DVICO FusionHDTV5 Lite

[drstew]

Does anyone have experience with this card? Can it work with an HP Pavilion S7410n Slimline Desktop (or similar model) with Windows XP or Media Center? I read somewhere that for media center to work, one also has to have a regular TV card/tuner too? Is this so? Why?

[painkiller]

While I have the GOLD version (not the Lite) of this card, the primary purpose of this card is to provide HDTV by either using an outside antenna (OTA) or your cable company (not satellite).

Chances are, at this point in time, you don't have too many hdtv channels available to you - likely just your local channels (available over your OTA antenna or cable company). Meaning the rest of cable channels are in SD (standard definition 4:3) such as TNT, TBS, SciFi, etc. etc.

So if you want to control the channels selection throughout all channels, using this card you mention - you have to add another card (in my case. I have the Hauppage 350 card plugged in the same computer as my RT GOLD card with Beyond TV controlling both - depending on the channel/station I select - I will see an HDTV program or SD program.)

Does that help you?

[redwudz]

You can use AntennaWeb to see what OTA channels are available in your area: http://www.checkhd.com/aw/welcome.aspx

Media Center is a OS that has special requirements for the video card. It's not an easy OS to install on a regular computer. It's really made for preconfigured computers that come with it installed.

FAQs about MCE and the card from DVICO: http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/Eng/Support/FAQMCE2005.aspx?act=SCAT&CATID=9&SCATID=42

The only problem you might have on a desktop case is card height, though the DVICO card should fit. But I would check first.

And from the DVICO site about the Fusion Lite: http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/eng/Products/RTLite.aspx

That should give you some information to start with. It's a good card. There was a discussion of the Gold version recently: https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=307467

[drstew]

Thanks for your help. It seems that Media Center requires another tuner card. So I'm trying to figure-out if I use XP, will just this HDTV card work (I don't need regular channels)? The HP computer I mention will only take a 1/2 height card (no other expansion slots). I this computer because the form factor is small, and it will fit with my other audio/video equipment in a limited area.

[thinger62]

Yes, it will work with XP. I have one and tried to install it in MCE, only to find out that MCE does indeed require an analog tuner too. You may be able to temporarily install an analog one and then remove it, or even borrow a usb tuner from the supported list and use it to install the Fusion, then lose it. I've heard of that working. I got rid of MCE and installed plain old XP and it works fine. By the way, I also have the Fusion usb and that works equally well for me, and is portable too, if a bit more $. I get crystal clear OTA reception with both of them.

[Marty2003]

It should still work in MCE without an analog tuner. You just won't be able to use the actual Media Center application. That's what I'm doing right now, I have MCE installed with only the DVICO FusionHDTV5 Lite. The only problem I had was with a Media Center Remote Error that kept popping up. I disabled the service that was causing the popup and everything's been working great since. It's probably easier than installing regular XP

With the card you get HDTV channels and analog NTSC channels so you don't have to worry about not receiving regular channels.

The DIVICO FusionHDTV5 is a half-height card so you don't have to worry about it not fitting either.