Installation #1 - Hardware
The PalmButler basically consists out of three items:
- TV-software - Creates an easy-to-read menu on the TV-screen showing the PC's digital media
- Linkbox - Converts the PC's video- and sound signal into a TV- and radio channel. Is connected with a coax cable to the home's central antenna outlet.
- Remote control - Communicates wirelessly with the PC and can remote control the PC's digital media.
Of course to get started we will explain the product installation, basically we are going to do this:
- connect graphics TV output to linkbox
- connect soundcard towards linkbox
- connect PC (serial port) to link box
- connect/merge linkbox into antenna/cai cable
- install software
- select channel on TV and Radio
We'll explain it in detail with photo's to get you a mental picture. The photo's you see in this review we took ourselves. I often get many questions about the camera use, it is a 5.1 MegaPixel Sony DCS-F707 and yes, it rocks.
With the palmbutler you'll get any cable you need provided in the box. Above you can notice all cables that lead to the PC and linkbox.
As mentioned, all cables are present, upto ten meters of cai cable and the signal slitter to merge that PC signal into the CAI signal.
This is the signal splitter. It looks impressive but really there is nothing to it. Your computer and radio signals go in here. the palmbutler signal goes in here and thenb TV and Radio go out to your HiFi set and TV once again. Let's take a look at this connected shall we:
Here's the thing properly connected. White cables from left to right: Radeo, Linkbox (PalmButler) and TV signal. The black cables connected to your Radio and television. This all looks complex, but honestly .. nothing to it at all !
Once we have hooked up everything on the antenna/CAI/cable section it's time to connect the linkbox. That one linkbox cable we connected to the splitter goes to the white TV/R Out connection. The yellow connector is used to connect towards your graphics cards (composite signal). The black and Red connectors are connected towards your soundcard with a supplied cable (one size fits all), the black 9-pin connector goes to your PC's serial port and the SVideo like TX/RX connector connects towards the remote receiver module.
