pinnacle pctv usb stick (antenna quality)
I’ve not seen many TV tuners for PCs, but generally, I don’t like the idea.
I just had a customer ask me to check his USB TV tuner, as he can only get SBS… The unit has a socket for an external antenna, and they supply a small antenna, slightly bigger than those from a wireless router.
So I plug in the antenna, but get no TV stations at all. I figure: I know my main TV antenna (on the roof) provides a good quality picture, so I plug it into the PCTV stick.
Yep, I get all the channels (ABC, 7, 9, 10, SBS), in analog, digital, HD, so it works really well. It just seems a tad pointless to me, as I’d rather watch TV the “traditional” way… even though I occasionally download a TV program/show… I still like to sit on the couch, and be free to move around, rather than have to lug a delicate laptop with me.
I sell these on my online store, and I tend to agree. They work well if you’re in a very strong signal area, but out this way it’s not so great. It’s because the small antenna they give you is designed to pick up the higher frequencies, and not the lower ones that the channels 2-10 use (from my understanding)
I’m thinking of not selling these anymore due to this reason.