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I live on the west side of Los Angeles, right on the coast I do not have a line-of-sight to Mt. Wilson where the TV stations are located, thanks to the Santa Monica mountains, so I was convinced that I would not be able to receive DTV. I did not want to invest in a HDTV unless I could receive OTA signals.
When AccessDTV came out with their inexpensive HDTV card for the pc, I thought I would give it a try.
The card arrived two days after I ordered it. I installed it on a 4-year-old Micron, which had access to an area where I could try various UHF antennas. The installation was flawless and when I launched the program it ran without a hitch. The Micron was running Windows 2000 Professional. I plugged in the small indoor UHF antenna that came with the unit and placed it on the BBQ out on the balcony. I aimed the antenna toward the hills that blocked my signal path noting there were several tall building in the area that surely would cause severe multi-path problems should there be a signal.
To my surprise, CBS on channel 60 popped on the screen, as did 9 other DTV stations. So I didn't live in an rf gulch after all.
The DTV pictures were outstanding and the HD pictures were spectacular. (Four stations were transmitting HD.)
The Micron is a dual boot system, so the system was installed under Windows ME also - again flawlessly.
I moved the card to a Dell computer/21" monitor that was just a few months old, also running both Windows ME and Windows 2000 Pro, again, with no problems.
The AccessDTV HDTV plug-in card is a marvel. It receives both analog TV (both OTA frequencies and cable frequencies) and DTV at 480p and HD at 720p and 1080i. The picture can be displayed on your computer monitor or on a HD ready TV. The sound can be played through your PC speakers or surround through your hi-fi system.
The card also provides recording capabilities. Like TiVO, it includes a pause button which will stop the show you are watching while you go to the bathroom, answer the telephone, replenish your adult refreshment, etc. and then pick-up where you left off when you return. It has instant replay (last 5, 10 or 15 seconds) and you can record programs. The recording capabilities works when you are in the DTV mode but not the analog mode.
I live on the west side of Los Angeles, right on the coast I do not have a line-of-sight to Mt. Wilson where the TV stations are located, thanks to the Santa Monica mountains, so I was convinced that I would not be able to receive DTV. I did not want to invest in a HDTV unless I could receive OTA signals.
When AccessDTV came out with their inexpensive HDTV card for the pc, I thought I would give it a try.
The card arrived two days after I ordered it. I installed it on a 4-year-old Micron, which had access to an area where I could try various UHF antennas. The installation was flawless and when I launched the program it ran without a hitch. The Micron was running Windows 2000 Professional. I plugged in the small indoor UHF antenna that came with the unit and placed it on the BBQ out on the balcony. I aimed the antenna toward the hills that blocked my signal path noting there were several tall building in the area that surely would cause severe multi-path problems should there be a signal.
To my surprise, CBS on channel 60 popped on the screen, as did 9 other DTV stations. So I didn't live in an rf gulch after all.
The DTV pictures were outstanding and the HD pictures were spectacular. (Four stations were transmitting HD.)
The Micron is a dual boot system, so the system was installed under Windows ME also - again flawlessly.
I moved the card to a Dell computer/21" monitor that was just a few months old, also running both Windows ME and Windows 2000 Pro, again, with no problems.
The AccessDTV HDTV plug-in card is a marvel. It receives both analog TV (both OTA frequencies and cable frequencies) and DTV at 480p and HD at 720p and 1080i. The picture can be displayed on your computer monitor or on a HD ready TV. The sound can be played through your PC speakers or surround through your hi-fi system.
The card also provides recording capabilities. Like TiVO, it includes a pause button which will stop the show you are watching while you go to the bathroom, answer the telephone, replenish your adult refreshment, etc. and then pick-up where you left off when you return. It has instant replay (last 5, 10 or 15 seconds) and you can record programs. The recording capabilities works when you are in the DTV mode but not the analog mode.
