Installation

Setting everything up is a snap, especially if you’re familiar with PC component installation. The HDTV WONDER is a PCI expansion card, so simply drop the card in an open PCI slot and you’re good to go. Once you’ve got the card seated in your system, simply attach the coaxial cables for the DTV antenna and your cable signal (or antenna as well if you don’t have a cable provider) and you’re done. Now simply plug the USB receiver for the REMOTE WONDER into an available USB port, and for connecting devices such as your camcorder, a purple video input box is provided.

Once that’s done, assemble the HDTV antenna. The procedure is pretty simple and doesn’t require any tools, just snap the upper portion of the antenna into the base. From start to finish, installing the HDTV WONDER shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. Once the hardware is installed, ATI’s software suite can be installed in a few mouse clicks, and just like setting up a TV, the receiver can automatically scan for stations in your area.

Signal strength meter

For DTV stations, ATI even provides a handy signal strength meter. You can use this tool to find the optimum location to place the HDTV antenna. The indicator shows signal strength ranging from 0-100% and provides audio feedback so you can position the antenna even while your back is turned away from the monitor.

If you also have an HDTV-ready television and a ATI RADEON 9500 or better and ATI’s HDTV component adapter, you can output content from the HDTV WONDER directly to your HDTV. There’s only one caveat with HDTV WONDER: it requires a DX9 graphics card.

Multimedia Center 9

Multimedia Center is the launch pad for all the software applications that ship with the HDTV WONDER. It includes all the players needed for operating the HDTV WONDER, we’ll discuss the two core players, the DTV player and TV player on the next page, but the file player can be used to watch a variety of video formats, while the CD and VCD players support audio and video CD playback. There’s also a DVD player that includes dual subtitle support among its list of features.

Multimedia Center also includes a multimedia library for managing your multimedia files (audio and video) as well as Gemstar’s GUIDE PLUS+ electronic programming guide software, which provides TV listings for your area.

New additions that have been added to Multimedia Center 9 include integrated media burning, which allows you to burn multimedia content directly from the multimedia center library directly to disc, and EAZYLAUNCH, which provides a new interface for launching applications within EAZYLOOK. This allows users to quickly switch between multimedia center applications. Simply press the red power button on your REMOTE WONDER remote to switch between the various software applications.

Finally, EAZYLOOK now includes a menu system for adjusting application settings such as picture/audio quality and recording settings. This allows you to make these adjustments from the comfort of your couch without having to leave the distance user interface.