Unreliable Toys - Not for relaxed TV watching

There are so many positive reviews here for this product, and I doubt not this also. In my case the device is after 3 days around however experiment failed. It may be due to the compatibility with my hardware. But I've tried with 2 computers and 3 operating systems - no success. It is therefore necessary to bear in mind that the device very bitchy behavior may. Also I submit that is not seen in every recession, for which the respective user uses the stick. If someone never uses the DVB-C HDTV function, it can certainly be very happy with the stick. Eventually I returned both sticks again and bought a real stand-alone DVB-C receiver - has indeed claimed the double, but that I'm finally satisfied.

Here is my summary - I was above all the DVB-C HDTV function interested:

First stick was broken:
- Did not receive any channels, neither analogously nor DVB-C, DVB-T still - sent back
- Tested on 2 computers, 3 operating systems (WinXP SP3 / SP2 WinVista / Win7 SP1) to multiple USB ports (also right on the Main board) with supplied and external antenna

Second Stick:
- Original software from the CD brought the same times the error message: Can not operate, you had to reload only the current software of the Terratec website
- The antenna connector is not a standard, there is an adapter on standard tv points, but this is pretty shaky when it is attached to the stick
- Our own included DVB-T antenna, however, adjusts the non-standard connection of the stick without adapter
- The USB connector that comes out from the stick was in this stick obliquely (at first, broken stick was not so)
- The software - even though it was the same * .exe - once only the white Home Cinema Basic version installed and once the normal black version. You had to uninstall, then re-install the software, then it was the full, black Home Cinema Software
- The quality of the images is not the "Enhanced Video Renderer" basically useless in my opinion, otherwise no fields are displayed. But today's TV technology is based on fields, also in HDTV. The "Enhanced Video Renderer" You have to turn on only at Advanced -> Audio / Video
- The DVB-C internal recipients takes forever to start, partly to he displayed images for several minutes
- Sometimes DVB-C is not, then you have to disable software only and re-enable or switch to analog and back to DVB-C receiver in the home cinema back

- IF DVB-C finally goes, then in HDTV reception without stuttering in sound and vision
- Jerking with USB 3.0 (as PCI expansion): high, about 1 times per minute
- Jerking with USB 2.0 to PC Front: Medium, about 1 time every 3 minutes
- Jerking with USB 2.0 on the motherboard: Lowest, but not away, about 1 time every 5-10 minutes (if things go well, may be higher)
- The stuttering are approximately one-half to second, sound is running mostly on, but the picture is so long

- If the reception via DVB-C not or not yet going all Home Cinema program responds extremely lame
- Sometimes only DVB-C reception came when umschaltete the transmitter, which of course took forever because the program reacts so lame
- Sometimes the sound was switched default on mute, if you umschaltete the transmitter in the Home Cinema software, even remotely
- Sometimes the sound was asynchronously, you had the transmitter only switch back and forth before the sound was out of sync
- Sometimes public broadcaster were reported as encrypted, you could therefore receive no DVB-C
- CPU usage while running the software at max. 11% - it may therefore not have been

- Quality is analogous not to use, there are bands of noise in the picture, it will be shown just frames, no fields, the black level is too high (though you can set the, but not similar to the original Terratec software, rather with VLC )
- VLC could not open the analog input, but not deinterlace, so therefore no possible workaround

- The stick is really hot when it is in operation and still quite warm when it is not in use - which is rather unusual
- Also with third-party software (ProgDVB, MediaPortal) only unstable partial success
- DVB-T and Analog always worked without problems (quality analog but unusable), DVB-C SD worked when it ran only once

- My Hardware: Core i7 920 @ 2.67 GHz, 3 GB Ram, Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
- All updates, all drivers and software were always up to date
- Even with all switched-off background processes and highest priority ("real time") for the Terratec software it was not smooth with HDTV
- Also change the USB driver to Microsoft driver, as recommended by Terratec problems did not help
- I'm doing with my computers everything else, had no crashes or Performaceprobleme (games, video editing, video compositing, music and audio editing, graphics, multimedia, etc. with corresponding interfaces) - and I have already more professional requirements, that is, I'll take care of that run my systems

It may be that I had bad luck and 2 broken sticks have caught. (Perhaps a truckload is because sometimes stopped in the sun ??) But at some point you have no nerves for it. Thank Terratec, ye have robbed me three days of my precious time. In passing it should be noted that I have also bought a new stick only because my old Terratec has DVB-T Stick also quite early that time blessed. I think by the company Terratec I will leave only once in the near future the finger. It may be unjustified - still better for my feeling.