ATI’s THEATER™ 550 PRO chipset definitely brings a needed update to prior generations of TV tuner cards with the addition of the hardware based 3D comb filter and noise reduction. The promise of better picture quality is visible, but the included software hinders the ability to get the optimum experience out of the package as delivered. The addition of the FM tuner was a nice bonus feature that isn’t often seen in a TV/Video card combinations. The remote control was functional for basic use, though a bit confusing at times. If there was anything that stands out as needing correction, it would be the included software that could use improvement. Fortunately other software packages like Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and CyberLink’s PowerCinema TV Plus are available to fill in the missing feature gaps.
Overall I am very satisfied with the PowerColor Theater 550 Pro TV tuner and would like to thank Power Color for sending me their package for the review. If you are looking to add or replace a TV tuner to your PC, I would highly recommend that you put this card at the top of your list to consider.
Rating
I was a little split on how to rate this package since I really liked the hardware itself, but the software just didn’t quite do it for me. With this in mind, I split up the ratings into individual sections to get a better overall average. The final score came out to 9 out of 10 which means this product has earned the OCmodshop Seal of Approval.
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