TV on the IdeaCentre A600?

Question

I recently purchased an IdeaCentre A600.  I made the purchase because Lenovo was touting the IdeaCentre as a computer and a TV.  But apparently I had a different definition of “TV.”  The biggest disappointment was the total lack of documentation and support for this product.  There is virtually none of either.
I am new to Microsoft Vista, but after a couple of weeks of exploration I found the Microsoft Media Center.  I followed the TV set-up Wizard and actually got a TV signal.  But the picture was about 2 by 3 inches.  When I clicked “Next,” I expected to see a full size image.  But all I got was as error message indicating that there was no “IR hardware” installed.  I had no idea what IR hardware was, but I knew right away it must be important. 
I called the vendor’s support first.  They explained that “IR” stood for infrared and that all I needed to do was install the most recent drivers.  It was no surprise that that did not work.
I contacted Lenovo support and after a lengthy discussion, the support person told me that I apparently needed IR cables, which is exactly where I started.  She didn’t know what they were, or what they were for, but I should contact my cable provider and they should be able to help me.  I contacted Comcast support and the support person told me that I could get IR cables anywhere, even Wal-Mart.  She didn’t know what they were, or how they worked, but I should have no trouble finding them.
I feel that I have made no progress here.  It is apparently a problem with a simple solution, but I can’t seem to find anyone who knows what that solution is.  Apparently everyone knows the answer but me and the product support teams.  It is extremely discouraging to deal with a manufacturer that puts a product on the market without any documentation or support.  Tomorrow, I will go to Wal-Mart.  Perhaps they can help.  PS, this web site needs help.

Answer 1

I have a B500, and yes, there's literally no documentation as to how to get the TV working.
Getting the TV working for me was pretty simple. First thing: make sure your drivers are up to date. The driver that shipped on my B500 did not work properly, and I downloaded the "newer" Yuan driver (which appears to Windows as an ATI Card). From there, I was able to just hook the cable from my wall to the computer (I skipped the cable box).
Note, in Windows Media Center, if you have a newer machine, you can get HD channels. However, you have to add the 'Digitial" tuner seperately from the Analog tuner (even though it's the same chip).
From there, you should be able to get TV working.
Jonathan Becker
CURRENT LENOVO PRODUCTS: Thinkpad Tablet 2
sn #R9WHND7, Win 8 Pro, BIOS 1.51, with Dock and TPT2 keyboard
Thinkpad USB Keyboard with Trackpoint
IdeaCenter B500
PAST: Thinkpad T22, X60 Tablet, X220 Tablet