Using the DTV MagicBox and VisionDTV Mini Ter
Installing either of these two devices is a piece of cake - Plug in either the PCI card or USB device as appropriate, and run the setup program from the provided CD to install the drivers and software. You may need to reboot, but after that, you're ready to go!
The software supplied with both devices bears more than a passing resemblance to Intervideo's WinDVB application - To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to see any differences between this and WinDVB save for the logos. Of course, this is no bad thing - Intervideo have a history of delivering decent media products, and WinDVB is no exception.
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As you can see, the user interface is very similar to most media players, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting around. The main console for controlling the software features the usual set of controls for playing, recording, pausing etc, as well as channel up and down buttons. Across the bottom we find seven icons representing, from left to right, the players preview mode (which shows stills of a number of different channels at one time), teletext functionality, access to the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) available with terrestrial digital TV, access to the list of available files recorded by the player, access to the player's setup properties, screenshot capture facilities and finally access to your list of favourite TV and radio channels. The main 'LED' display shows and allows adjustment of volume, as well as two bars representing signal strength and quality. Sadly though, the teletext functionality isn't available to UK users.
Of course, the first thing you'll be wanting to do once the device and software is installed is actually scan and set up the available channels. Unfortunately, the provided software doesn't prompt for this automatically on first use (It would be nice if it did), so instead you need to access the properties page to find the DTT Setup tab. From here, just select your country (Or choose to scan all available frequencies), apply your selection, and hit the scan button. The software will then do the rest, scanning available frequencies and adding in any channels it finds to the selection. This process typically takes only a few minutes to complete, and you should then find yourself with a plethora of free-to-air channels at your disposal.
