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Videomate Action Series
USB 2.0 TV Tuner Box
Start Up Guide
Compro Technology, Inc.
www.comprousa.com
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Copyright © 2001-2005. Compro Technology, Inc. No part of this
document may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means
without the prior written consent of Compro Technology, Inc.
Compro, VideoMate, Poladyne, Play with Power, and the Compro
logo are trademarks of Compro Technology, Inc. Other names and
marks are trademarks of their respective owners.
Compro makes no warranties with respect to this documentation and
disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability, quality, or fitness
for any particular purpose. The information in this document is subject
to change without notice. COMPRO reserves the right to make
revisions to this publication without obligation to notify any person or
entity of any such changes.
Compro Technology, Inc.
Tel. +886 2 2918 0169, Fax +886 2 2915 2389
3/F, No.12, Alley 6, Lane 45, Pao Shin Road
Hsintein City, Taipei, Taiwan
www.comprousa.com
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Table of Contents
About This Guide ...................................................... 2
About VideoMate Action ........................................... 2
VideoMate Action Contents ...................................... 3
VideoMate Action Connectors .................................. 4
Installation................................................................. 5
Remote Control Key Definition and Use ................... 6
ComproPVR 2........................................................... 8
Troubleshooting ...................................................... 11
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About This Guide
This manual tells you how to install and use your VideoMate Action USB 2.0
TV Tuner Box. For more information on using applications, please see the
User’s Guides in the programs, on the CDs, or at our website for the latest
manuals http://www.comprousa.com/download.
About VideoMate Action
VideoMate Action lets you watch and record TV on your PC. Depending on
which model you have, your VideoMate Action tuner card features a TV tuner,
FM Tuner, 3D Y/C Separation. All versions support: Digital Video Recording
(DVR) functions, scheduled recording at anytime, crystal video quality,
intelligent TV viewing, and Multi-function Remote Control. Additionally,
VideoMate Action also provides a Video capture function so that you can
transfer videos from video devices, such as video cameras, to your PC.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Your system must meet the following requirements to watch TV.
• 800 MHz Pentium III or equivalent CPU
• 128 MB RAM
• Sound card
• Open USB 2.0 port
• CD-ROM drive for software installation
• Windows XP SP1, Windows 2000 SP4 or above
• 50 MB free disk space for basic software installation.
• 600 MB (VCD-quality) to 3 GB (DVD-quality) per hour of recorded video.
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To use all the features of VideoMate Action, including recording at DVD quality,
your system should meet the following requirements.
• 2.4 GHz CPU
• 256 MB RAM
• Sound card
• Open USB 2.0 ports
• Windows XP SP2
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VideoMate Action Contents
Note
Do not connect USB cable and USB power cable on the same USB port.
VideoMate Action takes power from the USB port. Please connect an addition
external USB power cable to another USB port for sufficient power supply.
VideoMate Action
USB power cable
USB cable
Y-Cable for S-Video
in and Audio out
Software CDs
Manual
IR Remote Control
(batteries included)
FM antenna
(FM version
only)
Audio patch cable
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VideoMate Action Connectors
Back Side of Box
Right Side of Box
Icon Function Description
FM FM Tuner-In Connect to a FM antenna.
TV TV Tuner-In Connect to a TV antenna or TV cable feed.
USB USB connector Use the supplied USB cable to connect to an
USB port on the computer.
Icon Function Description
POWER USB Power-In Connect to a USB port for additional power.
COMP IN Composite-In Use the Composite patch cable to connect to a
video source, such as a VCR, DVD or VCD.
SVID IN S-Video-In and
Stereo Audio-Out
( Audio-Out is
needed in Windows
2000 system)
Use the S-Video patch cable to connect to a
video source, such as a VCR, DVD or VCD.
Use the provided stereo audio patch cable to
connect from VideoMate Action to sound card’s
Audio-In connector, such as Line-In.
LINE IN Stereo Audio-In Use a stereo audio patch cable to connect to
an audio source, such as a VCR, DVD or VCD.
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Installation
Start the computer. Make sure VideoMate Action is not connected to your
computer and insert the installation CD into your CD drive.
Step 1. Insert the installation CD into your CD drive. If you have Autorun
enabled, the installer will start automatically. (If Autorun is disabled,
double-click on “setup.exe” on the installation CD.) You can choose
Complete to install all necessary software (VideoMate Action drivers,
ComproPVR, ComproDVD, ComproFM) or choose Custom to select
item by item. Compro recommends you choose Complete.
ComproDVD and ComproFM are not available for all models.
Step 2. If you see the Windows Logo testing message, below, please press
“Continue Anyway” to proceed.
Step 3. Press Next to install ComproPVR, ComproFM, ComproDVD
Step 4. After each program is successfully installed, press Finish to proceed.
Step 5. When installation completes, press Finish to restart computer.
Step 6. After restarting, Windows will detect your VideoMate Action card and
start the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard, prompting you to install the
VideoMate Action drivers. Please press Next to finish the installation.
Note
If your system is WinXP SP1, you have to install the Windows Hotfix
KB822603-x86.exe which is located on the USB_Patch folder on the
installation CD.
Continue Anyway
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Remote Control Key Definition and Use
Please refer to the buttons and their corresponding function listed on the
opposite page.
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Icon ComproPVR 2 ComproFM 2 ComproDVD 2
DVD Start/Stop ComproDVD 2
FM Start/Stop ComproFM 2(if available)
TV Start/Stop ComproPVR 2
Power Start/Stop ComproPVR 2
0-9 Number keys Pre-set stations Number keys
CHAN Switch channels Switch channels Not used
VOL Volume Volume Volume
RECALL Previous channel Previous channel Not used
MUTE Mute Mute Mute
CC Closed caption Enter frequency Select language
Up Arrow Up arrow Up arrow Up arrow
MTS Mono/Stereo/SAP Mono/Stereo Select language
TV/VIDEO
TV/ S-Video/
Composite
Not used Add to bookmark
Left Arrow Replay Scan down Left arrow
OK Open play list Open play list OK
Right Arrow Advance Scan up Right arrow
REC Record Record Snapshot
EPG Open EPG Open on-line help Main manual
Down Arrow Down or snapshot Down arrow Down arrow
SURF Channel surf Station up
Choose DVD
angle
ZOOM Zoom In/Out Minimize/Maximize Zoom In/Out
Backward Replay Rewind Rewind
Play/Pause
Pause or enable
timeshifting
Play/Pause during
playback
Play/Pause
during playback
Forward Advance Forward Forward
SETUP Setup dialog box Setup dialog box Setup dialog box
Last Previous channel Last station Last chapter
Stop Stop Stop Stop
Next Jump to next Not used Jump to next
SLEEP Sleep function Sleep function AB repeat
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ComproPVR 2
Introduction
ComproPVR is a complete digital entertainment solution for your PC. Watch
and record TV programs on your PC, in full-screen mode or in a window.
Timeshifting lets you watch TV, pause live TV, or review your favorite scenes
without missing a minute of the program. Integrated deinterlacing technology
assures the highest picture quality. All this, with the universal remote control.
Control Panel
The ComproPVR control panel resembles the controls on a VCR. Keep in
mind that not all options are available at all times, and may be grayed out or
inaccessible depending on your hardware setup and TV services available.
The following describe the ComproPVR control panel functions, and tips for
using ComproPVR. The following figure gives you the function of the button
with (Hot Key.)
Snapshot
(Space)
Close
(CTRL+X)
Last Channel
(N)
Te le t ex t
(C)
Schedule
(B)
Channel
Surf(F)
Language
Select (Q)
Timeshift
(T)
Channel Down
(Page down)
Stop
(S)
Docking
(D)
Volume
(+, -)
Full Screen
(Z)
Mute
(M)
Record
(R)
Channel Up (Page
Up) with lists( I )
Help
(H)
Minimize
(G)
Timeshift bar
Play
(P)
Pause
(U)
Replay
(Right Arrow)
Advance
(Left Arrow)
Options
(O)
EPG
(E)
Source
(V)
Lists
( I )
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Icon HotKey Description
A
Enable/Disable Always-on-Top function for
TV window.(Oregon circle on the upper-right
corner of the TV window)
n/a
L Sleep function
Note: EPG is only available for USA. Teletext is not available. Language
select is only available while the program and hardware supports it.
Watching
After installation, just press the PVR/TV button on the remote or double click
the ComproPVR icon on the desktop you will be able to watch TV. Same as
operating a normal TV set. Watch TV programs on your PC, in full-screen
mode or in a window. Channel up and down. Close ComproPVR and even
shutdown the computer with the full function remote control keypad.
Channel Surfing
While watching TV, the channel surfing feature displays a 4x4 grid of channel
images to give you an overview of available programming.
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Recording
ComproPVR is a digital video recorder. ComproPVR can record full-motion
video and audio from your video source and save it to your hard disk.
ComproPVR supports MPEG-1/2/4 encoding, which saves disk space while
providing high video quality.
To instantly start recording:
1. Press the Record button . ComproPVR starts recording the video
source currently showing in the display window. It will save it to a file on
your disk.
2. Press the Stop button to stop recording.
To playback the recorded file, press the Play button and select the file you
wish to view.
Remote Shut Down
There are two situations for this operation.
When not watching TV, i.e. no ComproPVR running:
Just press the SLEEP button on the lower-right corner on the remote keypad,
you will see a dialog as shown below. Program will countdown 20 seconds to
shutdown the computer. If you don’t want to shut down the computer, please
press the SLEEP button again. Press OK to immediately shutdown the
computer.
When watching TV, i.e. ComproPVR is running:
Just press the SLEEP button on the lower-right corner on the remote keypad
repeatedly, you will see the text on the screen turn to SLEEP OFF, SLEEP ON
- 30 MINUTES, SLEEP ON - 1 HOUR, SLEEP ON - 2 HOURS, and
SHUTDOWN. When the text shows SHUTDOWN, the program will countdown
20 seconds to shut down the computer. If you don’t want to shutdown the
computer, please press the SLEEP button again.
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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting steps
If you have problem installing or running VideoMate Action, please check the
following by step:
1. OS issue: VideoMate Action has to work on USB 2.0 interface. Note only
Windows XP SP1 / Windows 2000 SP4 or above OS support USB 2.0. You
are welcome to www.WindowsUpdate.com website for the Service Pack
update of Microsoft.
2. USB 2.0 issue: you need to check your computer has USB 2.0 or not.
Usually you will see “USB 2.0 Root Hub” device in the "Sound, video and
game controllers" section of Windows Device Manager.
3. Driver issue: You should see " VideoMate Action " drivers, in the "Sound,
video and game controllers" section of Windows Device Manager. If these
drivers are not there, reinstalling the VideoMate Action drivers can help.
4. Power Issue: VideoMate Action takes power from the USB port. Make
sure to connect the USB power cable to a USB port other than the USB
connector. Note: PCMCIA and USB hub won’t provide enough power so
that you have to use USB power patch cable (include) connecting to an
USB port on the computer in order to take power from it.
Sometimes plugging in another USB port may help. Some motherboards
and notebook’s USB ports do not meet the USB standard providing the
standard 5V 500mA power. In these cases, VideoMate Action will not have
enough power to work. Please contact computer vendor for the issue.
5. Video OK / No Audio: If you are using Windows XP:
Make sure the audio device is “USB Audio Device” in the System Device in
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Settings of ComproPVR.
Also, you have to select
the audio source to be
“WAVE” in the System
Device in Settings of
ComproPVR.
Check that the sound is not
muted or volume too low in
the Windows Volume
Control dialog.
(Double-click on the
speaker icon in the system
tray.)
Note
USB Audio Driver is in Windows XP installation CD. If you have problem to
install it, please go to Microsoft website do WindowsUpdate can help.
If you are using Windows 2000:
First directly connect the speaker to the audio-out (green circle) of VideoMate
Action to see if the sound comes out. If so, then the hardware is not defective.
Then plug audio patch cable from VideoMate Action’s audio-out to the Line-In
of the sound card.
Note
Windows 2000 doesn’t support USB audio feature. Therefore, you have to
connect the audio patch cable in order to have sound.
VideoMate Action’s audio-out is through the Y cable on the SVID (not directly
on the box which is Line-In).
Second, make sure the audio device is “Your Sound Card” in the System
Device in Settings of ComproPVR. You have to select the audio source to be
“Line-In” in the System Device in Settings of ComproPVR.
Third, check that the sound is not muted or volume too low in the Windows
Volume Control dialog. (Double-click on the speaker icon in the system tray.)
Sometimes updating the sound card driver from vendor or VideoMate Action’s
software from www.comprousa.com may help as well.
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6. Can’t Remote: Verify that the icon (ComproRemote) is in the system
tray on the lower-right corner of the screen. If you don't have it on the
system tray, start the following program manually:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VideoMate\ComproRemote.exe
Then you should see the icon on the system tray. The IR icon should turn
brighter when you press buttons on the remote. If you see no response,
your IR drivers may not be not properly installed. Please remove
ComproPVR using "Add/Remove programs" in the Control Panel and
reinstall it.
7. Can’t record: ComproPVR needs to use components of Ulead
PhotoExplore 8 SE on the installation CD. If your computer doesn’t have
PhotoExplore, ComproPVR will fail to record. Please install Ulead
PhotoExplore 8 SE.
8. No sound on the recorded file: Please see above “Video OK / No Audio.”
on the number 5.
9. The recorded file from VCR has no audio: Please plug VCR Composite
cable (yellow) into TV card
yellow connector. Composite
Audio needs to connect to the
Audio-In port of TV card. You
have to buy a converter (see
below) to transfer Composite
Audio cable (red one and white
one) into stereo.
10. Playback lags: VideoMate Action needs CPU resources to do the
encoding. Therefore, the lags come when CPU fails to encode in real time.
Usually, VCD quality needs about 1GHz CPU for recording while DVD
quality needs about 2.4G CPU for recording. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to check
your CPU usage. If it reaches 100%, then the lag is inevitable.
11. No MPEG 4 format for recording: If you would like to record video in
MPEG-4 format, you must supply your own MPEG-4 CODEC. Furthermore,
the CODEC must be installed before using ComproPVR. In general, you
can download MPEG-4 CODEC from the following web sites.
http://www.divx.com After you install the CODEC software, you will see
the MPEG-4 format appear in the field of recording quality.
Note
Compro does not guarantee compatibility or performance with third-party
CODECs. Please try using Ulead MP3 Encoder for audio and DivX codec
directly from www.divx.com
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12. No Stereo: Stereo or SAP is only available on certain models. Also, Stereo
and SAP sound may not be available in your area or for all programs. You
can set your audio to Stereo and SAP in the Video/Audio tab in Settings of
ComproPVR if available.
13. TV is not clear: Sometimes the signal could be reduced by the branching.
Please make sure the cable signal is good. Try to move the computer to a
TV set and connect the cable which is being used for the TV set. Also
directly connecting the cable before the splitter may help. This problem
could also come from static. Once you connect the cable to our TV card,
the static interferes with the system. It's possible to correct this problem by
connecting a wire from the grounding of the cable to ground. Also make
sure computer grounding is good. Do not connect USB cable and USB
power cable on the same USB port. VideoMate Action takes power from
the USB port. Please connect an addition external USB power cable to
another USB port for sufficient power supply.
14. Other issue: Please go to our website for the latest software update. Many
problems may be fixed on the newer software version. You are welcome to
visit our website at http://www.comprousa.com/support
Contacting Compro Technical Support
If above doesn’t help, please check support FAQs (Frequently Asked
Questions) on our web site http://www.comprousa.com/support
You are welcome to download the latest software from our website as well.
Most problems may be solved on the updates. When contacting Compro for
technical support, please use the Compro support request form and provide as
much of the requested information as possible. Please write the details in
order to determine the problem. And also provide the product serial number
(19 digits numbers) on the VideoMate Action. Please use the form from
http://www.comprousa.com/support/form.htm.
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
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