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Cat’s Eye 150 PCI Digital Tuner Review (Page 2) Ease of installation/use To install the Cat’s Eye 150, unplug your computer, hold the power button in for 10 seconds (this bleeds the remaining power from the system) and then open the computer cover. You should notice some white slot(s) towards the back of the PC case.
These are the PCI slots. Remove the slot cover and insert the card in one of these slots, making sure to properly line up the pins before firmly pressing the card into place. Once the card and the PCI slot screw are in place, replace the PC cover, restore the power, boot and insert the CD in a drive. Windows will detect the card, and install two drivers from the CD. This process went very smoothly for me. Compatibility with Third Party HDTV PC Software Once the card is installed you will need to install a third party application interface. Vbox relies on third party vendors for their software as opposed to a proprietary software package. There are currently four choices: The Cat’s Eye 150 was successfully installed and tested with each of these applications. The card performed perfectly in each case. With any of these applications you can time-delay, record and schedule HDTV broadcasts as well as watch HDTV in real time. The applications also allow you to watch a previously recorded program while recording another HDTV program. The first three have a 14 day Electronic Program Guide that can be updated (via the internet) on a daily basis. This gives you Tivo like functionality, but without the monthly charge. WatchHDTV scheduling is more of a manual process. You can get a free trial download of Beyond TV and SageTV. WatchHDTV is freeware, and can be downloaded here. Windows Media Center 2005 is part of the Media Center Edition Operating System. The Cat’s Eye 150 also worked with Vista Beta 2 Media Center. However, the latest drivers (705.7) from the
Vbox Web Site
are required for the tuner to function with the Vista operating system.
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