Test Machine and Setup
Test Machine- Alienware M9750 Laptop
- Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1, x64
- T7200 Core 2 Duo @ 2ghz
- 4gb DDR2
- Nvidia 7950GTX, 512mb, x2 in SLI
- 160gb 7200rpm HDD, x2, in RAID0
- 17” LCD, 1920x1200
Setup
The installation was very easy and straightforward. You have the option of a few different applications to install, which vary mainly depending on how much you plan to do other than just watching TV. The core application is TVCenter Pro which is used for watching, recording, and setting up PVR functionality. You can also install the tuner for Media Center usage and Video Spin to do very basic video editing - such as deleting commercials.
After installing TVCenter Pro, I hooked up the included antenna, and did a scan for channels. I already knew my area is in a very weak spot for HDTV reception, and this confirmed it again by only picking up four channels, of which only two were consistent enough to watch. This, however, is no fault of the PCTV HD Mini Stick, as even when I had tried a $75 amplified antenna in the past, I only was able to receive the same four channels. The channels that did come in, however, were very good quality.
Since I already knew that I wouldn’t receive much over the air, I already had planned to do the rest of my testing using the cards ClearQAM capabilities. Quadrature amplitude modulation, or QAM, is a method of encoding digital channels and sending them over a cable line. QAM is able to send nearly twice the amount of data as an ATSC signal, but requires a cleaner signal. The biggest downside to QAM is depending on your location, the amount of unencrypted content delivered will vary significantly, and there is no guarantee that a channel that is not encrypted today will stay that way tomorrow. The term ‘ClearQAM’ is used to reference the channels sent over a QAM signal that are not encrypted. There is typically no advertised estimate of availability; you just have to run a scan to determine what is available in your area.
After completing a detailed scan of available ClearQAM channels, I was able to view over 200 different channels. Some of the channels include: Comedy Central, NBC HD, Fox HD, ABC HD, Sci-Fi SD, Discovery HD, Fox Sports HD, ESPN HD, as well as many other major channels, most of the rest are all SD. I currently subscribe to the bare minimum TV package offered, which runs about $15 per month. However, my area has a lot of unencrypted channels over QAM. I did the same scan at a friend’s house that has the same provider, and he only was able to receive about 15 channels.