Sunday, April 29, 2012

Installing Pinnacle TV stick with Windows Media Center on Windows 7

Use your laptop as a TV and video recorder

All you need is a USB TV tuner stick such as the Pinnacle PC80e that I picked up a couple of years ago. The one I got has a remote, but I never figured out how to make it to work, maybe it needed an IR receiver?

Pinnacle PCTV nanoStick is the crown jewel in the USB DVB-T tuner. She picks up a digital television, even if the signal is weak, thanks to its ultrasensitive reception equipment. Incredibly nano-size design makes it an ideal match for today ¿S thin laptops and compact desktops. Included easy to use TVCenter Pinnacle Pro software allows you to watch, TimeShift and record TV. You can enjoy TV in full screen or in a scalable window while using other applications. PCTV nanoStick even ready for new terrestrial HDTV service. PCTV nanoStick comes with a mini remote and antenna, as well as certified for Windows Vista.
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Download the drivers and software here: Unforunately, you need the original disk for the serial number, but I find that Windows Media Center works great as a TV system.

http://www.pctvsystems.com/tabid/62/default.aspx/Downloads/Application/TVC6Download/tabid/214/language/en-US/Default.aspx

If you can't find the shortcut on your system, make a shortcut out of this file and put it on your desktop or start menu. For some reason, it is called ehshell, NOT "windows media center".

computer > system drive >windows > ehome > ehshell

right click and create shortcut I think .

WMC has other neat features too such as Netflix, and links to other on-line television content without having to use a tuner.

The HD tuner is great compared to say, recording your own DVDs off a DVD recorder because it is in HD.

Problem is that it requires a very strong high quality signal, otherwise instead of looking crystal clear, it is much less watchable than the old fashioned TV America grew up with in  the 1960sL. It comes with a simple magnetic base one-ear antenna. I haven't had any luck with more expensive antennas, nor with hooking it up to cable TV.





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