ADS Tech's TV Station 100 lets you watch videos, DVDs, and live television broadcasts on any regular LCD or CRT monitor. It works reasonably well and it'll save you money if used instead of buying a dedicated LCD TV. However, it's not without some major limitations. For instance, there are no SCART or composite video ports, digital video and audio sources aren't supported, and you can't use the component output at the same time as the RCA/S-Video output. There's no TV tuner software supplied, so you can forget about PiP, scheduled recording, time-shift recording, or even the ability to record video from any analogue video source, and its build quality is poor. If you're looking for a quick, easy and relatively low cost way to turn your computer monitor into a regular TV - without the complexities of using a computer and TV tuner card - the TV Station 100 does the job. Just don't expect the latest in terms of A/V features or build quality.
Pros: Reasonably priced; built-in TV tuner
Cons: No digital video/audio ports; 1280x1024-pixel max resolution
In addition, the external 100-channel tuner has been tested and qualified to display the new me² (Media Entertainment Evolution) logo. Similar to the company's audio/video capture and editing devices that display the me² logo, the TV tuner rovides you with the assurance that the devices you use to capture, edit and burn TV shows and radio programs on your desktop or laptop PC will work with other products displaying the me² logo.
In addition to delivering progressive video output, the TV Station 100 provides VGA and component video (YPbPr) outputs using 10-bit conversion. Unfortunately, it only supports analogue video sources and resolutions up to 1280x1024 pixels, and there's no SCART/composite video ports or support for digital audio.
The TV Station 100 works with both VGA and component (red, green, blue) connections, thus helping to achieve a relatively high quality TV signal. Better still, with audio and video (RCA or S-Video) inputs included as standard, you can connect DVD players, set top receivers, and VCRs, so you can watch DVDs, videos, or digital television through your monitor. This is an ideal solution if you're tight and space and want your computer monitor to double as a television in the evening, or if you want to flick to your favourite programme in the middle of a working day.
ADS Tech supplies a matching infrared remote control, an added bonus that allows you to switch between PC and TV mode, change channels, select source input, set sleep timer, and utilise many other features from the comfort of your armchair or sofa. A relatively intuitive and easy-to-navigate on-screen display also confirms channel and menu selections.
Setting up and configuring the TV Station 100 is really easy - a computer isn't even needed and there's no need to mess with driver software. All you have to do is connect the TV Station 100 to an LCD or CRT monitor using a standard analogue video cable (not supplied), connect a video source (such as an Xbox or DVD player) to the S-Video or 15-pin A/V DIN sockets (cables not supplied), and then select the source using a dedicated button on the device itself or on the remote control.
