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Quite possibly the biggest shortcoming to the Matrox G450 eTV's software package is the lack of any sort of television guide program. With the major competing solutions you are given the ability to search through local listings and select what shows you'd like to have recorded up to two weeks ahead of time. With the G450 you will have to use your trusty TV Guide or head online and record the shows manually. This is the biggest drawback for the G450 eTV and its what prevents it from being anything more than a TV tuner with video capture capabilities, it will never be a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) like the Tivos and ReplayTVs of the world.

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Although it doesn't do that great of a job as a PVR, it's capturing abilities can't be complained about. Matrox bundled Ulead's VideoStudio 4.0 SE with the eTV which proved to be an interesting program. It's not the most intuitive nor is it the most powerful but it is a good entry into the world of non-linear digital video editing. It is perfect for small projects for your friends and family but definitely not something you get much control/power with, it's far from an Adobe Premiere obviously. Unlike Matrox's PC-VCR, you can choose any resolution you'd like to export to giving you the utmost in flexibility when it comes to final movie size.

Overall the G450 eTV was a solid entry into the market by Matrox but it serves as little more than a way to get TV and videos onto your PC. That basic functionality may have been able to cut it a while ago but today, the stakes are higher. In all fairness to Matrox, it's been a while since they've released a Marvel product; with one undoubtedly in the works, hopefully they'll take a few cues from ATI and NVIDIA.