AVerMedia AVerTV Box

Admin - 2006-11-08 05:42:22 in Digital Photography/Video
Category: Digital Photography/Video
Reviewed by: Admin   
Reviewed on: September 2, 2001

Introduction



This is a nice little device that you place between your Mac (or PC) and its monitor to to convert your expensive monitor, into an inexpensive TV without any additional software!. You can also switch back and forth from TV to Computer Monitor. If you are crammed for space, or want to be able to watch a particular show without having an extra TV, this is a better bargain than one might initially think. Plug-n-play, external AVerTV Box allows you to watch TV or video on any Computer monitor or projector with a VGA input.

It also allows you to connect to any Nintendo®, Sega®, Dreamcast or PlayStation 2® for playing the most up-to-date video games. The full screen or ¼ Screen Display* supports resolutions up to 800 x 600 (PC) or 832 x 624 (Mac) with a Refresh Rate of 50-75Hz. you can work simultaneously on the computer and watch the latest sports game all on the same screen! The Stereo Sound and easy-to-use remote control completely immerse you into a movie theatre experience right in the comfort of your own home. Its compact size and two-way (vertical and horizontal) positioning make it perfect for a college dorm or any other tight fitting location.

What You Get

Specifications

Supports up to 4 Inputs:
Supports up to 3 Outputs:
Dimensions:
 Weight:
Warranty:

Requirements

PC:
MAC:
Monitor:
Projector:

Features

  • Watch Full Screen TV on a VGA Monitor without Turning on your PC/Mac
  • Supports Two Video Inputs to Connect with VCR or Video Game Devices
  • Plug-n-Play! No Software Drivers Required
  • Fully Functional Infrared Remote Control
  • Full Screen or ¼ Screen TV Display (when the computer is turned on)
  • Supports up to 800 x 600 (PC) and 832 x 642 (Mac) resolutions for ¼ Screen TV Display (no limitation on Full Screen TV Display)
  • Stereo With Simulated 3D Surround Sound
  • Supports 181 Channels with Fine Tuning Function
  • Auto-Scan Function
  • Scans Frequency starting from 0.25MHZ, increasing by 1MHZ at a time
  • Supports 50~75Hz Refresh Rate for Video Input
  • Built-in Touch Button Control Panel
  • On Screen Display Function
  • Sleep Timer Function
  • Brightness/Contrast/Tint/Color/Sharpness Adjustment
  • Compatible with Any Monitor or Projector with a VGA Input
  • Available in NTSC or PAL Versions
  • Supports Composite Video Output for TV Display Only

    • I love the looks of this thing! It has that new contemporary / hitech look! You can choose to use the provided stand or you can just use the fold out feet that is built in to the AverTV Box. I chose to use the stand, because I didn't have much space on my desk, and using the stand takes up very little room.

     

    The installation went pretty smooth. First, you plug the provided vga cable in to your video card, and the other end, in to the AverTV Box where it says video in.


    Next, you plug your monitor's vga cable in to the AverTV box where it says vga out.

     

    Then you plug your sound cable that came with your AverTV box, in to your sound card where it says Line Out, and the other end in to your AverTV box.

      This is where I had a few problems. Since I have a NewQ Equalizer, it took me awhile to setup the sound properly. You shouldn't run in to any problems though, because you probably don't have a Newq EQ :) Lastly, you plug the provided AC Power adapter in to your wall outlet and the other end in to the AverTV Box where it says AC. Your all done! The best thing about this product is that there is no need for software! It's 100% plug and play. Once you turn the power on, the menu system should popup. On "Menu 1" you will find "CH Fine Tune" use this option to make the picture clearer. Below "CH Fine Tune" you will see "PC BGM". PC BGM allows you to countinue listening to your TV or video sound while you work on your PC. There is an On and an Off option for this feature. Next, you will see "Video Source" and it allows you to select an external video device, such as a Playstation 2 or a VCR. Below this feature you will see "TV Source", which allows you to choose from Cable TV or Air. Lastly, is the Display Mode settings. This is something AVerMedia should work on. The maximum resolution is 800x600 (50-75 refresh rate) for PC and 832-624 (50-70 refresh rate) for mac. I usually run my display settings at 1280x1024@95 refresh rate or 1600x1200@85 refresh rate. The 800x600@75 refresh rate doesn't look so great on my 19" monitor. It may look better on a 15" or 17" monitor versus mine. Another thing I didn't like was, when switching from the AverTV Box back to my computer desktop, I noticed my refresh rate was limited by the AverTV Box 75Hz refresh rate. So, my 1280x1024 resolution desktop looked really bad, and was very hard to read. I ran it at 1024x768 and it looked alright. On "Menu 2" we find the AutoScan feature. Autoscan will search thru a default set of frequencies for active channels, once a channel is found, it will add that channel in to it's memory. The feature below it, is called Scan All Freq and it will scan ALL frequencies, starting from xx.25 Mhz increasing by 1 Mhz at a time. It will also save any channels it finds in to memory. CH Add / Del allows you to manually add or delete a channel in to the AverTV Box memory. When the AverTV Box is first connected, it will automatically enter SET AREA mode and allow you to choose the appropriate country signal. You can manually enter it in from this feature. The last feature on this menu is called Language. Yep, you guessed it, it allows you to change the OSD, or "On Screen Display", font to: English, Chinese, or Japanese.

    On "Menu 3" we have all the picture settings. All of these are pretty self explanatory. It's just like programming a TV :)

     

    On "Menu 4" we find two options, one called PIP Border and the other called PIP Color. You can choose to turn it On or Off. The PIP Color is the frame around the PIP. This is about the only thing I didn't like about the AVerTV Box. No, it's not the feature, but it's the resolution limitations. You have to run a Max. resolution of 800x600 for this to work, or a minimum of 640x480. For many computer users, this shouldn't be a big problem, but if you have a 17", 19" or higher monitor, you will more likely be running a higher resolution. On "Menu 5", the last menu :), we can find the reset to factory defaults options. To retore and clear all the preset channels just set "SETUP" to say "YES" or to restore the default picture settings, choose "Picture" and set it to "YES".

    Conclusion

    Overall, I really liked the Aver TV Box. Although, I do believe there are a few things that should be worked on, if possible. Like the maximum resolution for the picture itself, and for the max resolution support for the PIP. Maybe they could throw a GeForce3 inside :) The Aver TV Box was easy to install, much like installing a VCR and TV. I give AverMedia a big thumbs up on their innovative design, and features. Surf on over to AVerMedia.com to find out more about this product, and many other great products they offer!

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