Symbiosis Between PC And Hi-Fi Device: Pinnacle ShowCenter

First Contact: Software For The PC

Prior to turning on the unit, THG recommends you install the PC software that basically functions as a multimedia server. This makes it easier to configure the ShowCenter player later. Experience shows: the box searches itself to death if there's no configured server.

The first thing you have to do is run the setup program from the CD provided. Once that's installed, user-friendly menus are displayed asking you to input the most important technical data. Here we provide a few partial screenshots

Click to enlarge: Index for videos, music and photos

Praiseworthy: PIN-code activation protects minors

The default PIN is 0000, i.e., everything inside the box is freely available. The PIN can be changed at will to block content.

Cable connection with 100-Mbit/s Ethernet or wireless WLAN with 11-Mbit/s? The menu displays all of the network components installed on the PC.

This is where you select the type of connection. Caution: take an extra-close look at this menu and be sure to select the right card - don't just click on NEXT . Selecting a WLAN card blocks the Ethernet connection to the ShowCenter and vice versa.

Uwe Scheffel