Pinnacle Systems makes a number of products related to digital video recording, viewing and editing. Their primary products are editing software and tuners and they have a whole line of HD products that make it quick and easy to view and record HD over-the-air (OTA) programs. These products also come with their TVCenter Pro software, which provides an electronic program guide and various recording capabilities. From least to most expensive, they are:
- PCTV HD Stick - This is their entry level unit. Like all the products below, this is a USB 2.0 compliant product that can tune both NTSC (analog) and ATSC (digital) TV. Also, like the other products below, the HD Stick can do recording. It is capable of recording in either MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 formats. It has an MSRP of $79.99.
- PCTV HD Pro Stick - The HD Pro stick has all of the capabilities of the HD Stick above, but adds the ability to also capture from camcorder or set-top box. It is also capable of recording in MPEG-4 and DivX in addition to MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 which are supported by the “regular” HD Stick (above). It can also record directly to PSP and iPod formats, making transferring to your mobile device a snap. Lastly, the HD Pro Stick comes with a full-featured remote control. It has an MSRP of $99.99.
- PCTV HD Ultimate Stick - The HD Ultimate Stick has all of the capabilities of the HD Pro Stick above. In addition, it is hardware-ready for Clear QAM, which will allow you to record unencrypted digital cable television programs. Lastly, the HD Ultimate Stick supports “Plug-&-Watch”, in which the PVR software runs directly from the stick and allows for recording of up to 2 hours of TV on the stick. It has an MSRP of $129.99.
The specific product I tested was the PCTV HD Pro Stick. Included in the package is the USB tuner, mini remote control, portable telescopic antenna, A/V cable for video capture, USB extension cable and software. The software is compatible with both Windows Vista (32 bit) and Windows XP SP 2. You’ll also want to make sure you have ample hard disk space to place your recordings.
The setup was fairly painless and involved a channel scan to pre-populate the list of channels I could receive. The included TVCenter Pro software also has a nice EPG (Electronic Program Guide) that made it very easy to record programs. You can specify the recording format and size for various target devices like the Apple iPod and Sony PSP.
Overall, this device is easy to setup and use, providing a convenient way to watch TV on the road, or to easily create recordings of your favorite shows in your favorite formats.
