Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition

Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition REVIEW DATE:  06.30.03 Product: Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition List price: $199 Requires: PIII/600 equivalent or better; 128MB RAM; sound card, USB 2.0 or 1.1; CD-ROM drive; CD or DVD recorder for output; video card and monitor with 16-bit color; Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP Company Info: Adaptec Inc., 408-945-8600, www.adaptec.com     Total posts: 3   $99.00 - $175.00
By Jan Ozer
Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition The $199 (list) Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition ($199 list) delivered better video quality and more useful software than Pinnacle, though its TV-viewing application needs a facelift. Still, given the equivalent price and identical hardware features, we prefer Adaptec's solution. Where Pinnacle's product is all homegrown, Adaptec chose to bundle full versions of InterVideo's WinDVR 3 software for TV viewing, recording, and time-shifting; Sonic's MyDVD for DVD authoring; and Arcsoft's ShowBiz for video editing. In operation, we found WinDVR 3's interface far too small and somewhat cryptic, complicating its use. For live television, the WinDVR 3 images were sharper and less noisy than Pinnacle's. Adaptec's hardware also produced higher-quality video with superior color and detail. In addition, WinDVR 3 can display closed-caption feeds and offers password-protected parental control over channel selection. MyDVD and ShowBiz are the same applications bundled in the $179.99 (direct) Adaptec VideOh!, which we reviewed in January and gave four stars. But for $20 more, the new VideOh! gives you the same features plus TV viewing and a personal video recorder. With Pinnacle, you'd have to buy the PCTV hardware and spend $99 for Pinnacle Studio 8 to get similar capabilities.