The Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick is watching TV on your computer by just plugging in a USB stick. 

Watch HDTV on your computer with the provided antenna and you are all set to watch TV using your notebook computer. 

Watching HDTV on your desktop computer is not new concept.  There are some products out there on the market out there, but they really haven’t caught on too well because you are limited only to your stationary desktop computer.  Today, we will be looking at HDTV solution that allows you to be a bit more mobile. You can watch HDTV on either a desktop computer or even a notebook.  It is the Pinnacle PCTV HDTV pro stick.  What makes this product different is that you can watch HDTV on your computer by just plugging in a USB stick.  TV solutions for the computer usually face problems such as poor picture quality, difficult to use software, or are just a hassle to setup.  Let’s find out if the PCTV HDTV pro stick can overcome these typical problems.

Admittedly, the PCTV HDTV pro stick is a rather portable solution.  It is composed of a TV tuner all packed into the form of a slightly fat USB stick.  The tuner is conveniently designed to either use an antenna or to connection to a digital set top box.   I decided to use the provided antenna to view the local HDTV programming in my area.  The antenna is composed of a very solid and durable base with a retractable antenna.  The base is a very strong magnet, so it is wise to keep the magnet away from objects that may be prone to magnets.  The antenna is quite portable so you can even put it in a laptop bag with you.  Installing the tuner is as simple as plugging it into the USB port on your computer.  I did notice however that you may not be able to fit another USB drive or device next to it because of its thickness.

Installation is very easy. All you need to do is install the software using the provided CD and that’s it.  Then you plug in the device and you are on your way.  After the installation of software, the software will guide you through in setting up things such as the TV channels.  It will automatically detect the local channels and then save them so you can easily switch channels within the software. Keep in mind that you need to be in an area where you have good reception, otherwise, you may not be able to see anything or it will just spend most of the time trying to get a signal. One way to know beforehand if you can get good HDTV reception is by putting a regular TV in your room or area and seeing how clear the picture quality is.

With the software and installed and all ready to go, you will be able to control the TV with the provided remote.  The remote looks cute and is easy to hold.  The buttons on the remote are soft and easy to push as well.  A software runs in the system tray which detects from the tuner when you press a button on the remote.  This means that you can power on/off the TV software with the remote anytime.  I noticed that some HDTV PC solutions do not have that.  If you have cable or a digital receiver, you can connect it to the tuner as well.  Also, an extra adapter was provided that allows you to connect your computer to your TV to view HDTV programming.

The picture quality was excellent and was what I expected from HDTV.  The picture quality is very similar to watching a DVD on your computer.  I tried using this product on a desktop.  On a notebook, I would recommend you have relatively fast system; otherwise, you may experience hesitation and stutters while watching TV.

I really liked the convenience and portability of the Pinnacle PCTV HD pro stick solution.  It was very easy to setup and I was able to get everything running in a short amount of time.  This product is offered at a very reasonable price of $99.99. This product provided excellent picture quality, features, and recording functionality.  If you want to view local HDTV programming over the air, be sure to make sure you have good reception in your area or you won’t be able to view anything.