Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner how to#
Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner full#
Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner software#
Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner windows#

The only downside is the very limited dynamic range, which I knew about up front. This could be really interesting for streaming audio feeds.with a single device you could stream a number of different channels without needing to can receive as many channels as you want at the same time within the limits of your computer's ability to process them and the receiver bandwidth. I think it could do up to a 4 MHz bandwidth in theory but I haven't done much playing around yet. I could have probably done a lot more than four channels but that's all I've tried so far. Within a couple hours I had it receiving four VHF radio channels within a 1 MHz bandwidth simultaneously. It actually works better than I expected for a $20 tuner.

Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner software#

There’s no support for MCE, but with the great software and the low price it’s a real bargain and the pick of the bunch.I finally got mine today and did some playing around using GNUradio. The only point to remember is that the pause function is off by default – you have to enable it in the settings. Plus, it works well too – changing channels is fairly swift and there’s little delay when pausing live TV. Everything is integrated – channel scanning, the EPG and timeshifting.

Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner windows#

The best part is ArcSoft’s TotalMedia viewing software, which is similar to Windows Media Center Edition and (unlike Pinnacle’s software) handles music and photos. There’s a remote control included, but beware that the tuner has a detachable aerial socket that needs care, as the interface is very small. The Freecom DVB-T USB Stick offers a surprisingly good package for only £27. The EPG is a separate web-based application, but usefully can be remotely scheduled over the internet. It isn’t a hybrid tuner (the £62 HVR-900 is Hauppauge’s alternative), but as around 80% of the UK can receive digital TV it’s the better choice for most people just note the lack of a remote.Īlso, Hauppauge’s software is in need of a facelift – the WinTV 2000 viewer looks dated, although it works well enough and lets you one-touch pause and record by default. The Hauppauge WinTV Nova-T USB is also compatible with MCE and only costs £31. However, the MCE compatibility somewhat offsets any shortcomings in Kworld’s software. The only gripe is that the EPG proved near-impossible to set up.

The 310U is a tuner for enthusiasts, as it allows TV recording in MPEG4 as well as capturing the raw transport stream. Kworld also bundles software for editing the captured video and authoring it to DVD. Plus, it lets you capture analogue video from the S-Video or composite inputs and convert it to MPEG1/2/4 or DivX. Pausing and recording is simple: the Volar supports wake from S3 standby mode – you don’t have to leave your notebook turned on – as well as Windows Media Center Edition.īut, for only £3 more, the Kworld DVB-T 310U offers both digital and analogue reception. The list when watching live TV is in the “right” order, though. We struggled to make any programme information appear at all, and the channels are listed by multiplex, not in a sensible order. But, once it had picked up all 66 Freeview channels (including radio stations), it was quick to change between them.Īgain, though, the EPG seems to be an afterthought: it pops up in a separate window and is poorly formatted.

Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner how to#

While the installation process is painless, it isn’t obvious how to scan for channels. It’s great that you can record TV in DivX format, but for £32 we’d expect a bit more cohesion.Įven if you pay £6 more for the AVerMedia AVerTV DVB-T Volar, there are still niggles. Lastly, it took up to 30 seconds to change channels. Sadly there’s no support for Windows MCE, the remote control wasn’t very responsive, the main TV interface has too many cryptic icons and is designed to be used with a mouse rather than the remote. Plus, you have to go there to scan for TV channels and, rather than the EPG being turned on by default, you have to enable it in the options.

Pinnacle pctv 800e usb tv tuner full#

You don’t get the full Pinnacle Media Center application, just TVCenter, and the settings are accessed from a separate Settings icon on the Desktop. Software is one crucial aspect of any TV tuner and Pinnacle’s PCTV USB Stick is bundled with a good example of frustrating software.