When it comes to television receivers for your computer, there are several different types to choose from. For those looking for an over-the-air solution, the choices up to now have mainly dealt with the Global Terrestrial Signals (DVB-T) that are being used in most part of the world... except the US. For those of us stateside, there has been a lack of this type of device, mainly in part because there is often a lack of an appropriate signal.
AutumnWave has addressed this shortfall with a product line that is aiming to take advantage of the newly broadcasted digital signals and allows those of us in the US to enjoy the same thing that others have been enjoying for several years.
This particular package is their low-end solution and is designed for portability and ease of use. It has a very small footprint and uses USB connectivity to get the signal to your screen. While testing, I noted no problems at all with either analog or digital and HD signals when used in an outdoor setting. Indoors was another story, but this is going to be more the fault of the broadcasting entities than the receiver device. Of course, they have also included a set of cables to hook up to an existing video source, so you should be set regardless.
Overall image quality was very acceptable. Analog signals were on par with more expensive rigs tested and HD content was simply stunning. Depending on your display output, this device is capable of resolutions up to 1920x1080. The window you watch in can be set to a full screen mode or left in a window to let you watch TV and work at the same time.
MSRP for this product is set at roughly $180US, but a little digging online can yield a more reasonable $150 price tag. While this is slightly higher than many wired devices, it should be noted that this is a relatively new area for those of us in the US so price comparisons will be spotty at this point in time.
