The SnapStream Personal Video Station

Back in the "old" days, we rushed home from school or hurried to finish our homework so that we could watch our favorite TV shows. Timing was all-important because if we missed 77 Sunset Strip we had to wait six long months for the summer re-runs. Then in 1964 Sony introduced its CV-2000, the worlds first video tape recorder intended for home use. It was a big, expensive, reel-to-reel device that could record up to one hour of programming; only a few hundred were sold. Now almost every home in the U.S. has an inexpensive, programmable VCR and an ever-increasing stash of videocassettes. However, if SnapStream has its way, that's about to change.

A personal video station for your desktop PC

SnapStream Media (www.snapstream.com) recently introduced "SnapStream PVS" and "PocketPVS," software programs that let you record and view video on your desktop PC, and download it to your Pocket PC for mobile viewing. PVS (Personal Video Station) requires that you have a TV tuner card installed on your desktop PC and that you are connected to some video source. The combination of the tuner card and PVS software lets you record and view video from any source: cable, satellite dish, VCR, DVD player, or even a traditional antenna. Unlike a VCR, SnapStream PVS, stores captured video on your desktop PC's hard drive rather than videotape.

Using PVS to record and view a TV show is much easier than using a VCR. Dropdown menus make it easy to schedule recordings and configure settings, and you never have to search for a blank VHS tape. You can view the recordings using Windows Media Player on your desktop PC or Pocket PC. Even without a TV tuner card, you can import and view your favorite video files on the desktop or Pocket PC (more on this later).

PVS and the Pocket PC: What's needed?

To record and download video to the Pocket PC you need the following components:

1. A desktop PC equipped with a TV tuner card. PVS supports most tuner cards. SnapStream sells the PVS software by itself, or bundled with a Hauppauge TV tuner card. A list of support TV tuner cards is available on the SnapStream Web site (www.snapstream.com/products/sspvs/docs/supportsysrequire.htm) The Hauppauge WinTV tuner card also allows direct TV viewing using either the Win32, or Win2000 TV panel software. In addition, thecard includes radio tuner that lets you listen to broadcast radio on your desktop PC!
2. SnapStream Personal Video Station software, which lets you schedule, record, playback video, and more.
3. SnapStream Pocket PVS, which lets you synchronize and download PVS-recorded shows to your Pocket PC.