|
PCTV records television shows on your
hard disk
Ease of installation gives this package the edge over its rivals 02/27/2003
Pinnacle's PCTV Deluxe demands a high-end Windows computer,
but what it returns in value at $200 is impressive. Like the similarly priced WinTV-PVR from Hauppauge and
Creative Lab's VideoBlaster MovieMaker, PCTV Deluxe turns your
computer into a TiVo-like personal video recorder. You can
schedule, record and watch as much television programming as
your hard drive will hold. Unlike its competitors, this software and hardware package
includes a well-designed remote control and an ease of
installation that puts the others to shame. Pinnacle has created a multifunction, attractive
stand-alone unit that can sit anywhere in the room within
reach of its USB cable. There's no need to rip into the
computer case to install anything. On a modern computer equipped with USB 2.0, video can be
transferred to the screen or hard drive at an impressive 480
megabits per second. Although PCTV Deluxe will function on
older USB 1.1 systems, performance glitches arise. The video
stream simply can't keep pace with the processor as it
compresses images for PVR features such as instant replay and
pausing live shows. Therefore, despite the minimum system requirements printed
in the manual, it's best to use this product on a Windows
machine with at least 1 gigahertz in processor speed and USB
2.0. None of the competitors offers the fast data rate transfer
found in Pinnacle's PCTV Deluxe. And the design makes it easy
to hook up a digital video camera to transfer home movies to
your hard drive for editing and storage. The software package is designed to help you burn CDs and
DVDs with any video content, whether home movies or television
programming. A full archive of all the Sopranos
episodes, for example, can be scheduled and burned to a
DVD-writable disk without a lot of clicking and fidgeting.
Most Windows XP Media Center computers being sold for
$2,000 don't have similar capabilities. In fact, many,
including the HP Media Center line, require third-party
software packages to copy video to DVD. Buying a ReplayTV or Tivo unit costs about the same as the
Pinnacle PCTV package, so if you're looking for an
entertainment center box, they are still the best option. But
for college kids in a dorm room or a PC in a home office, the
Pinnacle system makes a lot of sense. As long as your computer has the horsepower, you won't be
disappointed. E-mail dbedell@dallasnews.com
|
