Rating: 4/10
As with all Pinnacle releases, the PCTV 50e comes meticulously packaged in the type of eye-catching glossy box that'll have you parting with your hard-earned cash in seconds, despite the apparent uselessness of the contents within, which in this case constitute an external analogue TV tuner, a remote control, and USB cable.
One item that is noticeably conspicuous by its absence is some form of instruction manual. Of course, there is the obligatory quick-start sheet illustrating how the pieces actually connect to the computer. A process so obvious that defoliating an entire chunk of the Amazon to document it seems a little unjustified. What isn't so obvious is how to install the device, tune the receiver, and use the included software to access the features listed on the box. If you look hard enough a manual can be found on the CD, but although the lengthy installation is pretty straightforward it would be handy to have something to refer to in your hand whilst configuring the device.
Scanning for the five analogue channels available to UK users takes around 20 minutes. Once tuned the signals are listed by their code numbers and must be individually renamed with more meaningful titles. After configuration the use of the tuner is a simple matter of booting Pinnacle's MediaCenter using the mouse or remote control. MediaCenter allows you to choose between a range of aspect ratios and resolutions as well as manage your TV channels and Internet radio stations.
However, the novelty of watching Trisha on your PC soon wears off. The picture quality is acceptable but nothing more. Viewing is annoyingly interrupted for a few seconds when the record button is hit. When you also consider that the PCTV 50e is only an analogue device it soon becomes apparent that the PCTV 50e doesn't actually perform any function that for the money wouldn't be better served by a standard TV/VCR combo, or even one of the digital PCI cards featured in our recent group test (MM880:P18). Okay, so you can attach the unit to a laptop when away from home. But with even the most basic of hotel rooms now equipped with a TV, what is the point?
Pinnacle enjoy a well deserved reputation for their professional products, which offer rock solid performance, but with the PCTV50e it feels as though they are trying to squeeze extra shelf life out of dead technology.
For more information, visit Micromart.co.uk