Pinnacle Systems |
Everything you need to watch over-the-air HDTV programs on your laptop.
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You don’t need to spend big bucks to watch high definition television on an expensive flat-screen TV.
Pinnacle Systems has created a much cheaper way. All you need is their $129.99 PCTV – HD Pro Stick and a laptop computer.
The Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick lets you watch high quality, over-the-air digital, high-definition and standard definition TV shows. No monthly fees or subscriptions are necessary.
The HD Pro stick package contains an HDTV video and audio card built inside a small USB 2.0 device.
You attach a portable, telescoping, magnet-mounted antenna to a metal surface and it works with a little remote control and all the software you need to work the device. It takes less time to attach all the parts, run the software and watch TV on your computer than to describe the process.
The HD Pro Stick worked flawlessly on a number of different notebook computers that I tried. The HTDV picture looked great on everything from small, 12-inch screens to a somewhat larger 20-inch model.
From my New York City test lab the PCTV HDTV Pro Stick was able to find and receive more than 20 over-the-air HDTV stations. That’s a lot better than the tuner in my two-year old Samsung direct-view TV can find at any given time.
Quality of the received HDTV signal was pretty amazing. Tuning an over-the-air digital TV signal is easy. There’s no snow, ghosts, shadows or static. With a digital station you either get perfect picture and stereo sound or nothing at all.
The supplied Pinnacle MediaCenter software does more than only control the tuner – it turns your laptop into personal digital video recorder. You can schedule recordings easily by accessing the PCTV’s electronic program guide, record your favorite shows directly to DVD, or save recorded shows in your favorite video file format for your iPod, PSP or other portable device.
Pinnacle also provides you with an S-video A/V adapter cable to attach any analog video device (like a VCR, DVD or camcorder) to the HD Pro Stick allowing you to record and edit those videos on your computer.
The PCTV HD Pro Stick works with Windows XP and Windows Vista computers – both regular and Media Center models. There is also a PC TV Stick model ($99.99) with fewer features and a brand new Pinnacle TV for Mac HD stick ($129.99).
I found the HD Pro Stick to be one very clever device, which delivers on its claims. Highly recommended.
