Overview Q&A - Zv System Requirements & Installation

No. ZvBox takes advantage of the standard USB class drivers that are already in Windows XP and Vista. ZvBox presents as a USB composite device that uses the following three Windows USB class drivers:
1. USB Mass Storage (disk.sys)
2. USB audio (usbaudio.sys)
3. USB CDC (usbser.sys)

All three of these drivers are distributed by Microsoft as part of Windows XP and Vista.

ZvBox connects to your computer via a VGA cable at the monitor output, and a USB cable. The signal from ZvBox is sent over your existing in-home coaxial cable TV wiring. All you have to do is connect your coax wiring to your HDTV’s antenna input, and you can tune in Zv. Click here to see (PDF) diagrams of typical computer and HDTV connections.

Yes. To connect ZvBox to a computer that has a DVI connector, simply use a DVI-to-VGA adapter. Many video cards/computers with DVI outputs come with the DVI-to-VGA adapter included. For more information on connecting ZvBox to a variety of computer video outputs, click here.

During installation a channel filter is installed on your main coaxial cabling. It prevents certain channels from entering your home, creating an “empty” channel in your lineup that ZvBox can use to broadcast your Zv channel. In rare cases the channel filter will block a channel you normally receive; if that’s the case, we’ll happily substitute a different channel filter at no charge, just visit our online Support to ask for one.

Basic computer requirements are:

• A PC running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Vista
• 2 free USB 1.0 or 2.0 high speed or full speed ports

If your computer meets those basic requirements, and it’s capable of delivering good performance with online video, it should work fine with ZvBox.

Although ZvBox is designed to work with both Apple computers and PC’s, we haven’t yet completed our testing with Apple products. Click here if you’d like to be notified when ZvBox is ready to work with Apple computers.

No, you don’t need to add new room-to-room cabling – that’s the beauty of the Zv solution. Your in-home coaxial cabling is capable of carrying hundreds of channels simultaneously, so ZvBox uses that existing coaxial cabling to localcast your own private HDTV channel to each of your HDTV’s. Just connect your HDTV’s to your existing coaxial cabling and you’re ready to go.

You own the cable TV wiring that’s in your house. The cable company gets angry when people pirate their service, i.e., split cables and “share” service with their neighbor. The ZvBox lets you get more out of the cable you have paid for.

No. ZvBox can usually be connected anywhere you have a coaxial cable connection. If a coax cable outlet is already in use, i.e. connected to a cable modem or a cable box, you can simply install a “splitter” (two are provided) to create a new connection point.

In cases where a home has complex wiring and many cable connections, there may be large ‘losses’ between any one point in your wiring and another. In those rare cases, the ZvBox may not be able to reach every HDTV in the house. This can be corrected by connecting the ZvBox closer to the ‘root’ of your coaxial cabling (the point where it enters your home).

You just need an HDTV with a digital-cable compatible tuner. For help figuring out if your HDTV has a digital-cable compatible tuner, click here. A little history:

• Early HDTVs did not have digital tuners, and so were advertised as “HD Ready”- to use Zv with these sets, you will need to purchase an external tuner.
• Next-generation HDTV’s included tuners that could receive digital over-the-air broadcasts via a standard called ATSC.
• Shortly after that, HDTV tuners were upgraded to receive digital cable channels as well, using a standard called QAM.

We know of no HDTV sold in the US today that does not contain both an ATSC and QAM tuner, even though the QAM (or Digital Cable) capability is sometimes not marketed. In fact, most of the HDTVs in service today are compatible with ZvBox.

If your EDTV (Enhanced Definition TV) has a digital-cable compatible tuner, it will work with Zv. If it does not, you could buy an external digital-cable compatible tuner and connect it to your EDTV to receive the Zv channel.

ZvBox can be connected at any coaxial cable outlet in your home, including cable outlets where a TV and/or cable box is already connected. Simply run an RG6 coaxial cable from ZvBox to the nearest available cable outlet.

Or, if it’s easier, you could run a coaxial cable from ZvBox to the “root” of your cable wiring (that’s where the incoming coaxial cabling from the pole outside your house meets the first splitter in the network).

Yes, in most cases. Satellite installations are more complex than Cable TV installations, and have changed significantly over the past few years. Usually, a satellite system lets you receive local HDTV broadcasts using an over-the-air antenna. ZvBox is installed in these systems in the same way that you’d install an antenna. Follow the instructions specific to your system, or contact your installer. Note that we don’t yet offer installation and troubleshooting support for ZvBox when connecting to a satellite system.

ZvBox requires no additional set-top boxes, new subscriptions, recurring charges, or DVR-like programming.

Just keep using it to watch what your cable company has selected for you. Nothing changes unless you decide you don’t need it anymore.

No. ZvBox is currently designed to operate only when connected to a computer, such as a PC or in the future, a Mac. However, you can use Zv to access your computer’s DVD player, allowing you to start watching a DVD on the HDTV in the family room, and finish watching on the HDTV in the bedroom.

You can purchase an external HDTV tuner to do so, but you might be disappointed with the results. Traditional TVs don’t have the resolution to display your computer desktop, or any of the great applications or content that you have. The picture will display, but it will likely be very blurry.

The federal government is giving $40 rebates for a limited time for HDTV converter boxes- this may be a relatively painless way to try using your NTSC TV with ZvBox.