DViCO FusionHDTV5 Gold USB HD tuner reviewed
It's not unusual to see computers — especially laptops — marketed as media PCs lacking one key media component: an HDTV tuner. Though many offer add-on tuners, the idea of buying a tuner from a manufacturer who was too cheap to include it in the first place bugs us a little. We'd rather have a choice from third parties (along with the PC-maker, if theirs really rocks). So, we're glad to see models like DViCO's FusionHDTV5 Gold USB tuner making the rounds, and getting good reviews as well. The FusionHDTV5 got the full treatment from eHomeUpgrade, which found that it was relatively easy to set up — though, not surprisingly, there were a few hiccups doing an install on an XP Home box, while an MCE install was smooth. Signal strength for over-the-air HD broadcasts was good, and the tuner worked well with MCE to record in "incredible" quality. At $149, the FusionHDTV5 looks to be a pretty good deal — and hopefully the start of a robust and competitive market for third-party tuners.
