Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB: Quad-tuner external device for Watching Digital Cable TV on the PC, USB 2.0 Interface 5102-DCT04EX-USB

Pros: The device works very well. The Ceton software works fine.

HOWEVER, the Microsoft software that is required to USE the device is all but worthless.

Cons: Windows Media Center (WMC) is TERRIBLE. You can never count on WMC to work when you've schedule the recording of a show or movie. When it works, it's great. But it is so unreliable you can never predict when you'll get the recording. I recorded several shows on one day without any problems. The next day, WMC loses the tuner or freezes up.

Ultimately, I can not recommend the device.

Pros: This has 4 tuners and it can run on modest equipment. The tech support is very helpful, and they will do their best to get it running.

Cons: This is can be very difficult to get up and running. It took me a week to get this working over my network.

Other Thoughts: I'm using this wirelessly with the Asus rt-n66r dark knight router to an Xbox 360 and the ceton echo. Both of these work flawlessly.

Pros: I was hoping to have fun with my new toy, and save a bit from cable box rental fees. What I received in listed in the "Cons" The big positive is the resale value. Reselling it limits the loss.

Cons: I gained a new hobby with Ceton's InfiniTV Tuner device. That is being a Pen Pal to their tech support. Although I purchased it on 2/28/13, it was not operational until the cable card was installed a few weeks later. From that point forward, I have contacted Ceton's tech support frequently, and as of today 4/18/13 I still do not have full use of the device. I attempted use on two host computers, I have re-installed Windows 7 on one computer, removed 3rd party anti-virus from both, and many re-installs of their device/driver software. Another thing to be aware of is there is not full support in Windows 8., and be careful Windows 8 standard does not include Media Center. I found this device to be very complicated, and difficult, if not impossible to setup.

Pros: 1. Win 8 drivers are still "beta" but work perfect.
2. Picture quality is amazing.
3. External USB allowed me to install it on my small form-factor PC.
4. Another reviewer described this as "Multimedia Nirvana"; I agree!
5. XBOX as a STB (extender) works GREAT with this setup.

Cons: There were a couple bugs to iron out with the setup and installation. This is not a flaw with Ceton's card; this is a normal part of installing a Windows server.

The only foreseeable problem with this card installation is user-error.

Other Thoughts: Don't let the haters scare you. This card is fantastic. Centon's InfiniTV 4 tuner, paired with Windows Media Center is multimedia bliss. I wish I had made the switch years ago. Make sure the tuner is paired with suitable hardware (Intel i3 & 8GB minimum).

Pros: None.

Cons: Pool customer service.

There is a widely reported issue with these units where you can't update the firmware. RMA process is very difficult.

Other Thoughts: Save your money...and time. Ceton does not care about their customers...and they are using the RMA process to make money by charging a "handling fee" for warranty items.

Pros: easy to install and setup, support was quick and informative, saving a ton not renting dvr boxes

Cons: not able to use on demands with TWC, lookback or startover,

Pros: There were none

Cons: Installedthe Ceton software on Windows 7.It did not work no matter what I tried. I am a very knowledgable person when it comes to technology. I did everything I needed to do. Tried two cable cards for pairing. Both were paired correctly (Ceton's software even said everything was good). Had the cable guy even come past (eventhough I know I did everything right. I even called Ceton's support (which I probably won't get a call back until after this item is returned). I read so much about this product and heard so many good things when doing so but I have to say, this was one of the most frustrating products I have dealt with. I should have bought the Homerun HD. That product worked from the start and I have never had an issue with it. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Pros: No need to wire it into a network as you have to do with the only other real option for people that need a cable card. This was purchased because the our current cable tuner required you to plug it into a network and access it via network. This product does work plugged directly into the comput which was a big improvement as I had no desire to string wire in my house for the other tuner (yes the other one would do wifi but after upgrading to the fastest router we could find you still had issues when trying to use it for HD content). I can use the ceton without any performance issues related to the signal.

Cons: Now the unit does have issues. My htpc is a Mac mini running windows 7. The problem is it will not work if you plug it directly into the Mac mini USB port. You MUST have a USB hub between the ceton and the mini or the mini will not recognize the ceton correctly. Not a major problem, but I only arrived at that solution after hours of Internet searching, the ceton customer service was useless and never mention that mac minis weren't 100% compatible, they simply kept telling me to try new firm ware and a differt USB cord, the Mac mini ceton compatibility issue is experienced by others as a google search proved.

It is also not completely stable, in the 3 months I have had it it has needed to be reset 3 times and one of those times I was forced to call the cable company and have them reactivate the cable card as the ceton somehow hadrons completely out of sync.

Other Thoughts: It does work, but it isn't something that is perfect. You should also make sure you use it on a Rey fast machine and insure you have good hard drives. I have run it on different computers and found that a computer running the bare minimum processor speed will not record smoothly and will have random digital artifacts blocking out the picture. I suggest a minimum of dual core 2.5 or better to get the best results. Also make sure to have a fast hard drive if you intend to record multiple channels at the same time as other wise you will see some performance issues.

Pros: The Ceton InfiniTV 4 (USB) is fantastic. Both the hardware and the software are perfect! (As perfect as any Win7 user could ever ask for. That’s a hint, ppl. Because this unit was made for Windows 7.) I LUV IT with Windows 7. But it will eventually ROCK too for Win8. For now, using it with Win8 is an experiment. So be patient Win8 users. And maybe help out Ceton’s Win8 Beta program. Back to Win7 now… ALL of it ROCKS! It’s DVR Nirvanas (Paradise!). Every last bit. Speaking of ‘bits’… the faster bitrates of USB 2.0 are more than enough (I was worried before researching it) to handle the data require to go back and forth between it and a PC- with all 4 tuners running simultaneously! I read online that it uses just 80 Mbps of the 480 Mbps that USB 2.0 has to offer. And as far as networking goes, I LUV the fact that it’s possible to network any combination of the 4 TV tuners in Ceton’s, InfiniTV 4 (USB). I was worried that only the PCI-E version could have the tuners networked. But this USB version can too!

Cons: None whatsoever, because this device is so inexpensive that the price point is, perfect! When it was 1st released it cost twice as much. And the software was not perfected yet. (Just like with all PC devices it takes time to perfect software drivers.) And as a result, NOW is the time to get one of these puppies. (NewEgg, don’t you sell puppy-treats?) All is working well. NP! I will be getting a second unit in no time.

Other Thoughts: Because this USB version was finalized after the release of the PCI-E version was first sold, and not before it, the USB version gained an enormous advantage. As a result, combined with two the years of pre-release experimenting by the developers; all while debugging the PCI-E version at the same time; and going on two years since it was first released; the software drivers for this USB version are at a peak performance level now. And I am using an antiquated PC! My Motherboard/ CPU are only Socket 939. (They were first sold over seven years ago.) Specifically, they are the ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard and the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo (2.4GHz) CPU. And with only 2GB RAM, I can record simultaneously with all 4 of the tuners in my Ceton InfiniTV 4. AND ALL WHILE watching a fifth show. Unbelievable! I think Ceton included a Genie inside of my unit. But remember, she can’t take care of your cable company! So be prepared with bucket loads of patients for them. They WILL get things straightened out for you. And as long as you’re patient with them you’ll make through alright too. They fixed my problem of lacking most cable channels with a single visit and a phone call from a tech to his office. Turned out they had missed enabling channels that had just been added to my account 2 days ago. Now, Hardware-wise, I did need a newer Video card. I needed an HDCP compliant one. So I slapped in an ATI HD4650 in place of my old 8800GTX. Windows 7 automatically DLed and installed legacy drivers for the ATI HD4650 Video card and they work great. Thanks CETON, for such a great product!

Pros: An excellent design concept, providing Windows Media Center computers, including laptops, with four cable-card assisted tuners for live cable TV. The tuner quickly paired with a multi-stream cablecard which has been used previously with a HD Tivo DVR. Our cable provider took care of the pairing over the phone within 15 minutes.

Cons: Like most computer-based live TV solutions, the problem is with the software. Ceton discussion groups show that their software has caused serious memory leaks and crashes on each new release of both their own products, and Windows Media Center. With the Ceton tuner plugged in and matching Win8 drivers active, a computer will crash within 30 minutes while Media Center is running. Otherwise, it will crash just idling within 90 minutes. Take away the Ceton tuner from the USB cable, and the same computer runs perfectly for days running video off YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu+. So yes, it's most certainly the Ceton product at fault.

Other Thoughts: I'm considering a return. We need a working solution, not a project to chew up time. Ceton had plenty of time to get ready for Microsoft's release of Windows8, so telling it's existing customers not to upgrade does not prevent the problem for all the folks who have purchased Win8 systems, and wanted a Media Center tuner to go with them.