Pinnacle Packs TV Tuning in a Small Package

There may be no shortage of new tech options for watching TV on PCs on the way, but Pinnacle probably makes one of the smallest.

The PCTV HD Pro Stick is not much bigger than a flash drive, but the USB HD tuner allows you to use your notebook computer to watch analog and high-quality digital television without paying more subscription fees.

Pinnacle includes a rabbit-ear antenna for reception and a remote with the package. Whether that's enough to pick up the up to 20 digital channels and 5 HD channels promised will depend on where you are. Pinnacle says the Pro Stick will be available the end of this month. I'll be checking it out and I'll let you know how it works in our house and on the road.

For $130, it may be a good, portable option for an additional TV in the family, similar to how ReplayTV works. And Pinnacle's Pro Stick also offers a digital video recorder function that allows you to record TV shows in DVD, iPod, and Sony PSP formats.

If it works the way it's billed, is this something you could see adding to your family entertainment lineup?