Software

The CD interface, which autostarts upon insertion of the CD is quite boring - to say the least. To get up and running with the TV Wonder 600 you are required to install the drivers and the software. Installing the drivers after having installed the card is quite straight forward. Windows recognizes the new device and then assigns the right drivers to it during the driver installation. That is the first step.


Installing the PowerCinema 5 Software is quite similar. You are required to enter some personal information as well as the CD-Key. The latter can be found on the white CD sleeve, so you better not loose it. The Windows Installer does not require a reboot and you free to open up the software right after installation.


The Cyberlink PowerCinema 5 Application does a lot more than just allow you to access your TV Tuner. It features a fully functional Media Center interface, with the ability to view videos, pictures and listen to music. This is great if you have a normal Windows XP installation or Vista version without the Microsoft Media Center. On the other hand PowerCinema is pure overkill if you just want to watch TV on your PC while working. The initial setup of the tuner is incredibly easy. Simply follow the few instructions on screen and then let the software do a scan for available channels. Doing so takes a few minutes, but once it is done, you may close the wizard and are ready to go.

Use

the Interface of PowerCinema is quite straight forward and is intended to be readable on your TV when sitting on the couch. I will not go into to much detail on the software, as this is not a product directly from AMD or PowerColor. The interesting part is the little ATI Theater logo within the software. This is something you will most likely not see if you were to buy the application on a store shelf.


The image quality of the TV signal is quite vivid. Color reproduction is excellent, as is the syncronization between video and audio. The only downside is the fact, that there seems to be a bit more ghosting than usual. this is apparent by the fast moving hand of the biker in the opening scene of Open Water 2. It should be noted that we are looking at the image quality from within Cyberlink PowerCinema 5. Other software specializing in best possible performance and quality may give you a different result. The same goes for the black border on the side of the image. Some applications may not project this one in their window, while others do. PowerCinema does not really offer you a lot of customization in regard to the deinterlacer and post processing of the signal. To avoid any artifacts and noise generated by the antenna cable, a +90db shielded cable was used for this review.

Using the remote control was intuitive and the receiver worked very well. The weight balance of the remote is good enough, but it would have been nice to see a more ergonomic shape in general. The card did get a bit warm during use, but this could be a side effect of a hot graphic card right under the PCIe x1 slot heating up the surroundings.