![pinnacle media center pinnacle media center](https://www.ixbt.com/monitor/images/pinnacle-pctv-110i/settings-9.png)
- #PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER INSTALL#
- #PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER PRO#
- #PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER SOFTWARE#
- #PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER PC#
#PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER SOFTWARE#
We installed the software on a wireless laptop (the Pinnacle software is Windows-only). The PCTV To Go boasts a pretty decent setup wizard it wasn't flawless by any means, but it did an admirable job of taking us through the process step-by-step.
![pinnacle media center pinnacle media center](https://pinnacledesigngroup.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/7/1/14711614/4724202_orig.jpg)
#PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER INSTALL#
Once the Pinnacle box is hooked up and powered on, you have to install the setup software on a nearby PC. A cable or satellite set-top box will let you watch all those channels on your PC, but a TiVo-style digital video recorder will provide the added value of accessing those great DVR features-pausing and rewinding live TV, watching previously recorded shows-remotely. Of course, as with any place-shifting box, the A/V source you connect to the Pinnacle will determine how much you'll get out of it. We appreciated the pass-through outputs, which let the PCTV To Go sit innocuously in the chain between our cable box and the A/V receiver without the need for splitters or monopolizing precious video outputs. Linking up with your home theater components is just as straightforward as hooking up a VCR or a DVD recorder. Setting up the Pinnacle is a two-step process: you need to connect the A/V cables to the video source(s), then connect it to your network, which involves installing the included software on a PC. To interface with your home network, the Pinnacle has both a standard Ethernet port (for wired connections) and dual wireless antennas. Rounding out the PCTV To Go's rear panel is a connector for the included dual-headed IR blaster, which remotely controls the A/V sources of your choice, such as cable/satellite boxes and DVRs.
#PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER PRO#
(By comparison, the Slingbox Pro has discrete audio inputs for each of its video sources.) Alternately, you might use the second input as a video-only security camera feed-just plug in your camcorder. Likewise, you'll have to have the second and third devices powered off (or muted), or you'll get a mashup of all the simultaneous audio streams. But because the composite, S-Video, and component inputs share a single set of audio jacks, you'll need to purchase Y-cable adapters to feed them simultaneously. You can feed as many as four sources to the box, including an unscrambled RF source such as an analog cable feed or an antenna, which takes advantage of the built-in analog TV tuner. There are composite, S-Video, and component inputs, along with one set of stereo audio jacks (red and white RCA connectors) and a screw-type RF input. The rear panel is jam-packed with more jacks than an average DVD player. Once the Pinnacle is hooked up and active, it's designed to just sit there and process bits. Except for four green status LEDs, the front panel is nondescript.
![pinnacle media center pinnacle media center](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/50e89a72e4b0404f376d94ed/1429338861300-G1TGRFBHLCKZFWP65EBH/pctv-media-types.png)
Still, it puts you in the mind of a slightly oversized network router, measuring 2 inches high by 12 inches wide by 7 inches deep. It's jet-black, and actually a bit more attractive and sleek than the Hava. The Pinnacle PCTV To Go Wireless HD has a slightly different enclosure than the Hava Wireless HD. And finally, the Pinnacle allows multicasting, which means that within your home network, several users can watch the stream at the same time while one person watches remotely via the Internet (Slingbox allows only a single viewer at a time).
![pinnacle media center pinnacle media center](https://cdn.wallapop.com/images/10420/1u/tf/__/c10420p112228124/i245372852.jpg)
#PINNACLE MEDIA CENTER PC#
Secondly, it integrates with a PC running Windows Media Center Edition (either the XP or Vista Premium/Ultimate flavors), allowing you to record live streaming video on your PC when you're streaming inside your home (a standalone PC viewing application is provided for non-MCE machines). First and foremost, it has a built-in 802.11g wireless capability, so it can interface with any existing wireless or Ethernet network (Slingbox is Ethernet-only). But PCTV To Go manages a few distinguishing characteristics from the Slingbox line. Like the Slingbox, the Pinnacle PCTV To Go Wireless HD's primary mission is to deliver your home TV programming to your PC screen-whether it's elsewhere on the home network, or anywhere on the Internet.