GOTVIEW PCI DVD2 Lite and Deluxe: TV-tuners with hardware video compression
Some time ago, the GoTView PCI DVD TV-tuner with the hardware
MPEG-encoder CX23416 won a lot of whatever rewards for high quality of
reception, high recording quality, the best package bundle,
for… In fact, for all. This unique TV-tuner has still been
in great demand among all the home video fanciers who finally decide to
digitize the content accumulated for many years. But for some reasons,
the manufacturer decided not to equip this stylish low-profile board
with an FM-radio receiver. We only have to guess about the causes, but
there is the fact that the circle of potential users of GoTView PCI DVD
have turned narrow significantly, since the radio audience in our
country is wide enough.
Today, we are presenting two novelties that continue the line,
they are GoTView PCI DVD2 Lite and GoTView PCI DVD2 Deluxe which
arrived at our test lab today. The names seem to suggest that the
boards are to be very similar to one another and differ in fine details
only, say, availability of accessories in the package bundle. But in
fact these two video cards are similar to one another only in some
parts.
Package bundle specifics
The company has not revised its proprietary style of packaging
(and the hardware itself either) where the violet color prevails. Boxes
with the cards are compact enough and are similar in dimensions , but
the package bundle of the Lite and Deluxe models has undergone
essential changes.
GoTView PCI DVD2 Lite
Inside the box with PCI DVD2 Lite we found the following
contents: a replaceable metal plate to fit the board inside various
makes of housings like Barebone, a remote control, an
S-Video->RCA adapter, an audio cable 3.5 mm minijack - an RCA
pair, an external IR sensor for the remote control with sticky base, an
FM aerial, CD with proprietary software, a traditional CD with WinDVD
Creator 2 by InterVideo, as well as a hard copy of video editing manual
(in Russian).
In general, the package bundle is not bad at all indeed - there are all
the required cables, a stylish flat remote control so attractive to the
users still since the old version of GoTView PCI DVD (that is one of
the most elegant remote controls which come as bundled items with
various TV-tuners),
the board can be fitted inside compact housing, and there is
an unusual more comfortable FM-aerial. The latter is not a T-shaped
structure. Now it is a single cord which is easier to fasten around.
GoTView PCI DVD2 Deluxe
There is less free space in the second box: the tuner itself,
a replaceable metal plate, a universal remote control, an external IR
sensor for the remote control, an S-Video cable with RCA connectors, an
audio cable 3.5 mm minijack - an RCA pair, a T-shaped classical FM
aerial, two CDs, a Russian-language manual for video editing, and the
remote control usage guide.
The "Deluxe" prefix added to the name of the tuner has its
purpose. The most important difference in the package bundle, apart
from the additional cords, is the unique remote control which we wrote
about several times on our web site. You can find a detailed
description in the respective review. Nevertheless, of note is that the
remote control is primarily remarkable for the fact that its operation
does not require any software - it leverages the operating system
facilities of hot key assignments for absolutely any action, e.g.,
start-up of a program. Besides, this handy remote control operates with
any programs that allow for hot key assignments, e.g., with the popular
Winamp MP3-player. And of course the remote control is fully supported
by the program to operate GoTView TV tuners.
Summing it up briefly, we note that the package bundle of
GoTView PCI DVD2 Deluxe is one of the most abundant among similar cards
to date.
Design of the
Externally, the boards are different in not only the
components but in their dimensions - the Lite version is much shorter
than its elder brother. On the other hand, by the width both cards are
suitable for installation within a Barebone system, in which case the
metal fastening plate has to be replaced with a shorter one that comes
as a bundled item. Let's examine each tuner in more detail.
GoTView PCI DVD2 Lite
This model is interesting in that the user won't find the
large-size traditional RF unit. The thing is, this tuner uses a
semiconductor selector switch by Xceive - XC2028. But it is so tiny
that you can't notice this square chip on the front side of the board.
Quite recently, we examined operation of the RF-unit of the
company together with a TV-tuner for the notebook AVerTV
Hybrid+FM Cardbus. But instead of that, it used the XC3018
chip, and the reception quality has not proved on par. There are no
longer any doubts in that semiconductor selectors have equaled screened
analogous boxes at quality. Besides, the chip-selector is cheaper to
produce, which is another hit at the tin boxes.
As the core, the manufacturer has made use of the 10-bit
modern decoder chip CX25843 by Conexant System Inc, which meets all the
latest requirements: it allows for MPEG-1/2 recording at up to 15
Mbit/s stream rate, support for stereo sound in NICAM and A2 formats,
support for various audio settings (balance, three-band equalizer) etc.
The no less popular encoder chip CX23416 by the same
manufacturer is in charge of MPEG-1/2 encoding. This chip can be found
much more frequently as an encoder on various cards, both internal and
external, du to a high quality of the produced material, as well as
adjustable noise-suppression settings.
We have already mentioned the chips CX25843 and CX23416
repeatedly, so we'd better not dwell on their traits. On the whole, the
board is wired on both sides, it stands out with its traditionally high
quality of soldering and no less traditional stylish violet lacquered
coating.
Another interesting detail is that the board has not a single
electrolytic capacitor - only ceramics. Moreover, the board uses a
power supply stabilization system to reduce noise from other devices,
which is extremely important for the internal tuner.
Another fine point regarding the heat emission. In the GoTView
PCI DVD2 Lite tuner, it has been reduced to the minimum limit. First,
the combination of Falcon 2 chips (CX25843 and CX23416) has already
shown its best on other products, including the formerly tested
TV-tuner GoTView USB 2.0 DVD Deluxe. Secondly, the RF-unit XC2028
differs from its brothers in a much lower heat emission. It turns out
that the board heats up insignificantly during operation, so it is a
perfect match for compact Barebone systems.
GoTView PCI DVD2 Deluxe
On the higher-end model, the manufacturer decided to install a
proven and still trendy RF-unit. To that end, the most advanced model
to date was selected - Philips FQ1216ME/I H-5, or Mk5, which also
features in FM range reception, high image quality, and low noise level.
The Deluxe version is similar to the Lite for the availability
of the same principal chips CX25843 and CX23416 - the Falcon 2
combination.
Besides, traditional electrolyte capacitors have been added to
the double-sided wiring.
That is, GoTView PCI DVD2 Deluxe appears to be a classical
version of a TV-tuner for those who are not into latest trendy ideas
but prefer proven structures, albeit more costly, and reliable.
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