capture statistics - what frame rate is being recorded and how many frames are missed. At the bottom of the video capture window there is an indicator of the load of the central processor of the system, and if the load is high, you can manually increase the priority of the recording program.

Impression

In our test lab, cable TV, so the preset frequencies of the Russian TV channels turned out to be useless and I had to scan the entire range. Scanning was carried out with a minimum step, so it took quite a long time. Of course, if there is not much time, then 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 one. samsung tv, which, according to the manufacturer, was also adapted to the specifics of Russian broadcasting. Such a high sensitivity of the tuner was very pleased, because more channels were available on the computer than on the TV.

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

As for radio broadcasts, as a rule, there are no complaints about tuners' radio receivers, and GoTView is no exception. The tuner received VHF channels and for their reception there was no need to launch a separate module or a separate program - in the viewer it is enough to switch the channel and the computer will turn from a TV into a radio receiver.

conclusions

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

No shortcomings were found in GoTView during the testing process. Perhaps the program for editing and creating your own video collection WinDVD Creator is less convenient than Pinnacle Studio 8. But again, a trial version is supplied with inexpensive Pinnacle tuners Studio programs 7 or Studio 8 with a 30-day expiration date, and GoTView comes with a full licensed version of WinDVD Creator in Russian. True, if you wish, you can purchase any software for editing 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 and share a place on the pedestal with the newcomer GoTView.

Mikhail Degtyarev (aka LIKE OFF)
02/10.2003