Introduction:

ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 COMBO PC TV Card

    Just when we thought everything that could have been created for a multimedia home entertainment system had been, here comes ASUS with the My Cinema-PE9400 Combo, an all-inclusive PC multimedia package. Not only can you now use your PC for playing, editing and burning DVD/VCDs, editing home movies, listening to MP3 music or sorting videos and photographs, or monitor your home. With the My Cinema-PE9400, you can view digital and analog TV programs, schedule recordings, record 2 channels at the same time, and listen to FM radio as well, and still be able to surf the Internet. You can even watch 2 channels side by side, or as a picture within a picture.

So how the heck is this possible? ASUS explains this further in their press release:

     "Catering to users who require simultaneous viewing and recording of digital and analog TV on their PCs, ASUS, producer of top-notch multimedia products, has today introduced the new PCI-express TV card, the ASUS My Cinema - PE9400 Combo. This versatile piece of hardware is able to support both digital (ATSC/QAM) and analog (NTSC) TV programs formats, and is embedded with a MPEG2 hardware encoder for reduced CPU loading with guaranteed high-quality video output – allowing users to enjoy versatility in an all-in-one PC multimedia package.

High Quality PC TV Solution
    With the My Cinema-PE9400 Combo, users can watch and record high-quality digital (ATSC/QAM) and analog (NTSC) TV programs on their PCs simultaneously. This card adopts the brand-new PCI Express x1 interface, which is faster than the default PCI bus (133Mb/s) in transmission speed, and offers up to 500Mb/s or an improvement of almost 3 times over conventional technology. The My Cinema-PE9400 Combo also features less CPU resource requirements through an embedded MPEG2 hardware encoder so that CPU loading can be dramatically reduced whilst guaranteeing high-quality video when processing transmissions. This allows users to surf the Internet and watch TV programs at the same time! What’s more, the PE9400 Combo comes with a built-in hardware noise reduction technology for the best video enjoyment.

Combo TV for Concurrent Digital and Analog TV
    The ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo combines the advantages of an analog TV receiver with a digital TV receiver. Users can watch analog TV with digital TV over the air (or digital TV through a standard coaxial cable) simultaneously. With the built-in PBP (picture beside picture) and PIP (picture in picture) functions, users can also watch either analog TV or digital TV, and record a channel, or record two different channels at the same time.

User-friendly Multimedia Features
    The ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo provides users with the choice of viewing digital or analog TV programs, schedule recordings, editing home movies, editing and burning DVD/VCDs, listening to FM and MP3 music or sorting videos and photographs. It can also provide a means to monitor the home with the ASUS VideoSecurity Online technology for a home monitoring system. With so many features bundled into one, the ASUS My Cinema – PE9400 Combo is the perfect choice for users to easily turn PCs into full-fledged multimedia entertainment centers.

Easy Channel Surfing with “Microsoft MCE Certified” Remote Controller
    This full function remote controller offers users instant access to TV viewing, TV recording, EPG viewing, and DVD playing; all in the palm of their hands. Users will never miss a moment of their favorite TV programs anymore with the handy “pausing” of live TV programs."

Sound too good to be true? Well, that's what we're here for. So let's get on with it, shall we?

Features and Specifications:

Key features:

• Powered by PCI-Express port for faster data transmission

• MPEG2 hardware encoder built-in for unprecedented multitasking efficiency boost

• Hardware noise reduction technology built-in to enhance best video quality

• Watch analog TV and digital TV over the air (or digital TV through a standard coaxial cable) simultaneously.

• Watch analog TV or digital TV and record another, or record two different channels at the same time.

• Edit and burn video into DVD or VCD

• Remote control kit for easy channel surfing

• Listen to FM radio and music

• Capture external video-in source

• Play DVD & VCD

• Sort video and photographs

• "ASUS VideoSecurity Online Technology" for making your private security system on PC

• Microsoft Vista Home Premium / Vista Home Basic / Vista Ultimate / Windows XP certified

Packaging:

Retail box	Retail rear
Contents on top	Lower level contents

    The My Cinema-PE9400 Combo comes packaged in a white and green retail box, with a picture of some guy on the front chilling out at his computer desk watching a baseball game. This alone would get most people to buy the product. On the back side, the features and specifications are listed along with some pictures and graphs about the product. On the inside, the contents are protected in a preformed plastic tray which keeps the contents secure during shipping.

A Closer Look:

PE9400 card	Manual and CDs	IR gear
MCE style remote	Top half	Lower half
HTPC bracket	Audio/Video Adapters	TV and FM antenna

    When they mean combo, they really mean COMBO. The My Cinema-PE9400 Combo comes as a complete analog and digital package, making for an excellent HTPC kit. Included with this combo are the tuner card (of course,) a Media Center remote, IR to USB interface device, FM antenna, TV antenna, audio adapter and S-video to RCA adapter, and finally 2 optical software CD's.

ASUS My Cinema PE9400

Back view

Sticker view

Connections

    With the contents listed and out of the way, it's time to go over the actual tuner card. I was quite surprised at how small this card really was, compared to some of the others I have seen and reviewed in the past. The length of the card is under 5" and pops into a free PCI-E slot on the motherboard. As mentioned in the intro, the ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo will take digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) TV signals, either from the air with the included antenna or from your service provider. With the My Cinema PE9400 having a dual tuner design, this allows for PIP (Picture in Picture) and P&P (Picture and Picture).

    Along with having the dual tuners onboard, the My Cinema-PE9400 is embedded with a MPEG2 hardware encoder for reduced CPU loading, which guarantees high-quality video output. Other onboard features are the FM tuner, Asus Video Security Online which allows you to connect a camera to the ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 and view the feed over a internet connection, and the ability to burn content to optical disk.

Installation and Testing:

Card installed	Antenna screwed on	Scanning for HD channels
Video Security	My local channel lineup	Watching TV?

    Actually installing a tuner card is very simple; it's the drivers that can be a pain in the butt. So let's start off easy and install the My Cinema PE9400 TV Tuner card. This install requires the removal of the side panel on the computer and a free PCI-E X1 slot on the motherboard. Yeah, I know - we finally get to use that mini slot for something other than a modem. Next, replace the side panel and make the antenna/cable connections to the card. The included antenna has a magnetic base and swivels so it can be mounted to either the top or side panel. Now power up the computer, pop in the CD with the drivers and some additional software, and start installing. You will notice that the viewing windows are black in my pictures: the screen capture didn't get an image of the video, just this black image. But trust me... I was watching HDTV on my 22" LCD monitor.

Conclusion:

    In the past I have reviewed other TV tuner cards, and by far the ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo was one of the easiest to install, and use internal TV tuners. The software was a breeze to install and Vista even recognized the card quickly. The longest part to the whole process was waiting on the channel scan for the free over-the-air HD signals. Once that was done, it was a simple matter of clicking on the channel number and watching the show. The included remote control changed the channels and worked the audio without any issues. With the My Cinema PE9400 TV Tuner card having dual tuner support, you can easily watch one channel while recording another or using the P&P feature.

    If you are in the market for a TV tuner card for your HTPC setup that receives Analog, Digital and even FM radio, then by all means give the ASUS My Cinema PE9400 TV Tuner card a try. It's small enough for those tiny HTPC enclosures, and even includes a smaller bracket for those enclosures. With that all said, I would recommend this card to anyone looking for an internal TV tuner. I would like to thank ASUS for sending this item out for VH to review.

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