Product Review: Autumnwave OnAir GT

Also a few weeks late, here it is...


Are you looking for the ability to watch HDTV on your PC or a USB TV tuner? Don't overlook the OnAir GT from Autumnwave available online at Circuit City and Wal-Mart. The OnAir GT allows for portable OTA (Over The Air) HD reception from your local TV stations (such as CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and others) as well as inputs to capture video from video cameras, video games, and other sources. Competitively priced, high quality, and ready for the future, the OnAir GT is a solid product and a worthwhile investment if you're looking for a TV tuner.

The OnAir GT comes with its own program (OnAir USB HDTV) as well as the capability for use with other programs such as Windows Media Center and others, a customizable remote, the highly-rated nVideo decoder, InterVideo WinDVD Creator, a foot-long antenna, and a dongle for connecting video sources. The installation process takes a while, about 30 minutes, but is relatively painless and easy. Once all the correct programs are installed (at least the included program, the OnAir USB HDTV, and the nVideo decoder) and the antenna is attached you're ready to go! (I and Autumnwave suggest that you update to the new drivers and program first at autumnwave.com)

Reception with the included antenna was often difficult due to my distance away from the towers (20-30 miles). I opted to spend $5 and buy a replacement telescopic antenna from RadioShack that extends to 30 inches. Though AntennaWeb.org, a very useful and reliable website for antenna suggestions and directions for best reception, suggested I might need an outdoor antenna or a high quality indoor antenna, I successfully receive all of the major stations in Little Rock when the antenna is properly pointed. The upgrade to the larger antenna was well worth the price for its ease.

The included program to watch TV is solid. You can watch digital TV (HDTV when available), analog TV (not often used, it's fuzzy), digital cable (unencrypted QAM channels), and analog cable (we have satellite so I have not tested cable channels). If you have satellite, like myself, or you'd like to use the program to play video games, you can attach the video out to the included dongle via RCA inputs (red, yellow, and white cables) or S-Video (higher quality). The program includes EPG for digital TV (show information including title and description and times) and a scheduler. You can schedule recordings from any of the sources using EPG info (for digital TV) or manually entering times and channels. Most of the time the scheduler works well, just make sure you have plenty of hard drive space and a good signal for the channel you want to watch. Be warned, HDTV (most scripted programs and sports are broadcast in high definition) takes up large amounts of hard drive space (around 9 GB per hour). When watching digital TV, you can use timeshifting which allows you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward (if you've already paused). All of these features, and the difficulty of using the GT with third-party programs, make the OnAir USB HDTV my preferred program for watching TV.

The Autumnwave OnAir GT is a great product that is ready for the digital TV future while still supporting analog TV and video. This product is ideal for those often traveling (watch HDTV in the airport or at the hotel), college students (who may not have room for a TV), HDTV enthusiasts, and those who want to watch TV on their computer. Drawing its power from the USB connection, you can take the OnAir GT with you anywhere your laptop is powered. Though digital TV reception while on the road can be spotty and difficult due to constant changes, when it's stationary and the antenna is pointed well, it's beautiful.

Excellent support via AVS Forums sealed the deal for me. The strict computer hardware requirements and slightly steep price may be roadblocks for many but with a new computer and some money (or gift cards in my case), the OnAir GT is the best for HDTV on your PC.