New USB plug-in DTV tuners for PCs will hit stores Sept. 21 from Pinnacle, the company said Monday. Its HD Mini Stick tuner/demodulators connect to USB ports on notebook and desktop PCs and Macs and are about the size of a flash drive -- a bit smaller than three previous USB tuners from the Avid division. They come with a small, high-gain telescopic antenna, are powered through the PC’s USB port, and support terrestrial DTV as well as unencrypted ClearQAM digital cable for HDTV or SDTV at resolutions up to 1080i. During a recent demonstration in our Manhattan office, Pinnacle’s USB tuners pulled in all available DTV stations with perfect clarity and sound -- in an environment where NTSC reception is limited to grainy reception of only a handful of stations because of multipath conditions. The MSRP for the tuners is $119 for a Windows-only version and $129 for one that adds reception for Apple’s Macintosh laptops and desktops. Each comes with a remote control and software that enables a computer’s hard drive to act as a DVR with time-shifting and the capability to record, pause or rewind live TV.
New plug-in DTV tuners for PCs from Pinnacle will hit stores Sept. 21, the company said Monday. Its HD Mini Stick tuner/demodulators connect to USB ports on notebook and desktop PCs and Macs and are about the size of a flash drive -- a bit smaller than three previous USB tuners from the Avid division. They come with a small, high-gain telescopic antenna and are powered through the PC’s USB port. They support terrestrial DTV as well as unencrypted ClearQAM digital cable for HDTV or SDTV at resolutions up to 1080i. During a recent demonstration in our New York office, where NTSC reception is limited to a handful of grainy stations because of multipath conditions, Pinnacle’s USB tuners pulled in all available DTV stations perfectly. The MRSP for the tuners is $119 for a Windows-only version and $129 for one that adds reception for Apple’s Macintosh laptops and desktops. Each comes with a remote control and software allowing a computer’s hard drive to act as a DVR, allowing time-shifting and recording, pausing and rewinding live TV.
TiVo is leading the way in getting Internet programming to TV sets, CEO Tom Rogers said Wednesday at a Kaufman Bros. conference. About 85 percent of TiVo’s new HD customers immediately connect their devices to broadband, he said. “You can now get 30,000 titles through TiVo directly to your television set. Compare that to the average few hundred movies through cable video on demand.”
TiVo is leading the way in getting Internet programming to TV sets, CEO Tom Rogers said Wednesday at a Kaufman Bros. conference. About 85 percent of TiVo’s new HD customers immediately connect their devices to broadband, he said. “You can now get 30,000 titles through TiVo directly to your television set. Compare that to the average few hundred movies through cable video on demand.”
TiVo is leading the way in getting Internet programming to TV sets, CEO Tom Rogers said Wednesday at a Kaufman Bros. conference. About 85 percent of TiVo’s new HD customers immediately connect their devices to broadband, he said. “You can now get 30,000 titles through TiVo directly to your television set. Compare that to the average few hundred movies through cable video on demand.”
LONDON -- The trend to untie Internet radio from the PC continues as another tabletop receiver emerges with Wi-Fi connection to a home’s broadband network. Pure Digital promises to “make radio come of age” with what it calls the “first truly connected radio.” In 2003 the British company jumpstarted terrestrial digital radio sales in the U.K. with the first DAB receiver under $200.
LONDON -- Software bugs have put the “future of radio” on hold at least a month, the developer of the $500 Radiopaq Rp5 tabletop Internet receiver told us late Thursday. In a one-to-one briefing before a London party to “celebrate the launch of Radiopaq’s new home audio platform,” Radiopaq President Prash Vadgama admitted the Rp5 on hand was a dummy simulating software needed to access and display the existing Radiopaq portal, which carries global audio broadcasters to PCs.
Intel’s proposal that all HD set-top boxes have IP connections to spur home networking and use of interactive applications (CED July 28 p4) is gaining industry support. Executives think CE makers, cable companies, telcos selling TV and others can reach agreement on interoperability standards for Ethernet jacks at set tops’ backs. The FCC is “encouraged” by industry support, said an agency spokesman.
Intel’s proposal that all HD set-top boxes have Internet Protocol connections to spur home networking and use of interactive applications (CD July 25 p5) is gaining industry support. Executives believe consumer electronics makers, cable companies, telcos selling TV and others can reach agreement on interoperability standards for Ethernet jacks at set tops’ backs. The FCC is “encouraged” by industry support, said an agency spokesman.
Intel’s proposal that all HD set-top boxes have Internet Protocol connections to spur home networking and use of interactive applications (WID July 25 p7) is gaining industry support. Executives believe consumer electronics makers, cable companies, telcos selling TV and others can reach agreement on interoperability standards for Ethernet jacks at set tops’ backs. The FCC is “encouraged” by industry support, said an agency spokesman.