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Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver

Manufacturer: Plextor Corp. Part number: PX-HDTV500U-NA

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$89.99 at 4 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 2 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver provides a cheap and easy way to watch and record HDTV on your PC. We recommend this compact tuner and antenna kit particularly for laptops that feature Microsoft's Media Center app.
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CNET editors' review

Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver

price range: $89.99

Reviewed by: Matthew Elliott
Reviewed on: 05/22/2007

The good: Cheap; easy to set up and use; tuner and antenna are compact and highly portable; works with Media Center.

The bad: Bundled software suffers from unattractive interface; no Mac support.

The bottom line: The Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver provides a cheap and easy way to watch and record HDTV on your PC. We recommend this compact tuner and antenna kit particularly for laptops that feature Microsoft's Media Center app.

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Plextor's PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver may very well be the cheapest and easiest way to watch and record over-the-air HDTV on your PC. It's also the smallest external tuner we've seen, making it a good fit for laptops. In addition to the tiny tuner that's no bigger than a USB thumbdrive, the kit includes a small, flat HDTV antenna and a remote control. That's it--no power or AV cables to worry about. The only drawback is the second-rate software; though functional, it's awkward and unattractive. Just be sure to check the over-the-air (OTA) HDTV options in your area before plunking down for the $99 Plextor PX-HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver.

Instead of an Altoids-tin-size breakout box that we've see on past external TV tuners, the Mini Digital HDTV Receiver packs its hardware inside a tiny USB thumbdrive. Along with the compact antenna--an 8-inch long by 4.25-inch wide piece of plastic no thicker than card stock seated on a small plastic stand--you can easily stash the kit in your laptop bag for on-the-go HDTV viewing. It'd be nice if the stand were a bit more substantial; we occasionally knocked over the antenna with the slightest movement of our laptop.

Setup is a snap. After installing the bundled software, you just need to snap the antenna into its small plastic stand, connect the coaxial cable running from the antenna to one side of the TV tuner, and then plug the tuner into a USB 2.0 port on your PC or laptop. Once connected, we opened up the bundled app, ArtecMedia Digital TV Player, from a company called Ultima. The software scanned for available channels and found four digital stations, all of which were choppy and unwatchable. This is not the fault of the Plextor over-the-air antenna but the geographical location of this reviewer. The OTA HD options in southern New Hampshire are not great. This CEA Web site will show you how many analog and digital stations you can receive, and there are a number of useful HD reception lists here on the AVS Forum.

Thankfully, the Plextor Mini Digital HDTV Receiver works with Microsoft's Media Center. We tested it with a laptop running Vista Ultimate, which includes the Media Center shell. Not only does Media Center provide a more attractive interface than the bundled ArtecMedia app, but it also found an ABC HD channel that the ArtecMedia app missed. And it came in smoothly. You can use either the bundled app or Media Center to record TV shows, but be warned you'll quickly fill up your hard drive. We recorded 10 minutes of General Hospital in HD and the resulting MPEG-2 file was over 1GB. Recording standard-definition programming, which the tuner can also do, will, of course, result in smaller files.

The tuner works with Windows XP and Vista but not with the Mac OS. Plextor backs the HDTV500U Mini Digital HDTV Receiver with a one-year warranty. Calls to tech support are toll-free.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 2 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 2 out of 2

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9 stars

Worked Great out of the box

by natstr on February 16, 2008

Pros: Easy install, clear pic and sound

Cons: Having trouble w/ Vista Media ctr.

Summary: great for urban use as packaged
Highly recommend

Summary: great for urban use as packaged
Highly recommend
1 stars

Piece of Crap - Stay Away

by nevrec on November 29, 2007

Pros: None I can think of

Cons: Install software locked up computer

Summary: Could never even get the install the software
to run. Locked up on a brand new Dell computer with Vista. And, oh yes, if you don't mind being a
...

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Summary: Could never even get the install the software
to run. Locked up on a brand new Dell computer with Vista. And, oh yes, if you don't mind being a billboard advertiser for Plextor then hook up their antenna that looks like a billboard of advertising. Funny it doesn't show up like that on the ads. Completely useless.

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1 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 2 out of 2

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Plextor Corp.
Part number: PX-HDTV500U-NA
Description: No matter where you go, you can watch crystal clear High Definition TV on your laptop with Plextor's Mini Digital HDTV Receiver. Enjoy unlimited hours of entertainment without recurring charges and expensive subscription fees. Turning your PC into a portable media center has never been easier. The easy to use interface allows you to watch, playback, and record programs of your favorite DTV shows anywhere, anytime. Best of all, it gives you full control of Microsoft's XP Media Center Edition to enhance your experience. Just connect Plextor's Mini Digital HDTV receiver into your PC and start watching your favorite digital programs, in the office, on the go, or at the airport. Never miss your favorite shows again. Use the integrated Electronic Programming Guide to schedule shows to record at any hour, day or night. Then watch your shows when you want. Set up is as simple as loading the software and plugging the PX-HDTV500U into your computer's USB 2.0 port.

General
Video Input This card can receive HDTV signals, allowing a system equipped with it to act as a tuner for a connected HDTV-ready device.
Device Type ATSC HDTV receiver
Enclosure Type External
Interface Type Hi-Speed USB
Width 2.8 in
Depth 1.1 in
Height 0.6 in
Weight 0.7 oz
Video Input
Features One-touch recording from Electronic Program Guide (EPG), Picture-in-picture capability, Time shift function, 16:9 widescreen mode
Video Input Adapters
Digital Video Format MPEG-2
OS Required Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista
Interface devices Sound card
Compatibility PC
Required slot None
Expansion / Connectivity
Connections 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A
Compatible Bays None
Compatible Slots None

Video
Form Factor External
Software / System Requirements
Min Processor Type 1 GHz
System Requirements Details Pentium III - RAM 256 MB
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details Technical support - Phone consulting, Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year

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