InfiniTV 4 USB Turns a PC Into Cable Set-Top Box
The InfiniTV 4 USB device is out to replace your cable box using Media Center on Windows 7.
Ceton has released a cool gadget that will turn your Windows 7 desktop or laptop into a streaming cable box. Called the InfiniTV 4 USB, it allows users to watch and record up to four live channels of HDTV at once, using their hard drive as a DVR. It will also stream live HD channels or recordings to multiple HDTVs throughout the home via a Media Center Extender like the Xbox 360 console. All it needs is a cable connection and a single CableCARD like this one.
"Adding InfiniTV 4 USB to your PC with Media Center brings all of your TV and video content together in one device, including four simultaneous channels of basic and premium high-definition cable TV plus DVDs, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and any Internet video service you can access online," the company said. "Windows Media Center is a free feature included in most versions of Windows 7, so you can get rid of those expensive set-top box rental costs and annoying monthly DVR service fees and use your PC with InfiniTV instead."
The device is reportedly compatible with most US-based cable providers, and it's even compatible with Switched Digital Video (SDV) Tuning Adapters. Yet with multiple viewers watching multiple channels throughout the house, you'd think the "source" PC would need beefy specs, but that's not the case.
According to the requirements, consumers interested in using the InfiniTV 4 USB device will need a computer with a 2.0 GHz or faster dual core or quad core processor, 3 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended), an HDCP-compliant graphics card or on-board graphics, HDMI output or DVI output with separate 5.1 audio output required for Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and 350 GB of available hard disk drive space to record 50 hours of HDTV recordings. PC's also need Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate installed. Other requirements include the Multi-stream CableCARD (M-Card), available from your cable TV provider, and of course a cable TV subscription.
"With today's economy, consumers are looking for ways to get more out of the gear they already own, and shave a few costs in the meantime," said Gary Hammer, Ceton CEO. "Windows Media Center and InfiniTV 4 USB help families actually get more out of their cable subscription, lets them ditch cable set-top boxes and monthly rental fees, all while giving them a better way to enjoy TV."
InfiniTV 4 USB is available starting today at a suggested retail price of $299 from Amazon, Cannon PC, Fluid Digital, Micro Center, the Microsoft Store, Newegg, Velocity Micro and Zones.

No, One device. Then any computer on your internal network can play the contents. Not cheap ($300 plus whatever the m-card costs you) but not $2K.
If this requires a "CableCARD" then what good is it? Most CableCARD's come with DVR type software.
To me this is a......... FAIL!
You can't really put a price on sticking it to the cable company.
Besides, It's a value add. You get essentially free DVR services with this device that you'd have to pay quite a bit extra for on those 4 boxes. More than that, it can record 4 channels at once, on one device. You only need the one device, on one PC to do this. You use MC extenders to view the programing on the other TV's. I get the impression that there is a solution on there that allows you to stream this content to DLNA capable TV's sans MCE. If that be the case, you'd only need one server with a cable connection, and the rest of your TV's would be golden.
Your comment is a....fail. You use your TV for the PC monitor hence: HTPC. Get out of the 90's ffs.
This. I already have a PC hooked to my TV and use it quite a bit.
Of course, this device costs more than the PC it'd be used with, but there it is. Record 4 different channels? That's twice what I get right now, and would save me the hassle of torrenting the stuff I can't record.
using a fios cable card with my happauge WinTV-DCR-2650 (same as this, but only a 2-tuner, but only $150 too) and it works flawlessly, i love the thing!
I have the InfiniTV internal with FiOS, it works flawlessly.
All you need is to rent the CableCard from Verizon and have the tech come and program it. Install the card and run the Digital Cable Advisor beforehand tho, to make sure everything is working properly.
I was simply stating most people don't want to sit behind their PC/desk for a 2 movie. I even said I will!
"your Brain ....Fails" to understand I also said it wouldn't work for me hence: "FAIL for me" because I have GoogleTV for the whole family to enjoy in the living room! That is where most TV's are set up!
I live in America freedom of speech here. I was talking about the product never did I bash anyone about their opinions, as you did! But, You have a blessed day any!
If you don't want to go that route, you can just keep all 4 tuners on the DVR pc and just watch recorded shows on any other computer as long as they're on the same network and have windows/windows media center installed on them.
The savings is for those of us that already have an htpc built and/or have either Win7 boxes or XBOX360's already. I have the internal tuner and LOVE it. For folks like me, the initial $300 investment for Tuner card and $2/mo for the cablecard, beats the hell out of 2x $15/mo for HDDVR's.
All cable companies are required to support cable cards whether they want to or not. I think it is the FCC that requires this. There should be no compatibilty issues. I've used cable cards with Comcast and Verizon with relatively no problems. Comcast it was easy, you just read some letters/numbers off the screen to a tech and in a few min you're watching TV. Verizon they insisted on sending someone out to set it up.