Intro & overview
It's not brand-spanking
new but Pinnacle's
ShowCenter 200
is now far less expensive than at launch time, so Leo Xenakis
checks it out to see how well this affordable
network media player brings in digital content from a PC to a
living-room AV system.
Pinnacle – now owned by Avid – is best known (some
might
say is infamous for) its Studio line of video-editing programs. These
are sold alone and also bundled with video capture devices
–
internal cards and external boxes.
They offer probably the most user-friendly
interface yet seen on any video editing app but have been irritatingly
bug-ridden for years, especially when it comes to their DVD authoring
tools. Also prominent in the company's range is the PCTV
family of
internal and external TV tuners.
In Q1 of this year, Pinnacle's hardware range was further
extended by the addition of two network music players sourced
from Roku -
SoundBridge
and
SoundBridge
Radio - and detailed in
this
press release.
But what we're looking at today is a product that's been around for a
while, Pinnacle's ShowCenter 200. The company calls
it a media streamer but it's what we'd call a network media player. If
you're an Xbox 360 owner, though, you'll probably think of it as
a media extender.
This set-top box has a similar footprint to
many hi-fi-separates - it's 300(w) x
230(d) x 40(h)mm
- and is designed to connect wirelessly (802.11b/g) or via
cable (10/100-Base-T Ethernet) to one or more
networked Windows PCs (XP or Win 2K). The ShowCenter pulls
over
their
multimedia
content so that it can be enjoyed on a living-room or bedroom TV set or
audio
system.
With a ShowCenter, you can curl up on the sofa or lay in bed
and watch on TV
the videos or stills stored on your PCs and listen to your
computer-based digital music collection playing out of your hi-fi
system or TV set.
ShowCenter's TV front-end makes
it easy
to pick and choose from your sofa (click for larger image)
So, unlike a media server, it doesn't store anything.
Instead, it streams content in real time from
where it's sitting on networked PCs.
These need
to have installed Pinnacle's ShowCenter
MediaManager
software and the associated ShowCenter Server application that dishes
up
what the ShowCenter hardware requests - in response to the
choices you make with the supplied IR handset.
The product - now available
for
under £120 all up if you hunt around (we
used
DealTime)
but
sold
directly by Pinnacle for £188
- is a successor to Pinnacle's original ShowCenter, which was
introduced in early 2004 at £200.
As you can see from shots below, the ShowCenter has a single
push-button at the front for power and a decent array of outputs around
the back. Not so obvious, at front right, is the USB
socket for playback from directly
connected devices, such as
digital stills cameras, memory sticks and hard disc drives.
The USB port only supports USB mass storage devices
that are formatted as FAT32 and consume less than 500mA (or are
mains-powered). And, it can't be used to play back DRM-protected
content, such as you find on music files stored on an
iPod and bought from Apple's iTunes Store.
The front also carries LEDs alongside the USB port
- showing standby and power-on modes and
when newly
imported media files are ready for playback.
Also worth noting (but not shown) - the ShowCenter has to be set up to
play either PAL footage or NTSC and this is set from a switch
on
the underside of the box.
Around the back, there is a single Scart AV-out
socket supporting composite video, S-video, RGB and
L/R audio. In addition there are number of dedicated outputs -
for S-video, composite video, component video (three phonos and used
for high-def or PAL progressive), analogue L/R audio
(two pairs) and two sockets for digital optical stereo audio, one
Toslink, the other S/PDIF.
The rear socket at far left is for Ethernet (a stub aerial for WiFi
screws on directly above it) and the one at the right
is for mains input - there is, thankfully, no need for an external
mains adaptor.
Our examination continues over the page with what comes in the box
- and that turns out to be everything you need to get started...
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