PCTV HD Pro Stick USB2 HDTV Tuner for Free HD
by Pinnacle Systems
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List Price: Our Price: $45.00 You Save: $54.99 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PCTV HD Pro Stick USB2 HDTV Tuner for Free HD
Customer Review: Nice Product - Pretty Good HD tuner
Summary: 4 Stars
This product works pretty well. I installed it on a home built system running Windows XP pro. The video card is an Nvidia GeForce 7600 based card and is decent for games and video. The motherboard is a MiniBB Shuttle SD11G5 running with a Mobile Pentium-M 740 CPU (1.73 GHz). It has 1 GB of RAM. So the system is similar to a decent laptop. The installation of the Pctv HD Pro Stick and software setup on Window XP went smoothly. I connected the Pctv device to my house antenna using a coax cable. At first the HD Pro Stick would not find any channels. In fact it displayed that there was an error finding any analog and digital channels. I did a little checking on the Pinnacle forums and realized that I had two possible things preventing the Pctv device from working. One was that I had my anti-virus running during the setup. The second was that I had another USB device (an audio mixer) connected to the PC. I disabled the anti-virus and disconnected the USB audio mixer then ran the channel setup again. This time everything worked fine. All of the channels my home HD television set can tune in can also be tuned in with the Pctv HD Pro Stick.
Watching HD television shows - You do not need Windows XP media center or any other software to use the Pctv HD Pro Stick to watch television channels on your Windows XP computer. I thought I would mention that because it wasn't obvious in material I found before purchasing this product. The Pro Stick comes with software necessary to tune in channels and view them using a Windows XP computer.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, the device and software for tuning in television does takes a lot of the system cpu processing time. It was usually around 100% of the cpu usage. Running in that mode there is a noticeable lag in the picture and sound. By default the Pctv isn't setup to utilize the system's video card hardware in the television processing. There is a checkbox for using the video card in the Pctv setup. After I turned that on I saw a real improvement in performance. The cpu usage while watching an HD channel dropped by at least 40% and the picture/sound lagging went away. I think the big problem other reviewers have is that either they didn't find the hardware processing option in the Pctv setup (it isn't real obvious) or their laptops aren't equipped with very good video card hardware.
The included remote control works nice and is a good feature.
As another test I tried another Software product for watching and recording television using the Pctv HD Pro Stick. I tested the Beyond TV (v4.5) from SnapStream. The software installation for that product was pretty easy. After the installation it recognized the Pctv tuner and in the BeyondTv setup I selected some local HD channels that it found from the Pctv device. Once the BeyondTv software finished it's setup I could use that program to watch television. BeyondTV also can connect to the internet and provide a TV schedule for the channels I setup. I was able to select a show and schedule it for recording. The BeyondTv program was not able to make use of the Pctv remote control (at least I couldn't get that part to work). I mention this because it is nice to know that the Pctv HD Pro Stick is supported and can run with other software.
I am giving four stars to the Pctv HD Pro Stick as it does a good job of tuning in television stations as advertised. It does record the television channels quite well (although you have to make sure you have enough hard disk space). The only knock would be on the included software. It could be improved to provide better trouble-shooting suggestions and it should include a separate section on optimizing the performance of the device (like detecting and utilizing the system's video hardware).
Overall I am satisfied enough with the product that I am planning on buying a couple more Pctv HD Pro Stick devices for some other computers I use.
Customer Review: Pinnacal PCTV HD Pro Stick
Summary: 4 Stars
What is it?
PCTV HD Pro Stick is a USB HD TV tuner which brings full HD TV via ATSC to your laptop or desktop when using the supplied antenna. Standard analog (NTSC) can be received via cable, satellite or antenna.
Features using supplied TVCenter software
1. Direct-to-DVD, DivX, Apple iPod and Sony PSP recording.
2. Snapshot - Capture a single image from the TV screen.
3. Capture from analog devices (i.e. VCR, DVD Players, Camcorders) then edit with Pinnacle Studio QuickStart software.
4. EPG - Electronic Program Guide - One year free membership.
Package Contents:
1. TV tuner stick
2. USB extender cable
3. A/V input adaptor
4. Portable HD antenna
5. PCTV Installation CD
6. Portable Studio Quick Start CD
7. Remote control with batteries
8. Quick Start guide
Installation
I. Hardware
1. Connect PCTV HD Pro Stick to USB 2.0 port on laptop or desktop.
2. Cancel Windows® hardware wizard if it appears.
3. Choose TV connection type.
a. Antenna - Connect supplied antenna
b. Cable - Connect to cable outlet
c. Cable/Satellite Set-top Box - Use A/V adapter cable
II. Software and Setup
Installation of the PCTV TVCenter Pro software is straight forward.
Follow onscreen instructions.
Note: When TVCenter Setup wizard starts (after re-boot) I recommend you cancel the wizard.
Open the PDF User Guide
Read advanced settings on pages 47 & 48.
The Quick Start Guide section IV. Step 3 indicates you should click "Next" to select "Input Type". It should read click "Start" in the channel scan area to select "Input Type".
This error caused me many hours of research in trying to set up for cable channels on my XP system
Now you can open Settings to begin you setup.
Test Machines
1. Vaio Notebook
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (SP2)
Intel Centrino Processor
1GB RAM
Primary antenna type is cable
Direct-to-DVD Recording:
My first test was to record two back to back episodes of "I Love Lucy" using the Electronic program guide (EPG). I scheduled the programs about an hour before
Showtime and shut down the TVCenter program. Sadly after the first scheduled program completed the DVD was ejected and the 2nd program was not recorded. Lesson Learned: In this scenario do a manual record setup and set a start and end time to cover all programs.
My 2nd test I again used EPG to schedule premier of "Women's Murder Club".
Recording did start but the TVCenter program encountered a problem and shut down.
Direct-to DVD Recording is a nice feature. To be on the safe side in the future I would record to file on HD and burn with a DVD creation program.
2. Home built desktop
Microsoft® Vista Home Premium
Intel Pentium 4 2.26 GHz processor
1GB RAM
Installation here was performed for Window Media Center by running the
PCTV MCE Vista Setup located in the Windows® Media Center folder on the Pinnacle PCTV installation CD.
Installation sets up Drivers and MPEG-2 encoder settings. You then set up the TV from the Windows® Media Center settings.
If you have Windows® Media Center for Vista or Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 I believe this is the best installation course.
Media Center offers free TV guide and though there is no Direct-to-DVD recording the Media Center DVD recording does an excellent job.
Conclusion:
Pinnacle has great hardware and somewhat quirky software.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I give the hardware a 10 and the software an 8.
Customer Review: The End Of Broadcast TV ?
Summary: 2 Stars
Well, here it is, less than a year until the USA goes totally HDTV. Probably you are much like myself and concerned that you should be purchasing some method to convert to the new 'mandated' audio format. From my experience with the Pinnacle solution which uses TotalMedia software, I'd say that if you don't have cable... you are about to be completely screwed. What does my description of totally screwed mean? It means possible loss of most access to over the air broadcast programming.
Am I an analog television fanatic, much like some people suddenly became vinyl fanatics after the introduction of compact disc audio recordings? No, I wouldn't say that. I just want to receive my basic television programming without outages and with a clear signal. The reality of the matter is that it is much easier to tune into an analog television signal than it is to tune into an digital television signal. At least with an analog signal, a lower level broadcast signal level will be watchable (this description to be, well, sort of defined by user taste and tolerance) while a digital signal will probably be simply... impossible to even tune into. Which would you rather have if cable was not an affordable option? Where I live Warner Cable offers prices in the area of $99 a month for their 'bargain' options. With the Bush administration's love of corporate interests and hate of regulation, you could rapidly imagine why we have been mandated to move to hdtv because it is 'better'. Obviously having to pay $99 a month to watch tv is 'better' for someone. Perhaps like me, you will agree that it is not better for you. This could be a great time to buy stock in cable services!
Now we get to this Pinnacle Extreme HD USB stick equipped with TotalMedia software and the primrose path starts to appear even darker.
If you bought a television and found that everything it was attached to would lock up until you pulled the plug out of the wall, would you continue to try to use it? Or would you take it back to the store? This is exactly what happens if you are not in absolutely perfect conditions to receive an HDTV signal. Get ready for a lots of cold shutdowns on your computer. In my case, I have switched to the analog television mode so that I could use my extreme HDTV USB stick without locking up my computer which runs much faster and contains far more memory and hard drive space than Pinnacle has marked as required to use it's hardware device with TotalMedia. The antenna supplied with the unit broke within an hour of my attempting to install this USB HDTV solution by Pinnacle. Instead of complaining I plugged in my Terk Yagi antenna which helped with reception a great deal, but apparently not sufficiently in Kansas City's metro area to be able to watch more than the religious channels without locking up my computer. Since I would not quite define myself as a bible-thumping missionary it is clear that this situation will not work very well for me.
The future of television looks bright... Unfortunately it appears to require a $99 a month cable subscription.
P.S. For those that find themselves wondering if I am one of those technologically hopeless people that couldn't set the clock on their VCR... My job resume includes broadcast engineer... of a radio station.
Customer Review: Good hardware, but worst ever software and support.
Summary: 2 Stars
I am running on a not too slow computer AMD 4400+ (2.4+g Dual), with 2g RAM, Nvidia 7900 series video card. The hardware is slick, remote somewhat respond well and design is quiet cute. However, software package is probably the worst ever on the market.
My first install, went out of question, unsuccessful install. Doesn't matter if is the copy from the original cd or the update patch from their website, installation will always hang in the first time. After you force shut down the setup.exe and reinstall again, it will go through just fine. Funny thing is, IT ALWAYS hang on the first install.
After the installation, the original CD never worked. too many errors. I've called in tech. support also the online chat with their tech. dept. nothing helps! The guy simply tell me to reinstall the computer or try to reinstall xp with newest patch of video card driver, sound card driver and directx. This comes to my attention that the tech support guy knows nothing at all. I've mentioned once again, I had them install on the newest version already, but tech guy simply just trying to hang me up and tell me to try again and again.
I later found out the cd came with package never worked, then I installed the newest update from their website. Only this time, different error had appeared. It indicated that several UI can not be loaded. Therefore, I went back to their tech support from online chatroom, I even supplied 3 screen capture images. However, tech guy told me he CAN NOT browse any image from his working station, I have to be specific about my error message. So, I did just that, provided them the error message in typing, then they've told me to reinstall my xp again. So I simply give up!
After several times of reinstall, It comes to me that pinnacle provides EPG service, and the server always have problem to log on at most time of the day. Finally, I grab a fresh "updated" EPG, my buggy problem goes away. Now I am able to watch and record HDTV contents.
After several days of watching HDTV and testing the recording. Now I see more problems. First of all, the recording will always crash whenever "IT" wants. Maybe due to signal fade or whatever, as long as I use "Schedule recording" it will simply record about half hour, then crash the entire program. Second problem comes to my attention is that time shift with recording is always having problem, and my screen will black out! So, I went back to the knowledge base, nothing helps... Not till I realized it might be just dual screen problem, so I moved back the program from 2nd screen, everything works smoothly after that.
After that.. I was happy for a day and half.. The recording program starts to tear apart. Now they only record PBS-HD, but not ABC, NBC, CBS, or any others.. So, I try to reinstall the software again. Such luck I have during the last install. This time, the problem back to me like nightmare.. the "UI" problem pops back up, and even I have the EPG xml downloaded, nothing runs at this point. I guess if I can't find a better solution, I might as well have to return this product. The software just suck! and none of the tech support knows exact what to do. They probably know soo little that only solution is to reinstall your pc over and over.
Customer Review: Excellent with a few limitations
Summary: 5 Stars
This another of those products that it is wise to shop for and wait until you can find it a bargain price. Why the emphasis on getting a good price? Because, in my opinion, the product is not worth the current street price.
I am not much of a television watcher, but I thought that at the right price, it would be nice to be able to use a computer as an HDTV. And the Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick USB HDTV Tuner will allow you to that IF you meet some boundary conditions.
First, your CPU had best be rated at 2.4 Ghz or higher, preferably higher. I did run it on a 1.8 Ghz computer, but I could plainly see this device and its software want plenty of power. They also want plenty of RAM and hard drive space as well, so make sure you have both. 2 GB RAM at a minimum.
Installation goes smoothly. The device is larger than a flash drive and Pinnacle thoughtfully supplies a short USB extension cable, so you can use the Pro Stick in cramped quarters. Ignore the software on the provided disc and immmediately download the latest version of Pinnacle TVCenter Pro from Pinnacle's website. I used the Windows XP SP 2 version and the software installed flawlessly. You have to restart after installation.
On the first launch of the Pinnacle TVCenter Pro software, as you might expect, there is a wizard to help get you started. You are given a choice of a free one-year trial of an online scheduling service, for which you'll have to pay $ 20 annually thereafter, or using an onair guide if one is available. In my area, a perfectly adequate onair guide is available. For my initial test, I chose the latter. Pinnacle TVCenter Pro initiates a scan for analog and digital broadcast stations. In my case, it found all of the analog stations and missed at least two of the digital stations.
Analog reception using the provided stick antenna which was some distance away from a window was, as you would expect, pretty bad. Barely visible pictures with lots of snow in most cases.
Digital reception was stunningly good.
Pictures were tack sharp with minor artifacting, possibly due to my running this on a slower processer than is suggested.
The Pinnacle TVCenter Pro is tolerable. You can receive internet radio stations using it, though I think it is a bit on the clumsy side. Same for playing music. I think there are better solutions for both.
Recording setup is simple enough. I did a test in MP4 on the underpowered machine I was using and it worked well with only a few stutters and minor pixelation.
I did not install the Pinnacle Studio software supplied on my computer since it would have duplicated another program, so no comments on that.
On the whole, if you can get one of these at a good price, I think it is a nice addition. It certainly provides a taste of HDTV in an economical fasion and for those with a yen for portable TV and a sufficiently powerful laptop, this is a fine combination. Overall a good value I think and a kind of fun device.
Jerry