MyHD High-Definition Decoder ATSC Tuner PCI Card
Home
Theater Personal Computers (HTPCs) never really excited me much when they were
strictly limited to DVD playback. The thought of having a PC dedicated to watching
DVDs didn't appeal to me. However, my view of HTPCs completely changed when we
installed a MIT (Macro Image Technology) MDP-100 high-definition receiver card
into our PC. MIT is a Korean-based company that offers a fully integrated high-definition
receiver on a small PCI card. This product turns your PC into a powerful high-definition
PVR (Personal Video Recorder). Two RF inputs are available for both cable and
over the air use. In addition, the MDP-100 includes inputs for composite, s-video
and two-channel audio. All incoming video can be converted to 720p or 1080i in
either RGB or component (Y-Pr-Pb) formats. A digital output (via the RCA connector)
on the card is used for streaming Dolby Digital or standard two-channel audio
to your A/V processor or receiver. If you happen to run Windows XP, the MDP-100
can control also stream high-definition content to your D-VHS recorder using the
PC's Firewire (iLink) connection. However, we preferred using the hard drive for
recording media for obvious reasons. Besides, we needed to take advantage of a
new 160GB hard drive we recently purchased. The high-definition data stream is
a memory hog and will require about 8GB of hard drive space per hour.
Design
The 8-VSB (Vestigial Side Band) ATSC HD tuner is built on a single-slot PCI card
that incorporates the NxtWave NXT2000 8-VSB demodulator and TeraLogic Janus 8-VSB
decoder. The NXT2000 is fully ATSC compliant and includes both demodulation and
forward-error correction capabilities. The chip features a high bandwidth, high
performance 10-Bit A/D converter with an internal reference. According to NxtWave
Communications (Now owned by ATI), the chip’s 8 VSB mode had performance
significantly better than what was shown for the Grand Alliance system at the
Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC). The
ATTC was created to test advanced television systems on behalf of the FCC Advisory
Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). The equalization range for the
demodulator chip covers all known multipath conditions found in North America.
The chip is also robust in the presence of adjacent and co-channel NTSC interference,
impulse noise, etc. The NXT2000 also includes a built-in signal quality indicator
for quick antenna alignment and fast signal acquisition. The built-in carrier
recovery circuitry, along with the equalization scheme results in robust and dependable
demodulation even when the VSB pilot is lost. Once the signal is demodulated,
the digital stream must be decoded. The TeraLogic Janus 8-VSB decoder processes
large amounts of data, thereby off-loading the processor to perform other necessary
functions in the environment.
Package
The MDP-100 is a well thought out package that includes a PCI card with dual RF
inputs, an S/PDIF output (Two channel and Dolby Digital 5.1) and a 26-pin connector
for the breakout cable. The breakout cable includes the composite and s-video
input and the dual 15-pin VGA pass-thru connectors. The installation manual runs
through all the supported Windows OS versions for a simple and successful installation.
Should you run into any problems, the folks at Digital Connection can provide
support (see below for contact information). Both drivers and application software
is provided, but it is best to check the Digital Connection website for the latest
release.
The
MDP-100 includes a small, yet well designed and functional remote control, which
communicates with an IR sensor that hooks up to the serial port on your PC. This
setup worked flawlessly and the remote gave us full control over the system. An
application called MyIRC runs in the background to provide the IR link interface
to the MyHD application. Assuming your PC is connected to the internet, the MDP-100
takes advantage of TitanTV.com that provides an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
for registered users. TitanTV members have the ability to record and watch TV
right from the guide and it's completely free with no monthly charges. The EPG
interface is easy to use and is completely intuitive. It can be customized for
each member, making it a powerful interface. The EPG provides a terrific and convenient
way to locate programming available in your area.
Setup
We
installed our MDP-100 review unit into a Sony Vaio desktop with a 1.5GHz Pentium
4 processor. The latest version 1.60 software was downloaded from the Digital
Connection website at the time of this review. The breakout cable included with
the MDP-100 has a 26-pin high-density D-connector on one end and a pair of VGA
connectors on the other side (one to the video card and the other to the display)
along with a molded housing for the composite, s-video and stereo audio connections.
We hooked up our InFocus ScreenPlay 7200 high-definition HD2-based DLP to the
MDP-100 using a high resolution Ultralink VGA cable feeding analog 720p video.
The image was projected onto a 100-inch Stewart FireHawk Filmscreen. The quality
of the picture was stunning with low noise, high resolution and excellent color
fidelity. We recorded the Tonight Show all week long and the image was
as good as if we were watching it live. We also recorded the movie Charlie's
Angels on KABC and we now have some great demo material. Our local high-definition
PBS broadcasts have also been excellent. We connected the digital output of the
MDP-100 PCI card to our Parasound AVC-2500u A/V controller and the 5.1 audio played
perfectly. Now the bad news. The MDP-100 is at its end-of-life and will be replaced
with the new MDP-120.
The upside is that the new MDP-120 offers a better 8-VSB demodulator (NXT2002 versus the NXT2000) and the ability to mate with an optional DVI board ($89). The new MDP-120 is a little more expensive than the MDP-100 ($259 versus $229), but the improved signal sensitivity and DVI option makes it well worth the price difference. The optional DVI board used with the MDP-120 allows a pure digital interface to the latest displays, but does not support HDCP encrypted data. However, thus far broadcasters have not been using any HDCP protection.
Our JVC HM-DH30000U D-VHS VCR worked well with the MyHD software. Using the iLink (IEEE-1394) port on our Sony Vaio, we were able to control the VCR directly from the PC. By simply selecting the Tape option in the MyHD software, video was automatically recorded to the VCR tape when programmed or commanded to do so. D-VHS tapes have a very large capacity and can easily store hours of high definition video. A single JVC DF-420 D-VHS tape is capable of storing in excess of 44 GB of data or 3.5 hours of HD content. While the hard drive works great for temporary storage, the D-VHS tapes are better suited for archiving video.
Conclusion
The MIT MDP-100 unleashes impressive capabilities to the high-definition community
by allowing them to record and playback over-the-air HD material. The video performance
we experienced from this product was excellent and indistinguishable from our
set-top box. The Dolby Digital stream decoded perfectly on our Parasound AVC-2500u
and sounded fantastic. You do need a good signal to avoid dropout and luckily
for us, we have a clear line-of-sight to the towers. The amazing part is the stored
video can be played over and over without any degradation. Now there's a source
for all that high-definition reference material you've been wanted to demonstrate
to your friends. I can't think of a better product for the money.
-
Kevin Nakano