Black Boxes: Broadband Home PC Caster networking device

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by John Davis
Winter 2001

Broadband Home Inc.
(919) 379-2700
[www.broadbandhome.com]
$400

Lately, computer networks and networking have inundated us. But as our data networks multiply, what about our home theater setup? Wouldn't it be great to bring that networking concept home to our entertainment gear?

Avcast has arrived from Broadband Home Inc. It features a system of components that allows you to network up to eight source devices to all your televisions using your existing coaxial cabling. One device of particular interest is the PC Caster, available in kit form or stand-alone. In this article we review the kit (PK-2000N).

What is a Home Entertainment Network?
What if you could check out what's playing on the kids' VCR, or simultaneously watch that program in the den or even control their VCR from your comfy armchair at the same time?

Broadband Home Inc. promises these features and more (networked DVDs, CDs, etc.) with its new Avcast line of products. Video sources are assigned to typically unused channels, then fed to all TVs in your home via existing coax cable. Then, any TV or other networked source in the house can also tune in to what's playing.

With PC Caster, the source is your PC. Using the wireless mouse and keyboard (included in the kit) you can access and control your PC from any TV in your house.

Getting on the Net
Setting up the PC Caster as a stand-alone solution is a bit complicated, because you must set up a mini-network. Setup is much simpler if you already use the Avcast.

To set up the mini-network, you need to install the CableCaster, which acts as the hub for your home entertainment network. Then you can begin to install the PC Caster module.

After all cabling is completed, install the drivers for the PC Caster on your computer and adjust the display settings on your monitor for the best image possible. (Broadband Home suggests 800x600-screen resolution with large fonts and large icons.)

Finally, test the setup to ensure that you can see your computer's display on one of your networked PCs by tuning to the appropriate TV channel.

Using the PC Caster
The RF wireless keyboard and RF wireless mouse controls your PC remotely, while you monitor on one of your TVs. We tried the PC Caster with each TV in our house. We could reliably see and control the PC, although image quality ranged from mediocre to very poor, depending on the TV. We could perform any function of our PC, although we could not always read dialog boxes or text on Web pages.

Final Notes on the Net
The PC Caster kit allowed us to connect only one PC to one TV, so we were unable to evaluate a full implementation of the Avcast network. We found the PC Caster, used as a stand-alone solution for remote use of a PC, to adequately allow remote use and control, although the inherent limitations in TV technology made picture quality difficult at times.

Overall, we liked the PC Caster, but it seems that the remote-use function is a short-term, occasional solution, which is best used as one component of the Avcast network.

SMART SPECS