Review
- TV Commutator (GBA TV Tuner II)
(
Added November 25th 2002 - By Eric)
Introduction
The first 3rd party TV tuner for the
GBA was released some months ago. We reviewed it and
liked it so much that we gave it an "Excellent"
rating. Now, however, another tuner for the GBA has
been released. Called the "TV Commutator",
this one is different from its predecessor in both
design and user interface.
Now then, before I continue I suggest you read
the review I did for the GBA TV
Tuner. As both these products are basically the
same in features and function, this review will thus focus
more on the differences between the two.
TV Tuner II Parts
List
Click
for bigger image
Features Of the TV Commutator
The TV Commutator has almost the same feature list
as the GBA TV Tuner. For a comprehensive listing of
its features, you can refer here.
Listed below, however, is what's different:
| TV Commutator
|
GBA TV Tuner
|
|
Antenna in jack (to connect an external antenna)
- No
|
Antenna in jack (to connect an external antenna)
- Yes
|
|
Require game cartridge to boot - No
|
Require game cartridge to boot - Yes
|
|
TV signal video/audio output to external
monitor - No
|
TV signal video/audio output to external
monitor - Yes
|
|
Stereo earphones supplied - Yes
|
Stereo earphones supplied - No
|
|
DC 3 volt out jack - Yes
|
DC 3 volt out jack - No
|
|
Volume control - Software
|
Volume control - Manual
|
Well, as you can see, the TV Commutator doesn't have
an antenna-in jack, so you can't plug in an external cable
antenna. This means you will not be able to enjoy the optimum
reception that an indoor or powered antenna provides. I guess this
is why this tuner is called a "Commutator", which
suggests that it's only meant to be used while commuting,
and not in a static location. Of course, if you are in a
good location, the telescopic antenna can provide pretty
good reception as well.
The best part, however, is that it doesn't require a
game cartridge to boot. The TV Commutator has its own built-in
GBA bios or boot sequence, which is rather daring, considering
that this isn't a licensed Nintendo product.
The Commutator also has a DC 3 volt out jack, which can
power your GBA at the same time. This is possible only if
you are using DC current for the Commutator, and if you
GBA has a DC in power adapter attached in its battery compartment.
Strangely, however, a special cable is not supplied to utilize
this feature, so you might not be able to use it after all.
Using The TV Commutator
How the GBA is attached to the Commutator is shown by
the pictures below. As you can see, the GBA is slotted into
the Commutator's cartridge adapter. This special adapter
is secured by a hinge to the Commutator which allows it
to slides up at a 45º angle, thus making it easy for you
to insert your GBA. Once the GBA is secure, you can slide
it down again to rest securely against the Commutator's
recessed backing and bottom bracket.
Click
for bigger image
Click
for bigger image
As soon as this is done, you'll need to insert 4
'AA' Alkaline batteries into the Commutator, or plug in
the DC power if you are near a power socket. Next, extend
the telescopic antenna, turn on the Commutator and then
your GBA - remember, the Commutator doesn't power the GBA,
so it will need its own batteries. You will then see the usual
GBA boot screen followed by loads of static. This means
that you will now need to do a channel auto-scan.
Pros Of The TV Commutator
The developers of the Commutator have done a remarkably
good job of refining the GUI of its tuner. The first
GBA TV Tuner had a somewhat intricate interface and required multiple
button presses to access the different
options. For example, to start the auto-scan function for
the GBA TV Tuner, you had to press the Select, Start and Left
shoulder button.
The Commutator's auto-scan option, however, is easier
to access. You only need to press
the "Start" button once for it to start scanning
and storing the available channels. All other options are
accessed by pressing either the "A"
or "B" button and then using the "L" and "R" shoulder
buttons to adjust the options accordingly. For example,
if you press the "A" button once, you get the
"Brightness" control. You can then immediately
adjust the brightness by using the shoulder buttons - easy!
Everything is shown on screen of course, with a visual slide
bar so you know if you are increasing or decreasing the
brightness.
The Commutator's auto-scan speed is also a lot faster,
and its internal speaker is louder too. In term of ergonomics,
the Commutator is much bulkier, although its heart-shape
design and overall aesthetics seems pretty high-tech and "cool"
looking.
Cons Of The TV Commutator
Now, I'm not sure if my review Commutator was faulty,
but on every channel, there was a line of static, about
4 pixels wide, at the top of the screen. This did not change,
even if reception was good and the picture was clear. I couldn't take a screen shot
because I didn't have my internally lighted GBA with me.
Below, however, is a mock representation of the line
of static that was present at the top of the screen in TV
mode.
I say again, my Commutator might be faulty,
so I'm not sure if this is an inherent fault, or whether
this anomaly only occurs on the PAL tuners. On the GBA
TV Tuner, however, there was no such problem, and the picture
displayed was always clear and full screen when reception
was good.
When using the Commutator in Monitor mode
though, the picture displayed was clear and without the
static band at the top of the screen. The only problem was
that the picture was somewhat jerky, which could indicate
an un-optimized refresh rate.
Until I get a definite answer from the developers,
or confirmation from other users of the Commutator, I will
mark this display problem as one of the Commutator's biggest shortcomings.
Final Comments
Aside from the mentioned display problems, the
TV Commutator is actually a good product. It is much
easier to use, thanks to the updated and user friendly interface.
Other tweaks are also evident, the faster auto-scan for
example, and the fact that it now has its own built-in boot
sequence to start the GBA without a cartridge.
All in all, the Commutator is much more refined than
the original GBA TV Tuner, but unfortunately, it can't beat
the GBA TV Tuner's excellent display quality. As a second
generation GBA tuner, the Commutator is a bit of a disappointment.
In my opinion, the biggest mistake was to exclude the antenna-in
option. Many users, like me for example, use the tuner in
a static location, and the antenna-in option gives us the
freedom to receive quality reception from anywhere in the
house where a cable antenna is available. You can't do that
with the Commutator, and although I hate to say it, this
isn't the tuner that you should get if you live in an area
with bad TV reception.
*** The rating for this review will change as soon as
I can confirm whether the display problems is inherent or
due to a
faulty TV Commutator.
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