Plextor ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U

November 30th, 2004

Pros: Hardware DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 encoding; streamlined interfaces; video editing suite; aesthetically pleasing; excellent parental control.
Cons: No MP3 capture; lack of remote control; EPG too loosely integrated.
Verdict: The Plextor ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U is a sweet deal for its user-friendly interface, DivX encoding, and streamlined DVD authoring.

To start, the aesthetics of the ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U are astounding, and likely to turn a head. The silver enclosure is clashed with by a black front, with a blue LED indicating power and an orange LED to indicate that a signal is being fed to the computer. The color scheme really fits in well with our monitor and speaker setup. Aside from the colors, the design of the tuner helps reduce cable clutter. On the backside your permanent connections of USB, power, and coaxial are neatly hidden, while the front provides the RCA and S-Video in ports for fast access that doesn't require you to reach behind anything.

Package Content
- Plextor ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U hardware
- USB 2.0 cable
- Composite audio cable
- Composite video cable
- S-Video cable
- AC Adapter and power cord
- Software disc
- QuickStart guide
- User's Manual

System Requirements
- Pentium III 800Mhz / Pentium 4 2.4Ghz or faster (suggested)
- Windows 2000/XP
- 256MB RAM
- Hi-Speed USB
- CD/DVD burner
- Sound card
- 24-bit 1024 x 768 resolution

Plextor also was kind enough to include RCA and S-Video cables to connect to your VCR and DVD player. While we have plenty of RCA cables lying around, the included S-Video cable was greatly appreciated since we could get the highest quality video to our test computer without making a trip to Radio Shack.

Snappy Installation
Installing the ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U was a snap, thanks in part to the most detailed printed manuals for a TV tuner we have ever seen, a welcome change from the PDF documentation that many companies are starting to rely on, although PDF versions are still included on the installation CD. Insert the CD, install the device driver and plug in the tuner when prompted, install WinDVR and WinDVD Creator, have fun. If Direct X 9.0b isn't installed, you will have to install that as well.

Let's Watch TV

Unlike other companies, Plextor does not make its own PVR software, instead packaging the ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U InterVideo's WinDVR 5 and WinDVD Creator software to handle the TV viewing and DVD authoring. The WinDVR interface is clean and simple, free of button clutter, while providing enough features in an intuitive array of menus that help avoid confusion. The controller, referred to as the 'player' can be expanded to reveal additional options for the display type, color correction, audio and closed captioning, TV controls such as the electronic program guide (EPG), record scheduling and channel surfing, as well as well as recording options. You can also dock the player to the video window, although you will not be able to expand the menus.



The video window itself is also fully customizable, able to act as either a normal window, stay on top of all windows, go full screen in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, or literally take over your wallpaper in video desktop mode. You can also unlock the aspect ratio to stretch the video window to make room for other applications like your web browser, which is extremely handy for those who don't have two monitors.

Similar to a TiVo, the WinDVR software supports time-shifting, or the ability to pause live television, rewind, and fast forward. There are also keyboard shortcuts to easily replay the last few seconds or skip through a commercial. While very handy, activation of the feature requires you to press the pause button first, and then play. Also, you are only able to time-shift using either a MPEG-1/2 based profile, not MPEG-4 or DivX.

Not sure what to watch? Within the TV Control panel is the Surfing button, which generates a thumbnail of every channel in a grid format at a rate of about one channel per second. Click on a thumbnail that interests you, and you will see a 10 second preview before it starts flipping through the channels again. Double click to watch the channel normally.



EPG & Parental Controls
The ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U's integrated EPG is reliant on TitanTV, a free web based service (registration required) that provides the local cable and antenna offerings in an easy to use grid that appears directly within the video window. Sadly, you cannot watch a minimized TV window while browsing the EPG, unless you manually go to TitanTV.com with your web browser. One small bug we noticed was that when pressing 'Watch Now' on a program listing, WinDVR would pop up an error stating 'invalid record time'. Scheduling a program to be recorded in the future through the EPG produced no problems. Not as much of an issue, but rather a minor annoyance to security buffs, when launching the EPG from within WinDVR it would utilize Internet Explorer rather than the system default browser of choice, such as Mozilla Firefox.



For those with children, the WinDVR also has parental controls much like the V-Chip found in newer television sets. Set up a password, and then you can choose the approved ratings for both movies and regular programming, as well as set the rule on non rated content.

TV Recording on PC

It is possible to capture video from the WinDVR application in the format of your liking without any lengthy post-production conversion process. Novices can select a predefined recording profile from the recording pane, while pro users can tweak many aspects of the encoding to their liking. Once you have a recording profile, just hit record. You can also capture still frames in JPEG or BMP format with the click of a button, then view them in the dockable capture browser before you set it as a wallpaper or send it to family via email.

Performance wise, the ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U handled really well since it has an actual hardware encoder. On our test system of an Athlon 64 3000 Socket 939 (1.8GHz non-overclocked), the average CPU usage for the WinDVR process was between 9-17% when viewing live television, or between 19-25% when time-shifting. Switching between channels took less than a second, but when time-shifting that figure drastically jumps up to six seconds. The following screenshot is live television (no time-shifting) from an amplified terrestrial signal. Notice how the edges are smooth without the blockiness seen in older TV tuners.



DVD Authoring
While the DVR portion of the software package is extremely stable and full of features, it pales in comparison to the beauty of the WinDVD Creator software. The interface is much like Apple's iMovie and iDVD rolled into a linear production suite.

WinDVD Creator is separated into four stages: Capture, Edit, Author, and Make Movie (burn to disc). In capture mode, you obviously have the choice of your ConvertX PVR as an input source, but it should be noted that you can also gather video footage from DV devices such as a digital camcorder. Just autoscan the available channels, select which channel or input source such as S-Video you would like to record from, hit record, and a thumbnail of the recorded clip will appear in the bottom of the window. While in this stage, you can also capture still images, as well as import existing multimedia files from your computer such as MP3s. Like the DVR software, you can select what recording profile you would like to use, such as DivX or MPEG-1/2/4, although there is no MP3 codec option for the audio content in either application, probably due to licensing fees. With how popular the MP3 format is, we were surprised not to see it included in this $200 package.


Now on to the Editing stage, where the fun really begins. Drag one of the video clips from the previous stage to the lower half of the window, where either a storyboard or more detailed timeline is displayed. From here you can add voiceovers, transitions, title screens, and remove unwanted footage such as those pesky commercials. Drag a picture into the storyboard, and it will create a slideshow timeline. If you choose not to create a DVD after this stage, you can output the entire project to a DV stream here.



The next step, Authoring allows you to create your own DVD layout menus, all fully customizable. Choose a template, or start from scratch with your choice of still or video background, layout, shapes, and audio. Each component can then be further tweaked, including the fonts, frame used for chapter buttons, and the shadows behind the individual buttons. Should you not want menus, just disable them, it's a checkbox option. When finished, there is a preview window that acts just like a real DVD player would, and even shows the finished level of compression.



Finally, the Make Movie stage. Select your media format between DVD (1/2 hrs), DVD on CD (standard or high-quality), VCD, or SVCD, select your TV format of NTSC or PAL, and name the disc. Here you can also see a quality meter of how much space your project actually takes up on the selected media. Once your selections have been made, you may either burn directly to the disc, or save the finished content to your hard disk for later burning.

The Bottom Line
All in all, Plextor along with InterVideo has delivered an incredible product that s very solid, has a few minor quirks that can be worked around easily. The interface is so simple, it makes a great way to watch and archive television on your computer, with barely any learning curve. Needless to say, the Plextor ConvertX TV-402U is highly recommended, and would make a great stocking stuffer.

- R. Scott Clark, Consumer Technology Editor

Where to buy Plextor ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U?


User Review(s)

"Excellent Product!" I like the product and it works for my P4 2.0GHz PC, although without hi-speed USB. :) I captured the movie from cable TV in DVD format, and the quality is good! I wonder how can it be improved if I use a hi-speed USB motherboard! PS: Joe Romo, please let me know your email as I am interested to offer help to solve your problem. From Samuel, May 24, 2005

"Plextor PX-TV402U works great" The Plextor PX-TV402U is great. I've made dvd's from my vhs tapes and the dvd's look better than the tape. The sound is perfect. It's very important to do your homework on buying dvd's tho...many are bad products and will not give you a good dvd in the end. Many people blame the burner or the video capture devices when all along its a bad dvd!!!! From Bruce, May 04, 2005

"Can I record from MY Actual Cable TV" I was reading reviews.. But I was wondering if I can record actual TV shows from my Cable TV programming. Or, do I need to additionally subscribe from the software company with this package. Please send me an email if you know anything about this problem. I would rather use this Product then TV tuner card for my PC. Thanks From Joe Romo, March 30, 2005

"Hallejullah, a capture device that works" I bought an Adaptec VideOH DVD (AVC-2200) capture box two years ago. The audio sync problems were persistent and horrendous. Then, I tried using the capture capability on the ATI AIW 9800. Again, horrible audio sync (also, the AIW products cannot capture many old home movies because they confuse poor tracking and editing for Macrovision copy protection. Silly). I just tried the PX-TV402U and it worked GREAT. Captured 45 minutes of an old Beta home movie and the audio was perfectly in sync throughout. I tried capturing the same video at least a dozen times with Adaptec and ATI's products, with terrible A/V sync. With the Plextor, it worked the FIRST TIME. Awesome. I've not tried the PVR features, but if you're looking for a reliable way to dump your VHS and Beta videos to your hard disk, this is a very good choice. From George, February 17, 2005

"interesting but not successful effort" I bought one of these a month ago. I have a 3ghz P4 with 1 gb ram and W2000. Spent a lot of time on the phone with very helpful tech support and they even sent me new software. The hardware installed, but the software crashed everytime I tried to use the device. I had no successful TV viewing or PVR experience. From jimf, December 01, 2004

"I am happy with it" Yes, the divx is not two pass, but still it is good. So instead of 6 hours on a DVD I get 3, big deal - everything else is great. It does play perfectly on my $68 slim line Phillips "play all" DVD player, and even supports FF and Rew (which my Showshifter recordings did not) I am using this on an Ideq Athlon 64 under windows MCE 2005 OS. I highly recommend the SageTV + PX-TV402U combo; Sage TV is awesome. All at the same time I can: - record flawless divx video - play back recorded videos - download 400 kilobytes/sec off the cable modem - burn an 8x dvd Nice to be to be free to do it all at once without messing up the recordings. Plus when I am not there, my son can log in to his account and play Real Arcade without messing up my videos. SageTV has "favorites" and "intelligent recording" options, so it is recording something it thinks I might like 24 hours a day, to a 200g firewire drive. I have a tiny fanless HP E-PC attached to my bigscreen HDTV and I use the Sage Client app to play back the recorded video over my home network. It's really hard to tell that it's a recording and not live TV. The only give away is that its slightly darker, but not enough so for me to bother to adjust it. I like that my recordings contain all the info, date, episode name and plot summary. Sage groups different episodes of the same show in a folder SWEET! I have been pursuing PVR since 1994 and now I finally have all the features I could desire. From toneii, December 01, 2004

"Works great - follow the instructions." I tried using it on a test machine running at P4 2.6ghz with a fresh WinXP install - No updates installed. The video and audo did not sync up and the picture was a little "laggy". I then installed all the available updates from microsoft and tried again. It performs great once the updates are installed. Sound syncs up perfect and no lag or distortion in the video. Be advised that it uses a NTSC TV tuner. It has three kinds of input. 1. Coax connection for NTSC TV tuning. 2. Composite video and stereo RCA jacks and 3. S-Video. All three types of input performed great. From Jeffld, October 23, 2004

"Love the PX-TV402U" This product was a nice surprise. Not only can I record TV shows, I'm converting my old VHS videos to DVD (a real 2'fer 1). I liked the DivX low bitrate MPEG4. I was able to burn one of my favorite shows, edit it, burn it and now have it in my library (and can play back on my DivX DVD player). Clean video in MPEG 2 or 4. Lots of flexibility. InterVideo was "OK", not stellar. From WindWalker, October 21, 2004

"Waste of time and money" Bought this with the idea of not having to recode my mpeg2 recordings into divx anymore. While it does encode in divx, it appears to only do 1-pass encode, so when you would re-encode with software and use 2-pass encoding you could get away with about 800 bitrate you need somewhere around 2000 bitrate with this hardware. No MP3 encoding, strictly MP2 encoding, in order to get MP3 encoding you have to buy the full version software from Intervideo. The software limits how you can encode, you can only choose from selected profiles that InterVideo deemed appropriate. Tried recording 1.5 hours of video...twice, both times WinDVR crashed. Sending this back and sticking with my PVR-250. Didn't know I was buying a half-hearted attempt at mpeg4 hardware encoding. Oh even with hardware encoding you need a machine better than a 2.4ghz to do mpeg4. Kinda useless. This product might have been good if they had good software with it. From Anubis, October 15, 2004

We're currently upgrading our user review system; so we won't be accepting new reviews for now.

ConvertX PVR PX-TV402U Specs

Interface(s)	Hi-Speed USB
Released date	September 2004
Platforms	Windows 2000, Windows XP
Video capture resolution(s)	720 x 480, 640 x 480, 352 x 240, 176 x 144
Video capture format(s)	MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, WMV
Max. capture rate @ 30fps	720 x 480
Video input(s)	Composite video, S-video, 75 Ohm coaxial
Audio input(s)	RCA left & right
Video output(s)	None
Audio output(s)	None
TV standards supported	NTSC
Personal video recorder?	Yes
Remote control	No
Software	InterVideo WinDVR, WinDVD Creator
Hardware encoder?	Yes
Power source	Self-powered
Warranty	One year

Extras
Turn on and off this self-powered device automatically with your PC.
Lost a USB cable? Get a replacement USB cable.
Running out of USB ports? Get an extra USB hub.
You may need a new USB card to achieve Hi-Speed USB speeds.
Confirm with our USB 2.0 FAQ if you have Hi-Speed USB on your PC.