| StarTech.com TV Jockey - Page 3 of 3 |
Operation:
The operation of the TV Jockey could not be easier! Once all the connections have been made, power up the computer and simply push a button for instant T.V. The quality of the picture is quite good! The TV Jockey works outside of the Operating System, this means you really don’t NEED to start the WHOLE system…just the monitor! This also means there is no overhead, no shared resources, no Windows trying to starve any other programs for memory or system bus bottlenecks! (As a side note: I’ve used ATI’s TV Wonder Pro and was sadly disappointed. The playback was muddy, choppy and gave me a headache after a short period of time. I credit this to all the overhead Windows requires.)
Because the TV Jockey does not require Windows to be running, these next few shots are all from my CoolPix 5700. The following shot is a T.V. picture of the FX channel’s airing of Aliens vs. Predators.
Here we have a VCR shot of ANTZ.
This shot is a DVD scene from TROY.
These next 2 shots compare (almost) the same scene from the DVD TROY. The one on the left is from the Toshiba player running through the TV Jockey. The one on the right is being played in Windows XP Pro with CyberLink’s Power DVD and the Memorex True 8 DVD burner.
 
Conclusion:
Below is the TV Jockey and Remote. I think they are attractive items that serve a very useful function. Extremely easy to set up, small and unobtrusive, but not without faults. While you can set up more than one set top player at a time, I had to keep changing the Audio feed from one unit to the other (a dual DVD/VCR unit would take care of this). Also, the stand needs to be weighted, not much, just enough to give the assembly some mass to hold it in place.
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At the time of this writing you can get the TV Jockey from StarTech.com for $99.00(US). Elsewhere it can be had for less, and a search of Price Grabber shows it for as low as $70 (shipped) as of the time this review was written.
I paid $99.00 for my ATI TV Wonder Pro. All it does is play/capture TV broadcasts on your computer. With StarTech.com’s TV Jockey, you can play DVD’s, VCR’s, watch T.V. and play your favorite console games all on your computer. AND do it all for a comparable price (or less)!
I think StarTech.com has a nice little item here. Quality built and quite functional. This would make a great gift for any body with a tight budget like College students, many have a computer for school work but can’t afford a TV.
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):  
Pros:
• Simple to set up & use.
• Quality playback with no Windows overhead.
• Front input jacks for ease of use.
Cons:
• Vertical stand needs to be weighted.
• Needs additional audio input jack.
Special thanks StarTech.com for providing the TV Jockey to BigBruin.com for review!
Please drop by the BigBruin.Com forum and feel free to discuss this review.
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