The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
Compro USB TV Tuner
 David Hague		  

TV Tuners for PCs have been around quite a while and USB based ones are all the go. Compro makes a range and David Hague played with the USB version.

Devices such as USB gadgets are very difficult to review. Most of them just do their job and stay pretty much invisible until you need that USB port for something else. Indeed, most of the time we tend to review the software the device is based on rather than the device itself. Of course there are exceptions to this rule - you can compare the quality of printers for example - but such things as headphones, mice, disk drives or even USB hubs is a little more difficult. USB based TV tuners largely come under that umbrella.

In theory, you plug it in, attach a cable from a suitable antenna and with the supplied software, you can watch digital television (DTV). But of more use, is being able to ally a TV tuner with Windows Media Center and take advantage of all the further features you gain.

The Compro Videomate U2800f priced at $149, (why do they use these silly model numbers?) is about the size of two boxes of matches end-to-end in a white case with cooling slots on the back and a perforated front. I mention this specifically as - boy, does it get hot! And as I understand LEDs don't put out heat, the bluish purple glow from the interior can't be the culprit. Trust me, I don't mean warm, I mean HOT.

One end has a standard TV antenna cable (known as a Belling Lee socket) and the other an everyday USB connector. Also supplied is a shortish USB extender cable which most laptop users will need as the bulge of the Compro's shape means when plugged in directly, it's quite probable that with the standard side-by-side dual USB layout on most machines, another device won't fit. A secondary mini-USB port is located on the side of the Compro to allow connection of a (supplied) composite / S-video cable.

It's necessary to have USB 2.0 too. Although a basic antenna is also supplied, in truth it's a waste of time in most places around Australia. With a very good digital TV signal in my house, it still needed an amplifier on the antenna, and to get the best result, a booster amplifier was also needed on the cable from the wall socket to the Compro.

I did install the Compro DTV software, and it does perform a few nice functions. It will pick up standard free to air DTV (not Foxtel obviously), you can schedule recordings, a remote control is supplied, time shifting is possible, there's still-frame capture and you burn straight to disk. Subtitles and Teletext are also allegedly supported, although I can't confirm that (and they apparently don't work in the UK).

I thought it would be far more useful to marry the Compro with Windows Media Center; I suspect that as the possibilities of WMC are discovered by users, and especially the potential of the Australian developed IceTV Electronic Programming Guide (EPG). For those who aren't aware, when installing Windows Media Center, it will attempt to install its own EPG - which actually doesn't work in Australia. And while you can use WMC without an EPG, having one makes a world of difference.
 

Once you've installed WMC - which requires Windows Vista Home or Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows XP SP2 - it's a simple matter of accessing the 'settings' section to find the tuner, and get it to do a search of all the available stations. This may vary from location to location in Australia. For example, in WA we get 28 stations including all of the ABC, SBS and channels 10, 7 and 9 as well as SBS radio and ABC Dig and Dig Jazz. In Sydney however, depending on location, you may also pickup such esoterica as the cameras on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and some of the Christian free to air channels and, while I can't verify this, the Channel 31 stations when they (and if) go digital. I don't know what you guys in Melbourne get, but I'm sure it's better than in Sydney. :)

When doing timed recordings, I've successfully (for more than three months) recorded my favourites of Top Gear and Torchwood and selected one-off programs without a problem. I also watched the cricket test matches between Australia and South Africa while writing stories and preparing PC Update. This can be a trap I have to say, slowing down the workflow just a tad!

Do I recommend you buy one? I'd say yes, especially if you want to take advantage of Windows Media Center to become a hub of an entertainment system as it's designed to do. As a standalone animal, as mentioned, it works well, but I am not sure how long the gimmick value may last. But certainly a full blast WMC that's set up correctly is definitely the way of the future, and using the USB version means you don't use a precious slot and you can use it in a notebook and take your "TV" with you.

Reprinted from the February 2009 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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