Is this card any good?

[John180]

I am wanting to upgrade my TV card in my pc so i can view freesat and the HD channels.

What do you guys think to this? I am also planning on keeping my freeview card too.

http://www.dabs.com/products/hauppauge-w...-4B9T.html

any advice would be fantastic.

[elootos]

(12-14-2009 10:56 AM)John180 Wrote:  I am wanting to upgrade my TV card in my pc so i can view freesat and the HD channels.

What do you guys think to this? I am also planning on keeping my freeview card too.

http://www.dabs.com/products/hauppauge-w...-4B9T.html

any advice would be fantastic.

Morning John!

So am am I right in thinking you just want to add a DVB-S card for Freesat?

If so then the cheapset option is this Vidoemate 350. It's not DVB-S2, but are any of the channels you're after that anyway? (BBC & ITV HD aren't, yet)

No doubt the Hauppauge cards are the best, and if you're after an S2 card then this Nova S2 is good for the job. But if you're after a cheap and easy option then the VideoMate is as good. The two I've got have given me troubles getting them into the case though; the coax socket is towards the top of the card and tends to fowl the PCI slot in the case. It's a bit tricky to squeeze in but worth the struggle for the price.

In case you're still after the HVR4000, then I'm sure its fine.

[John180]

I just want a card that can receive HD channels on freesat where available. Not sure on the difference between DVB-S and DVB-S2??

I would like to future proof as much as possible too and not worry too much about cost (this is going to be an xmas present to me ha!)

I am right also in thinking the HVR4000 is freeview and freesat in one so i could actually do away with my current freeview card?

[elootos]

(12-14-2009 12:55 PM)John180 Wrote:  I just want a card that can receive HD channels on freesat where available. Not sure on the difference between DVB-S and DVB-S2??

I would like to future proof as much as possible too and not worry too much about cost (this is going to be an xmas present to me ha!)

I am right also in thinking the HVR4000 is freeview and freesat in one so i could actually do away with my current freeview card?

Then maybe the HVR-4000 is a better option. It has four single tuners (DVB-T, DVB-S2, analogue, FM) but is your current DVB-T single tuner? If so then keeping it and adding the HVR4000 will give you dual tuner DVB-T and single tuner DVB-S2 (which is how my lounge PC currently operates). If after consolodating your cards, a favourite among some is this Blackgold BGT3540. Both dual DVB-T and dual DVB-S, but not DVB-S2 though. :-/

You pays ya money...

[John180]

Hmm, i think i may well go with the HVR4000 it seems to get some decent reviews and compatible with windows 7 media center.

I may well do a little installation and configuration report on xmas day for you all ha!

It does sound like a good all round package and i can get some money back on the other card i have installed now.

Just need a dual LNB for the sky dish...

[northan]

Im too confused about this topic. Im gona venture into freesat soon cause sky box is failing and not much over a year old. Not too impressed.
I I understand that the difference with dvb -s2 is hd freesat, but can you receive all the freesat channels?

Also I recently thought I would like to utilise all 4 signals coming from the LNB. Can media center cope with this, making 4 recordings at once if need be.
I understand I need a seperate tuner for all signals which is why I thought of getting 2x double tunners.
Like this when this comes out, im keen

http://shop.blackgold.tv/epages/BT3159.s...ts/BGT3595

It will be 4 weeks later than the oem which should be out early year.
Any thoughts
Like John Im not to concerned about price, I just want it to be future proof for a while.
BTW cant get anything from the aerial, big trees out of my choppers reach.

[elootos]

(12-18-2009 09:54 AM)northan Wrote:  Im too confused about this topic. Im gona venture into freesat soon cause sky box is failing and not much over a year old. Not too impressed.
I I understand that the difference with dvb -s2 is hd freesat, but can you receive all the freesat channels?

Also I recently thought I would like to utilise all 4 signals coming from the LNB. Can media center cope with this, making 4 recordings at once if need be.
I understand I need a seperate tuner for all signals which is why I thought of getting 2x double tunners.
Like this when this comes out, im keen

http://shop.blackgold.tv/epages/BT3159.s...ts/BGT3595

It will be 4 weeks later than the oem which should be out early year.
Any thoughts
Like John Im not to concerned about price, I just want it to be future proof for a while.
BTW cant get anything from the aerial, big trees out of my choppers reach.

Oooohhh, nice find! That card looks like the answer to everything!

Upgrading the satellites floating above us to DVB-S2 will be a gradual thing over years (eventually making DVB-S obsolete I guess). FTA HD channels will/are becoming the first to utilise it, but at the moment, BBC/ITV HD are still DVB-S as I guess it was easier for them to be rolled out on the existing/implemented technology.

That blackgold card when out next year will definitely be THE card to get (as long as it's not as sh**e as the Blackgold's I use to own in the days of MCE2005). Windows7 out-the-box supports 4 tuners (Vista supported 4, but only in the states), but there are registry hacks you can do that allow unlimited numbers (I've read about guys in the states with 12 or more!) - I'd avoid that kind of tinkering though if you need it to be wife-friendly-certified.

At the moment though, with a DVB-S card you'll receive everything that Freesat has to offer.

[elootos]

Oh, one more thing. Freeview (terrestrial, DVB-T, whatever), is more supported within Media Centre's guide - proper channel numbers/IDs, Meta data etc.

Freesat is a little quirky in that it shows ALL channels - that means you get about 30 BBC Ones! It's fairly easy to sort through though and once up and running is virtually no different to Freeview.

[northan]

Quote:Upgrading the satellites floating above us to DVB-S2 will be a gradual thing over years (eventually making DVB-S obsolete I guess). FTA HD channels will/are becoming the first to utilise it, but at the moment, BBC/ITV HD are still DVB-S as I guess it was easier for them to be rolled out on the existing/implemented technology.

Ok now I sound like an egit.
If I were to buy this blackgold card, It would'nt let me watch freesat hd channels like bbc HD as yet. But it could in the future.
Is there a list somewhere that lets me see what I can get.
I had some blackgold cards in 2005 when I had my first (and useless) htpc from evesham
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/200...ox_me.html
I thought it would answer all my prayers, how wrong I was.

[elootos]

(12-18-2009 11:48 AM)northan Wrote:  If I were to buy this blackgold card, It would'nt let me watch freesat hd channels like bbc HD as yet. But it could in the future.

Whoops, I'm adding to the confusion!! A DVB-S2 card will still receive DVB-S transmissions. It's a newer technology, but as with all new techs, it's completely backwards compatible.