Although AMD has recently jumped back on the All-in-Wonder horse, the dedicated PC card and USB stick market is still ripe for potential entrants. This is especially true for notebook PCs, where the upgrade possibilities are rather limited and onboard TV tuners are extremely rare. This is where the external TV tuners come into play, attaching via the USB port and adding both NTSC cable and ATSC over-the-air functionality. This allows a portable PC to integrate multiple TV tuner functions using a single device, like the Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick, which includes all the basic features and a few surprises as well.
As usual, Pinnacle has created a high-end package for their PCTV HD Pro Stick, and it not only handles SD cable TV, HD ATSC, and FM Radio, but ClearQAM unencrypted digital cable as well. The HD broadcast playback is at up to 1080i, both on ASTC and ClearQAM, and the HD Stick can handle both standard cable via a coaxial connection and over-the-air SD/HD programming.
The design of the Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick is very basic, and includes a plastic USB housing that is just over 3-inches in length. It attaches to the PC/laptop via a USB 2.0 port, which is covered with a cap for easy transport. The other side of the PCTV HD Pro Stick features a coaxial connector that can be used to attach either a cable feed or the bundled antenna.
There is also a wireless remote, about the same length as the PCTV HD Pro Stick, which allows access to the TV and PVR functions. It has all the standard options, like power, volume, and channel buttons, along with playback and record controls at the bottom. It uses two standard AAA batteries, and while the remote itself is not large, we prefer the slimline units about the size of a credit card that use button-cell batteries. Although Pinnacle offers a super product here, this is one area that can be improved on.
There is also a mini-connector on the side of the unit, which is used to attach an included break-out cable featuring S-Video, composite and stereo mini-jack inputs. This allows the PCTV HD Pro Stick to double as a recording studio for input audio-video sources, possibly turning those old VHS home movies into DVDs. This feature was "optional" on some previous Pinnacle TV sticks, and the shift of input connector from the standard coaxial to a side port, allows more flexibility and less cable switching. The removal of the standard L/R audio inputs, in favor of a stereo minijack does save space, but might entail buying an adapter or new cable.
The Pinnacle retail package includes the PCTV HD Pro Stick, the remote control (with 2xAAA batteries), a portable antenna, an A/V input adapter, a USB extender cable, a Quick Start Guide, a driver/application CD, and a Pinnacle VideoSpin CD. This is fairly standard for a USB TV tuner, but the big change was the antenna, which is much larger and more powerful than the "string antennas" we usually find in products like this. The base is heavy, with a "Magnet Warning" disclaimer on the bottom, and it features a removable, extendable and rotating 23-inch antenna. This is serious business for a notebook TV tuner, although we found the warning label a bit disconcerting.
When reviewing a product like this, it's important to note what it can and cannot do. The PCTV HD Pro Stick acts as a standard SDTV cable tuner that can also handle over-the-air ATSC signals and any unencrypted ClearQAM channels your provider may have available. What it doesn't do is supply automatic access to any HD cable programming you may be subscribed to, and just like your TV, the PCTV HD Pro Stick requires connection to a cable/satellite box.
