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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PCTV HD Pro Stick USB2 HDTV Tuner for Free HD
Customer Review: Piece of junk.
Summary: 1 Stars
I should have known better after having so much trouble with a trial version of Pinnacle Studio years ago. After reading multiple complaints re: it's flakiness I decided to go with Ulead VideoStudio. And, was much happier doing so. It ended up being a great little consumer video editor.
So, not listening to the little voice in my head, I decided to give Pinnacle HW a try this time. That was a mistake. Other than Avid now being the parent company it seems much hasn't changed.
After what seemed like a couple hours trying to get the SW installed I was possibly even more irritated by it's horrible performance/quality (system hung during recording, video quality worse than that of youtube). BTW, if you do still decide to buy this make sure and obtain the latest downloads from Pinnacle. The CD installation will fail/quit/hang at multiple different points.
Next came dealing with technical support. This would take far too long to explain.
So, to make a long story short, if possible (i.e. you have an extra slot) go with some other manufacturers PCI card. I've used ATI capture cards before and have been quite happy with them.
System specs:
Windows Vista Ultimate (patches up to date)
Dell Optiplex GX260
Pentium 4 - 2.0Ghz
1GB RAM
250GB IDE/PATA HDD
AGP ATI Radeon 7500
Customer Review: Yeah... it's junk.
Summary: 2 Stars
Like many people, I've had a bunch of problems with this TV tuner:
* The TV software is flaky, and often crashes during channel changes. To use the software again, you'll need to reboot your PC. I'm using the latest version of the software as well, so Pinnacle hasn't put much effort in trying to resolve these issues.
* The TV software is also very slow, and runs poorly on even a fast system. I have a brand new Core 2 laptop with 2 GB of memory, and I still get annoying pauses while changing channels.
* The software for the remote complains if you restart the system without the TV tuner attached. I "fixed" this issue by disabling the remote software on system startup.
* The analog broadcast reception is OK, but the digital reception is awful in my area. I get 6 digital channels, and none of them are strong enough to deliver a steady picture and sound. Of course, your results may vary depending on your location.
* While the USB tuner is small, it is a bit oddly shaped and doesn't securely fit in the USB port of my laptop. I needed to use the included USB extension cord to resolve this issue.
Personally, I wish that I would have spent a bit more and got a better TV tuner. Avoid buying this one if possible!
Customer Review: Better than expected. Bought a 2nd unit.
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought one at Bestbuy B&M a year or so ago.
(Note1: I had used PCI-slot TV tuners before, but it was my first USB type TV tuner. Picture quality of this USB unit was MUCH better than the various Kworld PCI-slot cards I have used in the past))
It installed fine and works "very good".
[I would have said it works "great" if the channel changing functionality was bit more responsive]
It's running on an older E-machine athlon 64 3500+ PC and it's built-in TV recording features do fine for a 2nd channel backup to my TIVO.
(my TIVO can only record 1 channel, so I use this USB tuner for those times when 2 TV shows are on at the same time and I want to record both).
PROs:
- inexpensive
- works as advertised
- TIVO type functionality, with included s/w.
- HD TV looks great on PC screen & DVD discs played thru my DVD player.
- easy setup and s/w install
- works fine with XP home
- works fine with XP MCE 2005
CONs:
- channel changing takes a few seconds
- channel UP & DOWN arrows within s/w are 180 out.
UP arrow takes you to a lower number channel.
DOWN arrow takes you to a higher number channel.
Customer Review: Still a Beta Product
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a great idea with poor implementation. Immediately after installing the software and downloading a 20meg software patch, I was watching analog and HDtv. However, the software crashes randomly when changing the channel between HD and analog stations. The remote can be used to change channels, adjust volume, and pause live tv and thats it. You cant use it to access the electronic program guide or schedule recordings with it. Nor can you use it to select programs you have already recorded. The EPG is poor at best. It does not create a graphical guide like on a cable box, it is just a text list of stations with the current show's title.
Recording TV is an exercise in futility. It works for a few minutes and then my computer flashes the old blue screen of death and shuts off. My system meets all the system requirements but I still have problems. Ill be on the line with tech support tonight. I'll update this post if they are able to fix it, otherwise assume I returned it hoping they work all the bugs out in the future.
P.S. It comes with "media center" software, but provides no 10' interface and does not have a way of browsing photos or music files. Its really just a TV interface.
Customer Review: Excellent HD TV tuner - that is if you have a new/fast laptop
Summary: 5 Stars
I read all the negative comments from previous reviewers but took the chance and got the HD tuner suspecting the core problem other people are experiencing is due to older PC hardware/drivers. I installed the PCTV HD on a new Core 2 Duo with 2Gb RAM and CAD level graphics card on a WinXP laptop. The installation was a breeze - though had to go through 2 cycles of downloading updates from Pinnacle and rebooting - all driven by the install wizard. After the 2nd reboot it took me to the setup and scanned for local analog and HD channels without any problems. Unlike what one reviewer said, both local and HD channels appear fine and was able to record the programs fine (just using the little antennea that came with the tuner). I did play around with the different record modes (DVD vs long play ...) so poor recording quality may have something to do with perhaps the PC hardware, reception, and record mode.
The only thing I have yet to figure out is to how to key in channels not previously selected in my preferred list using the remote.
Otherwise this is an excellent product - that is if you have the hardware and OS to support it.