AVerMedia A188 HD Duet - Dual ATSC PCI-E TV Tuner for Windows Media Center

Didn't even try to install the software that came with it, Media Center on Windows 7 works great with this card. I have had various ATI cards, but was looking for a decent true dual tuner (not a hybrid or a combo). This exceeded my expectations.

I wanted a dual ATSC tuner for mainly watching TV, and once a while record TV. I was using this in a workstation, which has no power management in either the BIOS or the OS (WinXP x64), so I thought it was safe to buy this after reading about other users who said theirs disappear from the Device Manager after going to S3 sleep.

I don't use sleep or hibernation, so I thought it would not affect me, but after installing it for three days, it disappeared from the Device Manager on the fourth day. Restarting and shutting down the computer did nothing. I even moved it to another PCIe X1 slot, and it still wasn't recognized. The only way it would get recognized again is if I cut the power to the power supply (turn off the switch in the back) and wait a couple of minutes. Mine disappeared with just about every other restart/startup of the computer, which is extremely annoying!

Based on the serial number, it seems Amazon is still selling older stock. Two days ago, the tuner was there on bootup, but then disappeared after it finished booting. You know it has disappeared because the AverQuick icon on your system tray turns from yellow to gray. Rather than try to deal with it, I returned the POS to Amazon for a refund. Presumably Avermedia has newer cards which fixes this issue, but I don't want the hassle of dealing with it.

I think Avermedia should be made to recall all these cards... The complaints for this disappearing problem was dated back a few years ago...and I had thought all would have been addressed and fixed by now...but I guess I'm wrong. Too bad...it's a pretty decent dual ATSC tuner (especially given the price) when it works.

UPDATE: With the availability of the $25 rebate, I decided to give Avermedia another chance, so ordered another one a couple of months later, and hoping that I would receive a later revision (given that Amazon must have a fast turnover for their products). This time I did received one with a much later serial number. However, despite that, it unfortunately still does the disappearing trick. After installation, I restarted the computer five consecutive times...and then it disappeared from the Device Manager.

Other users have mentioned that this problem is mostly with AMD systems, which my latest workstation is, so I decided to try it on my slightly older Intel Xeon based workstation...same issue there...

Some other users indicate that it might be a problem with heat. I touched it while it's in operation with both tuner working (when it was recognized that it)...and it was just slightly warm. Deciding to investigate this issue further, I decided to underclock and undervolt my workstation to see if it makes a difference. The Duet seems to not disappear. I restarted the workstation many times and it did NOT disappear. Also, the ambient room temperature has been quite a bit colder than the last card I tested because it's now December. I even put this in S3 sleep and then woke it up...and it was still there. It actually operated like this w/o issues for the past two weeks with many restarts and shutdowns w/o issue.

However, just as soon as I set the voltages and clock speeds back to default, the disappearing issues came back. Now, you're wondering why I don't just run my workstation at the lower clocks and voltages. But why bother upgrading to a faster workstation if you're going to underclock it? The other thing was that the workstation (other adapter cards) wasn't 100% stable at 100% of the time at the lower voltages. Besides, you expect 100% stability from a workstation, unlike a gaming rig for example. So back this goes to Amazon again... I don't think I'll waste my time with trying another one (unless they come out with a newer version (not just revision).

Buy AVerMedia A188 HD Duet - Dual ATSC PCI-E TV Tuner for Windows Media Center Now

The tunner works flawlessly with windows 7 64 bit. The tunners also handle weak signals well, much better than my wintv HVR9500 usb. Best off all, you get 2 tunners for $68.99! One important note, this card is digital only. and no FM. If you have any low power analog staions in your area you should add a hybrid tunner. Vista and latter will see up to 4 digital and 4 analog tuners, so adding as hybrid tuner will alow 1 more show to be recorded. A note about how manny tuners you should have. To ensure you don't miss the beginning or end of any shows, (in case of those inevitable delays that ocasionally occure)you need at least 2 tuners to record consecutive shows on different channels. This allows a 5 or 10 min buffer at the begining and end. It is REALLY frustrating when you miss the last few minuits of a show because it was delayed and MC stoped recording to start another. These cards support PIP whan the included software is used, but I haven't tried it yet.

Read Best Reviews of AVerMedia A188 HD Duet - Dual ATSC PCI-E TV Tuner for Windows Media Center Here

I recently dropped dish and installed this tuner on a new Acer Win7 machine. The installation was fairly easy and only took a few minutes to get the drivers installed of the disc. Now it is working flawlessly. I use Windows Media Center as my DVR. I have no complaints so far and love not having the bill from Dish. Any problems I had with the signal came from antennae adjustments. Now that I have that configured I have crystal clear HD signal.

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Workes well in Win 7 64 bit and in MCE:

Win 7 64 bit does not automatically pick up this card upon installation. Nothing shows up in Device Manager.

Downloaded Win 7 64bit driver from manufacturer - and installed driver, rebooted PC. Volla! Card shows up in Device Manager without any problem. Driver installation was quick and straightforward.

Picture quality looks OK. HD TV looks good by itself anyway. No major difference I can tell from the Hauppauge Win TV card I have

One of the best velue for DUAL digital tunner, especially considering that I bought used. You really just need to card itself no other accessories/manual/CD are needed if you buy used one

Product limitations:

Limited by only 1 signal input, shared among the two tunner. So, if you want to hook up more than one sources (like cable and satellite) you should look for a different product

Digital only Over The Air (OTA) ATSC broadcasting, or Clear QAM from cable. If you need to tune traditional cable signals, or traditional OTA NTSC broadcasting signals, you need a different product. But why would you want to look at any thing other than the digital TV anyway?

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