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Pinnacle PCTV HD PRO STICK-USB2 HD TVTUN

PCTV HD PRO STICK-USB2 HD TVTUN

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Most recent User Reviews for

Pinnacle PCTV HD PRO STICK-USB2 HD TVTUN

  • Reviewed by: xsylus_

    06-16-08

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Compact size, included external antenna, receives local over-the-air HD DTV broadcast. Included remote control and dongle for s-video or composite. Does what it's designed to do.

    Weaknesses:Construction of device; feels cheap. The software (TVCenter Pro 4.9) is buggy. Device sticks out from laptop USB port putting stress on the USB.

    Overall Evaluation: Before I decided to by this HD TV tuner I had planned to by a pcmcia or express-card model. Unfortunately Pinnacle doesn't make those so I would have had to by a more expensive generic-brand card. While the USB does put some stress on the USB port it does include a short extension cable to elevate that. However, in either case carrying the laptop is more cumbersome with the stick protruding from it. Don't expect to move the laptop with the external antenna attached; it has a magnet on the base so accidentally putting it too close to the laptop could mess up the hard drive. The software (TVCenter 4.9) has potential but is still far from spectacular. It tends to struggle when switching from window to full-screen and back. Occasionally the audio goes out of the sync with the video. Luckily the software is upgradeable and free to download for customers. Overall the PCTV HD Pro Stick is a worth while investment; especially when all TV goes digital in 2009.

  • Reviewed by: RCunningham

    10-04-07

    Duration of ownership: 9 Months

    Strengths: Good signal and great picture

    Weaknesses:Stopped working after a couple uses, customer support has failed to even respond to the problem

    Overall Evaluation: I received this as a gift Christmas 2006. It loaded easily and worked great on a new Dell laptop with XP for a couple of uses. I did not use it for a month or so and when I tried it again, it would not work at all. I have uninstalled and reinstalled countless times per the instructions on Pinnacle's site. I have also tried to install on another new computer without any success. Pinnacle's website is also not user friendly. I typed in all kinds of information they wanted. It provided suggestions. I tried those and then they made me re-enter everything I had already entered. Pinnacle support has not even responded to my problems I sent to them approximately a month ago. I will never buy a Pinnacle product again. This was a complete and total waste of money.

  • Reviewed by: bart.kessels_1153533382

    03-10-07

    Duration of ownership: 10 Days

    Strengths: Very small, with additional audio/video input.

    Weaknesses:SW does not support Vista

    Overall Evaluation: Software didn't run under windows vista, had to download a beta release from their website. With this beta release it works seamlessly. My note book Pentium 1.6 GHz, 1GB, Radeon 7500) has problems keeping up when using the timeshift function.

  • Reviewed by: kkwegman

    03-03-07

    Duration of ownership: 3 Weeks

    Strengths: Well engineered, compact, adds HDTV portability to a notebook computer.

    Weaknesses:Unconventional installation, read and follow instructions.

    Overall Evaluation: The Pinnacle HDTV Pro Stick interested me for its small footprint package, and it's dual purpose TV tuner/video capture capabilities. Combined with my computer's wireless internet capabilities, they both make a good portable media package. I also wanted the digital TV over-the-air format, because I was told that in 2009 no more analog TV broadcasts will be available. I purchased the Pro Stick on Feb 16 from Best Buy, when it was heavily discounted. That day I installed it which took about one hour with all the necessary on line updating included. A neat feature is the 12 inch USB extension cable Pinnacle provides if adjacent USB port are occupied. It's important to plug the Pro Stick in first before loading the CD-ROM applications. I live in metro Milwaukee and was able to receive 14 analog TV stations and 17 digital stations. The video performance is awesome! I also signed up for the free one year TV program schedule subscription. Experienced time delay in changing channels, but my computer's processor meets Pinnacle's minimum requirements, which to me is acceptable.

  • Reviewed by: MSAdamsPHX

    03-02-07

    Duration of ownership: 3 Months

    Strengths: Powerful HDTV tuner in a small compact design.

    Weaknesses:Poor analog tuner and only one year of free program guide updates from Pinnacle.

    Overall Evaluation: This is a great product. Until laptop manufacturers build in an HDTV tuner and antenna into their products, you won't be disappointed with this external HDTV tuner. Just connect the tuner to the included telescoping antenna or your local cable via coax then plug it into any available USB 2.0 port and Windows XP will detect it easily. The software installation, setup, and updates take a bit, but the setup screens are painless to navigate. Where this baby shines is the HDTV picture quality. The regular analog picture is fair to poor depending on signal strength and source, but the HDTV picture on a laptop rivals that of standalone LCD HDTV's without the box or the hefty price tag. Next time you hit the road, slip this baby into your lappy bag along with the compact remote and portable antenna and you'll be enjoying FREE HDTV anywhere without a TV.

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