InfiniTV FAQ
- What kind of PCs can I use with a Ceton InfiniTV?
- What is included in the box with my InfiniTV Device?
- What are the dimensions of InfiniTV?
- What type of CableCARD do I need?
- What do I do if my cable operator says they don’t support CableCARD on InfiniTV, isn’t familiar with CableCARDs or has a problem pairing the CableCARD to their cable system?
- Does InfiniTV tune Clear QAM, ATSC and/or Analog TV channels?
- Does InfiniTV work with satellite TV (DirecTV, DISH Network) or telco TV (AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS) services?
- Does InfiniTV work outside the US, for example in Canada, Europe or Australia?
- Does InfiniTV support Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages?
- Do InfiniTV devices support sharing tuners between more than one Media Center PC?
- Does InfiniTV support Switched Digital Video? (SDV)
- Does InfiniTV support Closed Captioning?
- Does InfiniTV support 3D TV broadcasts?
- Does InfiniTV support Tru2Way?
- Can I use InfiniTV in a virtual machine (VM) environment?
- What is the InfiniTV power requirement?
- Does InfiniTV work with Windows 8 Pro?
- Does InfiniTV work with Windows 7 N edition?
- What are the minimum system requirements for using more than 1 InfiniTV device and/or more than 1 extender?
What kind of PCs can I use with a Ceton InfiniTV?
A: InfiniTV 4 PCIe: requires an available PCI Express (PCIe) slot, which is typically only available on desktop, tower and entertainment PCs (including slimline desktop models). Please see minimum system requirements below.
InfiniTV 4 USB: can connect to any qualified PC with a USB 2.0 port, making it an ideal solution for notebook/laptop, All-in-One and Tablet PCs as well as well as desktop, tower and slimline entertainment PCs. Please see minimum system requirements below.
What is included in the box with my InfiniTV Device?
A: InfiniTV 4 PCIe includes:
- InfiniTV 4 PCIe card
- Full-size and low-profile backplates
- F-connector coax adapter cable
- Quick Installation Guide
InfiniTV 4 USB: includes:
- InfiniTV 4 USB device
- Power supply
- USB cable
- Quick Installation Guide
What are the dimensions of InfiniTV?
A: InfiniTV 4/6 PCIe: 6.6" (L) x 2.5" (H) x 0.7" (W) InfiniTV 4 PCIe and InfiniTV 6 PCIe are both PCI Express (PCIe) Low Profile form-factor cards that each require one standard PCIe slot. They should fit in most slim form-factor PCs (just make sure the PCIe slot you choose has enough space for the full length of the card) as well as in full-sized towers and desktops. InfiniTV 4/6 PCIe comes with both low-profile and full-height backplates so you can swap the backplate if needed, depending on the type of case in which you are installing it.
InfiniTV 4 USB/InfiniTV 6 ETH: 7.1” (L) x 1.1” (H) x 5.25” (W) InfiniTV 4 USB and InfiniTV 6 ETH are both external devices. InfiniTV 4 USB connects to your PC via a USB cable and requires one USB 2.0 or higher port (we do not recommending connecting InfiniTV 4 USB to your PC using a USB hub). InfiniTV 6 ETH connects to your PC via your home network and can be plugged into your router or any Ethernet port available on your network.
What type of CableCARD do I need?
A: There are 2 types of CableCARDs: the single-stream S-Card and the multi-stream M-Card. Since we offer 4 tuners on InfiniTV 4 you need to make sure you order an M-Card from your local cable provider. S-Cards are not compatible with the InfiniTV.
What do I do if my cable operator says they don’t support CableCARD on InfiniTV, isn’t familiar with CableCARDs or has a problem pairing the CableCARD to their cable system?
A: All U.S. cable companies are required by FCC mandate to provide CableCARDs to their digital cable subscribers for certified devices like InfiniTV. Verizon also supports CableCARD. If your local cable operator says they don’t support CableCARDs, it’s typically a representative that isn’t familiar with CableCARD. If you encounter this, it’s best to ask the representative to escalate your issue. You can also point them to the FCC’s CableCARD: Know Your Rights site. If your cable operator is still unable to provide a CableCARD, please open a support ticket with Ceton and we will be happy to assist. Below are the CableCARD help pages for some of the larger cable companies:- Bright House Networks
- Cablevision Optimum Online
- Charter Communications
- Comcast XFINITY
- Cox Communications
- Insight Communications
- Mediacom Communication
- RCN
- Suddenlink Communications
- Time Warner Cable
- Verizon
- WideOpenWest Network
Does InfiniTV tune Clear QAM, ATSC and/or Analog TV channels?
A: Clear QAM (e.g. unencrypted digital cable): Yes, InfiniTV supports Clear QAM channels; however, Windows Media Center requires that you have a CableCARD inserted in your InfiniTV device in order to configure the tuners in Media Center. Once your InfiniTV is paired and activated with your local cable system, then you can remove the CableCARD if you wish to receive ClearQAM channels only.
ATSC (e.g. over-the-air digital broadcast): InfiniTV is designed for digital cable and does not support over-the-air ATSC broadcasts. Low-cost ATSC TV tuners are available from a number of manufacturers. You can install InfiniTV tuners as well as ATSC and/or analog tuners on the same PC.
Analog: As with ATSC above, InfiniTV does not support analog TV channels. Most cable operators simulcast the analog channels in digital also, so it is likely that you will continue to receive all analog channels even through the InfiniTV is a digital-only tuner. If not, low-cost analog TV tuners are also available from a number of manufacturers. You can install InfiniTV tuners as well as analog tuners on the same PC.
Does InfiniTV work with satellite TV (DirecTV, DISH Network) or telco TV (AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS) services?
A: InfiniTV is designed specifically for cable-based systems which use CableCARD technology. That includes all US cable systems, Verizon FiOS and some Canadian cable systems (please check with your cable operator). CableCARD-based TV tuners like InfiniTV are not compatible with satellite or AT&T U-Verse TV services.
Does InfiniTV work outside the US, for example in Canada, Europe or Australia?
A: Canada: since CableCARD support is not a regulatory requirement in Canada as it is in the US, some Canadian cable operators support CableCARD-based devices like InfiniTV, while others do not. Please check with your local cable operator.
Rest of World: InfiniTV is designed specifically for cable systems in North America that support CableCARD-based devices. Cable systems outside the US and Canada use a different set of technologies and technical standards for delivering TV services, such as DVB-C in Europe for digital cable or DVB-T for over-the-air digital terrestrial broadcasts. It would require a different version of our technology to work in those other markets and with those other technical standards. We currently do not have plans to introduce InfiniTV in other markets.
Does InfiniTV support Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages?
A: Yes. In most cases, EAS messages work just fine. However, depending on the specific cable TV provider, Windows Media Center may not be always display Emergency Alert Messages correctly on the TV.
Do InfiniTV devices support sharing tuners between more than one Media Center PC?
A: InfiniTV 6 ETH is the supported solution for Network Tuner (a.k.a. Tuner Sharing) capabilities between more than one Media Center PC on a home network. It is a network-connected device that is designed specifically for such scenarios. Network Tuners with InfiniTV 6 ETH is supported on both Windows 7 and Windows 8 systems.
InfiniTV 4 PCIe supports Windows Network Bridging capabilities when running on Windows 7 systems. Network Bridging is a workaround solution that enables individual tuners on an InfiniTV 4 PCIe to be assigned to additional Windows 7 PCs. Network bridging with InfiniTV 4 PCIe is not compatible with Windows 8.x.
InfiniTV 4 USB and InfiniTV 6 PCIe do not support Network Tuners or Network Bridging.
Does InfiniTV support Switched Digital Video? (SDV)
A: Yes. All InfiniTV products support SDV via Tuning Adapters (TAs) that are available from your cable operator. You should check with your cable operator for details.
Does InfiniTV support Closed Captioning?
A: Yes. InfiniTV devices installed in a Windows 7 Media Center PC supports closed captioning for digital channels.
Does InfiniTV support 3D TV broadcasts?
A: Yes. All InfiniTV models support 3D TV broadcasts as long as you have a 3D graphics card like the NVIDIA® 3D Vision installed in your Media Center PC, you receive 3D broadcasts from your cable provider and have a 3D-capable TV display. Please note that you may have to manually enable 3D mode on your display to view 3D content.
Does InfiniTV support Tru2Way?
A: No. Tru2Way support requires that the tuning device (e.g. InfiniTV) use the cable operator’s user interface, which limits our ability to offer a superior user experience.
There are actually very few Tru2Way services available to consumers today and the only way to access those services currently is by leasing a Tru2Way capable set-top box from your cable operator. That's a limitation of the technology and standards developed by the cable industry. We hope that changes in the future but today you cannot access True2Way services on non-cable operator-owned devices like InfiniTV, HDHomeRun, TiVo, CableCARD TVs, etc.
Can I use InfiniTV in a virtual machine (VM) environment?
No. All InfiniTV models require a PC running native Windows 7 or Windows 8 with Media Center.What is the InfiniTV power requirement?
A: With the InfiniTV 4/6 PCIe, power consumption will vary by the duty cycle. Depending on the number of tuners in use and the type CableCARD installed, InfiniTV can require up to 14 watts when all six tuners are running.Does InfiniTV work with Windows 8 Pro?
InfiniTV 4 PCIe, InfiniTV 6 PCIe and InfiniTV 6 ETH all work with the x64 (64-bit) version of Windows 8/8.1 Pro with Media Center. InfiniTV 4 USB works with Windows 7 only.If you are upgrading to Windows 8 Pro from a previous version of Windows, please read our Knowledgebase article on InfiniTV Windows 8 Support.
Please note that only InfiniTV 6 ETH supports Network Tuners when used with Windows 8.
Does InfiniTV work with Windows 7 N edition?
A: The N editions of Windows 7 do not include the Digital Rights Management (DRM) components needed for protected TV content to work, even if Windows Media Player is installed. As a result, using InfiniTV with Windows 7 N edition is not supported.What are the minimum system requirements for using more than 1 InfiniTV device and/or more than 1 extender?
The minimum system requirements change depending on the number of tuners and/or extenders you have connected to your Media Center PC. A properly-configured PC can support a maximum of 12 tuners (e.g. three InfiniTV 4 devices or two InfiniTV 6 devices) and 5 extenders. The table below shows minimum system requirements for Basic, Moderate and Maximum configurations.| Basic | Moderate | Maximum | |
| # Tuners | 4 | 6 - 8 | 10 - 12 |
| # Extenders | 1 - 2 | 0 - 3 | 0 - 5 |
| RAM | 4 - 6 GB | 6 - 8 GB | 10 - 12 GB |
| CPU | Dual Core @ 2.5 Ghz | Dual Core @ 3.0 GHz+ | Quad Core 2.5 GHz+ |
| Intel Core2 or AMD Athlon 2 |
Intel i3 / (Quad) Core2 or AMD Phenom |
Intel i5 or AMD FX |
|
| Low power processors are not
supported: e.g. Intel Atom and AMD Fusion |
|||
| Graphics | Nvidia: Geforce 200 series | ATI: HD 4000 Series | Intel: HD4000 | ||
| Hardware video decoding and HDCP support required | |||
| Hard drive speed | 7200 RPM | 7200 RPM | 7200 RPM |
| 350+ GB recommended for 50 hours of HDTV recording | |||
| OS | Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8 with Media Center (64 bit) | ||