VideoMate E750 PCIe Dual DVB-T TV Card Dual Tuner
Compro VideoMate E750 – Upclose
The Compro VideoMate was supplied by Anyware computers who are one of the main distributors for Compro products in Australia. (Thanks Sharon & Eric for making the review sample available)
The package we received was the actual retail version and it includes a nifty range of goodies all of which enhance the functionality of the VideoMate E750.
Package Contents:
- VideoMate E750 Dual DVB-T PCIe TV tuner card
- Installation CD: ComproDTV 4.5, device drivers, and documentation
- Corel DVD MovieFactory 5 SE software CD
- Start Up Guide
- Windows Media Center remote and batteries
- IR receiver
- Power switch cable (2-pin, female)
- Low-profile bracket (silver)
It’s good to see Compro making some good judgement and including a low-profile bracket as well for people looking to hook this card upto their HTPC cases. Opening the box you find the VideoMate E750, Remote, CDs, and a user manual. An IR receiver is also provided to transfer signals between the remote and the VideoMate E750. The software bundle included is very impressive and certainly compliments the functionality of the unit. We’ll go into those shortly.
Unlike Compro Technologies previous models, the E750’s dual DVB-T tuners cannot be distinguished separately. It appears as one single chip with a large sticker on top. The front of the VideoMate E750 includes the DVB-T signal input port and the IR port. Nothing overly exciting to talk about here but if you’re planning to use the E750 on a HTPC case remember to change the bracket to the low profile one.
Going to the rear of the VideoMate E750 you’ll notice there are two header connector ports which gives the VideoMate E750 a truly unique feature; it gives the user the ability to turn your PC completely off and on again (or vice versa) without you ever having to touch the power button. You simply have to connect the power switch cable from your case to one of the headers on the E750 and use the supplied patch cable to connect the E750 to your mainboard power switch header. By this nifty cabling you can wake up your PC from a complete shutdown either by way of pressing the power button on the supplied remote or by way of the scheduling feature which we will discuss soon.
The Certified Windows Media Center remote control has a multitude of functionalities which will allow you to go completely hands free from. If you’re using Windows MCE, Vista or Windows 7 you may wonder if it would be best to use the OS provided software or ones provided by the vendor itself. This ultimately boils down to the end user’s personal preferences as there are Pro’s and Cons in both. Personally I would go with the vendor provided software since I’m assured of full functionality without having to tweak any settings and the scheduling feature works flawlessly. You would have noticed in the top picture there’s a small cover plate included for the remote; this I doubt is part of the standard packaging but included by “Anyware computers”.
Installation:
Installing the Compro VideoMate E750 was a breeze, simply locate a free PCI-E slot and secure the unit in place. Make sure you connect the power switch cables as directed in the manual or you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the wondrous feature mentioned above. If you’re going to use the E750 on a HTPC case then you need to connect the low-profile connector first before going any further.
Note that Compro does not include any indoor antenna with this setup. So you either need an internal or external antenna to receive TV channels. Given that the E750’s built in tuners aren’t as powerful as those that come with TV’s it’s best to use an external antenna for best reception and clarity.
