Introduction

OnAir Solution has a new HDTV tuner that connects to your PC or notebooks through a USB connection and comes with software for some PVR action as well.

Introduction

Since the dawn of time, companies have claimed that the convergence of the personal computer and the television was going to happen tomorrow.  Of course, as all of you reading this at a desk on a computer monitor know, that hasn’t quite happened yet.  And in reality, there is nothing in the cards with this device here or anything that I have seen that is going to make it happen overnight.  This HDTV tuner I am looking at here today does close the gap quite a bit, if only with a few caveats that keep it from being a “must have” device for everyone. 

If you have ever thought about watching TV on your PC, or maybe even using a PC on your TV, you should definitely keep reading to see what the OnAir GT has to offer.

AutumnWave and OnAir Solution

If you have never heard of AutumnWave or OnAir Solution, you aren’t alone; until I was contacted by them I hadn’t seen or used any of their products before.  OnAir Solution is a company based out of Korea that actually develops and manufacturers the OnAir USB tuners such as the OnAir GT we are reviewing here, the OnAir Creator and the OnAir HDTV

AutumnWave is the US-based company from Pennsylvania that distributes and supports US buyers on the OnAir solutions.  Unlike a lot of US distribitors for foreign products, AutumnWave doesn’t just resell, they re-package the hardware and provide correct English language manuals and drivers.  That doesn’t sound like a big feature, but after dealing with product after product that has giant female armor-wearing knights on the box and difficult to discern manuals, it’s a breath of fresh air.

The OnAir GT is their mobile version of an HDTV tuner (also handles analog TV) that comes with the decoder and software for timeshifting and recording as well. 

OnAir GT Review - A USB HDTV Tuner and DVR - Graphics Cards 30

The OnAir GT sports quite a few features that could raise some eyebrows:

  • Remote control with sleep timer
  • Wallpaper TV View (use live or captured images as your desktop, something Vista is bringing later in the year!)
  • A/V input allows connection of video game console to play on PC and record videos, or connect a VCR to convert old tapes to DVD
  • DVR application
  • Schedule up to 80 prorams to record
  • Timeshifting – pause live TV
  • Support for HDTV resolutions up to 1920×1080
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding and output
  • Playback of HD Stream formats

There are a lot of other features supported by this unique device, so read on to find out more.

Next Page – The USB HDTV-GT

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