Pinnacle ShowCenter Wireless G review

If your PC is loaded with music files, photos and videos and you want to get them into the living room, Pinnacle's ShowCenter Wireless G could be the answer.

From the outside it looks like previous incarnations of the product. Inside the box there's a 802.11g wireless PC card, although you're not obliged to use it, as the device also has a wired network port.

The rear of the case also provides a SCART socket, digital and analogue audio outputs and component outputs for the highest-quality video. Once the ShowCenter is connected to your TV and hi-fi, you simply install Pinnacle's server software on your PC.

The software detects all your media files automatically and can even import Winamp-compatible playlists. Unfortunately, unless your playlists are in this format, you'll have to recreate them manually from within the server software.

This software can also convert file types that ShowCenter can't play. When converting video files, you can choose which format to use, but for audio files you're stuck with 128Kbit/s MP3. If you're converting a high-quality WMA file, this isn't the ideal format to use, and we would have liked to have had greater control over the conversion.

With the server installed you can stream all your files to your television using the ShowCenter's remote. The interface is easy to use, and you should have no trouble finding the file you're looking for.

This version also enables you to timeshift and record TV programmes, although you'll need to have a Pinnacle TV card in your PC before this option is available. Still, if you have, it's a good way of transmitting TV around the house.

However, for video transmissions you need a strong wireless signal or you won't have enough bandwidth. Where possible we'd recommend that you use the wired connection.

For £205 the ShowCenter is good value, particularly if you already have a Pinnacle TV card in your computer.