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Product Details
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Product Description
The Ceton InfiniTV 4 USB is an external 4-tuner digital cable TV device that turns your PC into the ultimate set-top box and DVR. With InfiniTV on your PC, you can replace your cable set-top box and associated monthly lease and DVR fees and use Windows 7's built-in Media Center functionality to watch and record 4 live cable TV channels at once, including HD and premium channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz! InfiniTV 4 USB uses the same award-winning technology as Ceton's InfiniTV 4 PCIe, the world's best-selling digital cable tuner for the PC. If you're looking for an internal device with the same capabilities, check out the Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe model.
When used with Media Center Extenders like the Xbox 360, you can also stream live or recorded cable channels to other TVs in your home over your home network. Using only a single cable connection and single CableCARD from your cable operator, InfiniTV can deliver all your cable channels and full DVR capability on any TV set.
Requires a compatible PC with Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, or Windows 7 Ultimate and an available USB port. Requires a cable TV subscription and CableCARD from your cable operator. Media Center Extender(s) required to access cable channels and recordings on secondary TV sets.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
I purchased the Ceton Infinitv 4 USB as soon as it was released. Set up with Windows Media Center was very easy. Bit of advice, download the latest drivers from Ceton's Support site prior to installation. I had a couple of problems and Ceton's support was quick to answer my questions. The problems were not with the device, but rather the user. Activating the cable card with my cable company Comcast was difficult. It took three days to actually get it working correctly. The problem was not with the device, but rather the cable company. They had to make sure the Cablecard was in their inventory as a one-way card then they actually had to activate as a one-way instead of a two-way card. Once they had it activated it worked flawlessly. I am running Windows 7 with 3ghz processor and 8gb of ram and have no problem recording up to 4 shows and watching tv through 3 xbox media extenders at once. This device works great and now my wife is no longer bugging me to buy 3 tivo's with lifetime service to replace the cable company's sub-par dvr. I highly recommend this device if you want true control over your tv. I have 2 3tb drives for my recordings and can store over 600 hours of hd programming. The combination of Windows 7 Media Center and the Ceton Infinitv 4 USB give you great customization options and works flawlessly.
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Noisy1
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Ceton USB tuner is the last of 3 different CableCard tuners I have set up. I own a PCIe Ceton card, the HD Homerun Prime 6 tuner unit and the Ceton USB. (Yes, that is 14 HD cable streams!!) In short the PCIe is the hands down king of CableCard tuners, the HD Homerun Prime has tuner pooling, and the Ceton USB is pulling up the rear.
The Ceton PCIe unit has been by far the easiest set up, most stable and the best card of the three. It has never had a glitch, it was set up and running in no time, the cable company techs had very little difficulty getting it going and it has never ever shown so much as a single pixel of picture faults. No "tiling" and no slow downs. No over demands on the computer. The only cons with the Ceton PCIe card are the heat inside the box and the lack of tuner pooling. Until I could get the other tuners up and running I was sharing the PCIe tuner with two other PCs running Media Center which worked flawlessly on a wired network. However, without tuner pooling I had tuner conflicts like no tomorrow!! 4 tuners are not enough for cable recording. Not even close without pooling. You should think very seriously about heat dissipation if you are considering putting two of these inside your computer.
The HD Homerun Prime was more (a whole lot more) difficult to set up, but that really is more a function of Charter Cable's difficulty in keeping two CableCard installs straight at the same time. I can't fault the picture quality, though it seems to be ever so slightly more grainy than the Ceton PCIe. On the Panasonic VT-25 the picture was very, very good though just a bit more grainy than with the Ceton PCIe. However, on the Sony touchscreen computer (VPCL234FX/B) in the kitchen there is a significant diffidence in picture quality which, I think, is more due to the Sony's NIC than anything else. (Though the Ceton PCIe streaming to it never had any issues and a clearer picture.) Whatever problems that people had on the roll out of the HD Homerun Prime are no longer an issue with the latest firmware installed as of 12.28.2011. Once the Charter people got all their ducks in a row the 6 tuners have been running like a charm. Did I mention that the tuners pool!!
The Ceton USB tuner has proven to be a bit more difficult to set up. It shares the same cable feed as the PCIe card, but I regularly experience SDV error 1 codes. The Charter tech measured the signal and said it was a very strong signal. When looking at the card on the Ceton diagnostic tool it claims that the signal is too weak. The result is that the card is unable to resolve tuning. Moreover, when I can get card working it has significant tiling. Also to note is that the USB version is very hot... like a small space heater hot. While it is good to get that kind of heat outside of the CPU box, know that it is not - at all - cooler running than the PCIe. Though I continue to have problems with the card, so much so and so regular that I decided to turn it off after Charter got it properly paired up, I should say that it is very well made with an impressive metal casing. It is worth noting that I have been using the USB off the same cable feed and through the same computer as the PCIe card. Additionally, I'm using all the latest Nvidia drivers and up to date USB 2.0 and 3.0 drivers. The CPU is a quad core 3.0+ Ghz Phenom. Nothing about this computer is even mildly taxed with all 14 streams, but the USB still struggles.
I think that it is worth noting the complications and tribulations of getting a CableCard properly installed. I have used the Charter techs and also picked up and installed my own CableCards. Sometimes it works like a charm and other times it is a two day task of seeming total impossibility. First, the billing side of the house must be in order properly. This is to say the card must be correctly coded into your account. Then the various numbers must be all correct when you call to activate or the card will not pair correctly. In my case I have experienced various different errors which are almost always due to a clerical error on the part of my cable company. Just keep making the techs come back until you get the right one who is smart enough to ask the right questions. Better an actual Charter tech than a subcontractor as they seem to have more access to the advanced video help back at the mothership. I can't fault any of these manufacturers for set up woes... All the tuner cards are actually incredibly simple to set up and use. The only issue between you and HD cable recording bliss is the total lack of knowledge on the part of the cable company. Know what you are getting yourself into before you buy one of these cards as making it through the gauntlet of the cable company could be very difficult. Reserve three days and hope for ten minutes of set up time.
The Ceton PCIe unit has been by far the easiest set up, most stable and the best card of the three. It has never had a glitch, it was set up and running in no time, the cable company techs had very little difficulty getting it going and it has never ever shown so much as a single pixel of picture faults. No "tiling" and no slow downs. No over demands on the computer. The only cons with the Ceton PCIe card are the heat inside the box and the lack of tuner pooling. Until I could get the other tuners up and running I was sharing the PCIe tuner with two other PCs running Media Center which worked flawlessly on a wired network. However, without tuner pooling I had tuner conflicts like no tomorrow!! 4 tuners are not enough for cable recording. Not even close without pooling. You should think very seriously about heat dissipation if you are considering putting two of these inside your computer.
The HD Homerun Prime was more (a whole lot more) difficult to set up, but that really is more a function of Charter Cable's difficulty in keeping two CableCard installs straight at the same time. I can't fault the picture quality, though it seems to be ever so slightly more grainy than the Ceton PCIe. On the Panasonic VT-25 the picture was very, very good though just a bit more grainy than with the Ceton PCIe. However, on the Sony touchscreen computer (VPCL234FX/B) in the kitchen there is a significant diffidence in picture quality which, I think, is more due to the Sony's NIC than anything else. (Though the Ceton PCIe streaming to it never had any issues and a clearer picture.) Whatever problems that people had on the roll out of the HD Homerun Prime are no longer an issue with the latest firmware installed as of 12.28.2011. Once the Charter people got all their ducks in a row the 6 tuners have been running like a charm. Did I mention that the tuners pool!!
The Ceton USB tuner has proven to be a bit more difficult to set up. It shares the same cable feed as the PCIe card, but I regularly experience SDV error 1 codes. The Charter tech measured the signal and said it was a very strong signal. When looking at the card on the Ceton diagnostic tool it claims that the signal is too weak. The result is that the card is unable to resolve tuning. Moreover, when I can get card working it has significant tiling. Also to note is that the USB version is very hot... like a small space heater hot. While it is good to get that kind of heat outside of the CPU box, know that it is not - at all - cooler running than the PCIe. Though I continue to have problems with the card, so much so and so regular that I decided to turn it off after Charter got it properly paired up, I should say that it is very well made with an impressive metal casing. It is worth noting that I have been using the USB off the same cable feed and through the same computer as the PCIe card. Additionally, I'm using all the latest Nvidia drivers and up to date USB 2.0 and 3.0 drivers. The CPU is a quad core 3.0+ Ghz Phenom. Nothing about this computer is even mildly taxed with all 14 streams, but the USB still struggles.
I think that it is worth noting the complications and tribulations of getting a CableCard properly installed. I have used the Charter techs and also picked up and installed my own CableCards. Sometimes it works like a charm and other times it is a two day task of seeming total impossibility. First, the billing side of the house must be in order properly. This is to say the card must be correctly coded into your account. Then the various numbers must be all correct when you call to activate or the card will not pair correctly. In my case I have experienced various different errors which are almost always due to a clerical error on the part of my cable company. Just keep making the techs come back until you get the right one who is smart enough to ask the right questions. Better an actual Charter tech than a subcontractor as they seem to have more access to the advanced video help back at the mothership. I can't fault any of these manufacturers for set up woes... All the tuner cards are actually incredibly simple to set up and use. The only issue between you and HD cable recording bliss is the total lack of knowledge on the part of the cable company. Know what you are getting yourself into before you buy one of these cards as making it through the gauntlet of the cable company could be very difficult. Reserve three days and hope for ten minutes of set up time.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Twiggins
Amazon Verified Purchase
This product works like they said it does. Had to call Comcast twice to pair the cablecard, second time worked. They had left the data number off the first time. Can now watch TV and record 3 programs at once. Quality of the picture is as good or better than with Comcast's DVR. Great product.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Missing the NBA playoffs
I've been trying for more than a month to get this device to work properly. I have had three Comcast visits (2 great techs) with a 4th follow-up tomorrow. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Franklin Barfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
A quality product, capabile of saving you money on a monthly basis
Our local cable company offers cables cards for 2$ a month, so the math was pretty easy... 29$ a month for two cable boxes (we only had the second cable box to support recording 4... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Rivett
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works Great
Windows 7 Media center works great.
Windows 8 Media Center has beta drivers which work for most channels but have tuning problems with sdv tuning devices supplied from... Read more
Windows 8 Media Center has beta drivers which work for most channels but have tuning problems with sdv tuning devices supplied from... Read more
Published 1 month ago by James D Weaver
2.0 out of 5 stars
BUY FROM CETON with cautions
UPDATED: This thing is great BUT installation can be very hard and the tech support is ONLY by email.
NEW RATINGS: INSTALLATION WOES ... Read more
NEW RATINGS: INSTALLATION WOES ... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephen M. Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works great.
A few glitches that may have been related to Norton but otherwise works great. I have had a few questions /w tech support and they have responded very quickly.
Published 2 months ago by Ab
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good News/Bad News
First the good news--WHEN IT WORKS the Ceton InfiniTV can do an awesome job of bringing HDTV to your Windows Media Center. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Music_Man
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works great after adding $6 low pass filter !
I wanted to share my experiences with fixing pixelation / macroblocking video problems some people have. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JazJon
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible Disappointment! Amazon Good - CETON very, very bad!
I have spent several weeks with Ceton technical support trying to get this damn thing to work. Ceton staff are polite and will respond to your email request for help within a day... Read more
Published 2 months ago by MJH
2.0 out of 5 stars
Problems DOA, and Function, Failure again
The first unit arrived DOA. The second unit I have had 9 months. (May 2012). I was able to set it up and easily get it working. Read more
Published 3 months ago by defilm
1.0 out of 5 stars
30 days of wasted effort.
After 30 days of Ceton technical support & 3 visits by Cox technicians, no one could get the InfiniTV to work reliably. Read more
Published 3 months ago by GORDON O KENNEDY
Important Information
Seller Warranty Description
Ceton Corp. warrants all "Ceton" branded products to be free from defects in materials or workmanship under normal use for the period of 1 (one) year from the original date of retail purchase by the original purchaser. Purchase must have been made from a Ceton authorized retailer, as listed on Ceton's website. If the purchase was made from Amazon.com, it must be shown as "Sold by CETON" on the invoice. Proof of purchase is required for warranty services.
Ceton Corp. warrants all "Ceton" branded products to be free from defects in materials or workmanship under normal use for the period of 1 (one) year from the original date of retail purchase by the original purchaser. Purchase must have been made from a Ceton authorized retailer, as listed on Ceton's website. If the purchase was made from Amazon.com, it must be shown as "Sold by CETON" on the invoice. Proof of purchase is required for warranty services.
