In the news this week has been questions of "how long can the networks continue running repeats of Xena: Warrior Princess and I Love Lucy?" My favorite -- the History Channel -- hasn't had any new programs on for months. SciFi is looking more like if-sic, and so on. What do the Writers's Guild want? Who you gonna' call?Looking for a pay raise has its moments. Why they strike is because they cannot get paid residuals according to the new technology that looms on the horizons. Bah, Humbug you say.
That is why MooPig opens up a big can of:
INSTANT TV
The convergence of electronic entertainment devices such as TV's, DVD players, and stereos with personal computers is finally starting to happen.
Purpose-built computers with direct support from Microsoft in the form of Windows XP Media Center Edition are available now. Even better news for the do-it-yourselfer is the availability of devices and software to create your own Home Theater PC (HTPC). Building a low budget HTPC was on my list of summer projects and this effort was greatly facilitated by the arrival of ADS Tech's "Instant TV" USB 2.0 TV Tuner.
Instant TV is an external USB 2.0 device that features a TV tuner and the capabilities of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In addition to watching television on a computer monitor (or television using TV-Out, the Instant TV can record to a hard drive, directly to a CD or DVD disc in VCD, SVCD, or DVD format, and perform Time-Shift recording functions.
Installing it
Installation is very simple, as one would hope with an external USB product. The product box and provided documentation very clearly state that Windows XP and USB 2.0 are required. XP is necessary to write directly to CD/DVD media and USB 2.0 is required for the throughput of the audio and video stream.
Installation is very simple, as one would hope with an external USB product. The product box and provided documentation very clearly state that Windows XP and USB 2.0 are required. XP is necessary to write directly to CD/DVD media and USB 2.0 is required for the throughput of the audio and video stream.
The software is installed before the hardware and includes an audio and video driver. Please note that they have been updated since the product release and can be downloaded from ADS Tech. The installer checks for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and if it is not found it will install Microsoft's USB 2.0 drivers.
The tuner can be plugged into a USB 2.0 port once the drivers are installed. The tuner requires a coaxial cable connection, but not a separate power source. Unfortunately, removing the tuner also means reinstalling the driver software. You don't have to use the installation CD each time, but you will have to click on numerous dialog boxes while the audio and video drivers reinstall. This isn't a crippling problem, but it is rather irritating... Poor us. MooPig Note: this unit is available at some WalMarts for under $100 including tax, if not available online. >pd
References
ADS Tech: retrieved at http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=651 today.
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