Pinnacle Showcenter 1000g Review

[elana]

This is obviously completely off topic from PlanetSide, but figured the geeks in the audience might want to hear about this. I recently picked up a Pinnacle Showcenter 1000g for $80 over at buy.com on close out. They are replacing it with an HD model, but seeing as I don't have HD, I was content to go with the old cheap version.

I've been in the process of trying to get this device to work for about two weeks. The device is supposed to work with 802.11g, but the wireless card that comes with it, and the software that drives it, sucks donkeys. With the device within a few feet of my AP, I am only able to get 2-3Mbps with any consistency. To transmit Mpeg2 over the air, I need a little under 10Mbps.

So, my next step is going to be to try getting a wireless bridge for it. So then it can just use ethernet and then I can configure the bridge which will, in all likelyhood, get much better signal. So, my $80 showcenter has turned into:

$80 - wireless range extender
$80 - wireless bridge

So, $240 is the grand total for my $80 box. On the bright side, the range extender has really improved the throughput and link quality for our laptop and tivo. So if I can get the bridge to work, then I'll be content with the purchase.

[misterselfdistruct]

WinTV > all for video capture
:)

[JudgeParker]

This is obviously completely off topic from PlanetSide, but figured the geeks in the audience might want to hear about this. I recently picked up a Pinnacle Showcenter 1000g for $80 over at buy.com on close out. They are replacing it with an HD model, but seeing as I don't have HD, I was content to go with the old cheap version.

I've been in the process of trying to get this device to work for about two weeks. The device is supposed to work with 802.11g, but the wireless card that comes with it, and the software that drives it, sucks donkeys. With the device within a few feet of my AP, I am only able to get 2-3Mbps with any consistency. To transmit Mpeg2 over the air, I need a little under 10Mbps.

So, my next step is going to be to try getting a wireless bridge for it. So then it can just use ethernet and then I can configure the bridge which will, in all likelyhood, get much better signal. So, my $80 showcenter has turned into:

$80 - wireless range extender
$80 - wireless bridge

So, $240 is the grand total for my $80 box. On the bright side, the range extender has really improved the throughput and link quality for our laptop and tivo. So if I can get the bridge to work, then I'll be content with the purchase.

Its stuff like this on the forums and ts that really make me realize I have no clues about computers. Anytime I get on ts I log off knowing I know less then when I got on. If this post doesnt make sense then look at my pic and you should get an idea

[elana]

WinTV > all for video capture
:)

IT's not video capture, it's video playback. Besides, wintv would require the presence of a whole computer at my TV which would be noisy and genralll y annoying

[elana]

Its stuff like this on the forums and ts that really make me realize I have no clues about computers. Anytime I get on ts I log off knowing I know less then when I got on. If this post doesnt make sense then look at my pic and you should get an idea

Well if you ever care to actually understand any of this crap, let me know as I perversely enjoy explaining it. Tell you waht, some time, I'll explain some of the shit I'm babbling about and you hook me up with a little bit of Sponge Bob's herbal friend :)

[misterselfdistruct]

That's not spongebob, dude. It's SpongeBong HempPants. :)

http://www.heavy.com/index.php?videoPath=../current/teriaki/smartass/videos/spongebong

http://www.heavy.com/index.php?videoPath=../current/teriaki/smartass/videos/spongebong2

http://www.heavy.com/index.php?videoPath=../current/teriaki/smartass/videos/spongebong3

[JudgeParker]

Seaweed ftw!
I know enough to build my own pc and I went to school for mechanical autocadd. I currently work for a custom metal shop, I do flat pattern layouts for them, but mainly I operate their waterjet.

If you dont know what a waterjet is I can tell you a little about it. It is basically a 1/4 million dollar machine that can cut any material (metal, concrete, marble, lexan, tile anything..). It basically pressurizes water to 55,000 pounds of pressure and then forces it through a pin hole in a ruby, that converts to a mach 3 waterjet that mixes with garnet and allows me to cut anything 6' by 12' up to 8" thick (mines a alot bigger than Orange County Choppers jet). I program, operate, maintain, and rebuild every part of it from the cutting head to the waterpump. I use a Flow brand waterjet and according to them the ceramic tiles on the space shuttle are the only material they have not been able to cut (they tried that cut with 95,000 pressure jet). Outside of that job I do freelance structual steel detailing for a few local companies.

So I try to play as much as I can (which means im usually under the influence of something, gotta play and relax), but some weeks I put in 60hrs just at the metal shop.

[BuzzEvil]

I would kill for a water jet and a rapid prototyper. that shit could save me thousands of hours in build time for the prototypes that i have to make.

[JudgeParker]

Prototyper's are alot of fun. We had one at school and got to use it a few times. Yea the waterjet makes going from cadd to part a snap. What i love about the shop I work at is the in house machine shop. I want to learn to use the lathe and mill we got. I have used the pressbrakes and roller quite a bit but still haven't got to use the machine shop tools much.

What do you do to need so much prototype work done?

[BuzzEvil]

I work part time in a Museum Science Gallery. We have to concieve, design, and construct exibits that show scientific principles and applications. We are always building and repairing the interactive kiosks cuz the kids that come thru are very destructive little bastar... i mean angels.
On of the coolest exibits is a bernoulli blower. It requires a lot of maintenance but the kids love it and it demonstrates aerodynamics (ie lift, pressure pos/neg). http://www.emuseum.org/virtual_museum/science.exhibits/bernoulli.html
Just having a water jet could save me an hour in a day making a simple metal brace or whatnot. (my machining skills are in the neophyte level).