Newbie pcard advice

[gromit4x4]

Hello to all,

I have read with great interest the comments made regarding pc card's, however as with nearly all the reaserch i've done i'm left with more questions than answers.

I already have an HTPC, spec is amd athlon 2200xp, 512mb, 80gb hdd, nebula dvbt pci card, imon remote, I have given the spec incase it makes a difference. I also have a fixed Sky dish (already mounted on the side of the house)

I would like to add a dvbs card but I could do with some recomendations as I seem to be spoilt for choice, so which card, where should I go to buy and later which motorised setup should I save for?

Idealy I would like to receive as much fta as possible, I gather that receiveng Sky is possible but naughty and possiby some adult stuff.

any advice is greatly appreciated,

Regards to all

gromit4x4

[gromit4x4]

lancelot, your input would be most welcome

[Lancelot]

Hello

To the board

The SS2 has widespread support and is cheap and reliable. The SS1 (not the CI) is reliable and not as cheap, but has onboard decoding to take the load off your processor. If you have a valid subs card then you could consider the SS1CI as an option, but there are addons that allow the other two to be used in this way also.

What are your defining criteria for a PCI reciever ??

(forgot to mention, the SS1 has vid and aud O/P's too as you've been looking that up )

L.

[gromit4x4]

Thanks for the reply,

I would like to record to hdd and have diseq, size is not an issue and I could probably afford the SS1CI.

I gather that the SS1C1 is a good bet, if I want I can get a cam and card later on for certain channels or otherwise can I still use the add ons you suggested, would this card also have onboard decoding?

There does seem to be alot of praise for the ss2 and its well within my means. I cant find a retailer for a ss1 without the ci, I guess the ss2 is the replacenent for the ss1?

what about the Twinhan vision dtv ci, is this a copy of the SS1 CI ?

Also I am confused with the tecnisat and technotrend brands, they both do a SS1 card, are they the same?

regards gromit.

[Lancelot]

The SS1CI is the Twinhan basically, and does not have onboard decode.
The SS2 is not a replacement for the SS1, just it's little brother.
Technisat,Technotrend, and Hauppauge are the same thing when it comes to the SS1.


Look HERE. The 'premium' ones are the SS1


L.

[gromit4x4]

Excellent,

If I were to buy a card with a CI I should buy the twinhan as it is cheaper compared to the tecnisat scince they are the same, but they have no onboard decode.


If I buy the Tecnotrend premium I'll get the onboard decode and I can use the soft cam/keys and later get the 3.5 bay CI if I need it, this has surely got to be the best option hasn't it?

regards Gromit

[Lancelot]

I'ts your pocket
All the cards mentioned so far can use softcams.
I like to have spare processor power, so the SS1 suits me, as I can be recording to H/D and doing other stuff without worrying about locking up the picture.
However you have to think carefully about what you really want, as £125 and £50 are a bit different.

Rgds


L.

[gromit4x4]

lancelot,

you're a star thanks for your help, Im sure its quality and stability that I'm after so sounds like the SS1 for me especially as my processor isn't the best

Gromit.

BTW your SS1 is it Technotrend,Technotrend or Hauppage? they all look a little different to me.

[Lancelot]

You're welcome

(Mine's an old Hauppauge WinTV DVB/S)


L.

[spliffbizzie]

hi lancelot hi gromit
gromit has already asked most of the questions i had, but i still have a couple im thinking of ordering the Technotrend S2300 Premium "modded" HI-Q, but before i do, i will be able to add a ci interface later on if i want ? i think i can going by the website but i would just like to be sure.

and lancelot can you suggest a good make of motor, type, size etc, and do i need anything else i have 80 cm dish, lnb, and cable ?

thanks spliffbizzie

[Lancelot]

If it has the large IDC connector at the back of the board then yes you can add on a CI unit later.
Any diseqc motor will turn an 80cm successfully. The SG2100 is quite popular with a lot of members here, and not too expensive either.

No just patience putting it all together properly, and the correct software (freely available in lots of places)

Rgds


L.

[spliffbizzie]

damn that was fast lancelot lol, cheers for the advice, think i will order today. will let you know how i get on.

thx spliffbizzie

[gromit4x4]

Hello all,

Well I took the plunge and in the end I went for the Twinhan sat ci, I was all Set for the SS1 but as fate would have it I found the Twinhan real cheap (£69) at a local store which meant A, that I could get it right away and B, that I can also invest in a Moteck sg2100 and nice new 88cm dish and mount bracket(£139) with my available budget

There was one other thing that swayed me towards the Twinhan, it is now compatible with the Dragon cam.

I have it all set up without the sg2100 at the moment and i'm using progDVB to get FTA on 28.2 E, all is going well so as soon as I feel confident I will set up the motor and then I'll be sorted.

One other thing that might interest a few people is that I am using a Nebula pci DVB T card in the same pc and it has the same fusion chipset as the Twinhan, there are no conflicts with the drivers or software in XP Pro.

Last but not least many thanks to Lancelot and the forum for the help, I'm very happy with what I have and I dont think that I would got far without satellites.co.uk

p.s. Lancelot, can I send you P.M regarding a couple of questions about progDVB?

[Lancelot]

Stick them on this thread, then if we can sort them out, others interested may not have to ask the same thing.


Rgds



L.

[gromit4x4]

OK,

I put s2em* in progdvb root folder, and softmac.key file aswell.

Is vplug another emu or do I need that too?

where is best to point dish with these plugins?

Many thanks

Gromit.

[Lancelot]

Yes - thats fine vplug is just another emu.
13E or 30w are full of 'stuff' at the moment.

L.

[gromit4x4]

Got it,
I just downloaded your channels folder, wow - what can I say...

THANKS

(again)

[hank007]

Hello gromit do you know if I have to take out my original cam and subscription card to run a softcam or can i run the sofcam and keyfile wih the cam and card in the dvb-s card withou hurting the original subscripion card?

[gromit4x4]

Sorry hank, I dont know about that, I have not used the cam and card yet,
I am using softcam only at present.

[hank007]

a ok i see thx anyway for good respons. Lancelot do you know anything about that question i asked in my last post in this threed? vbmenu_register("postmenu_308235", true);

[Lancelot]

The later ProgDvb's have the menu option to disable / enable 'real' cams, and use softcams only.


L.

[hank007]

so i only have to disable it in progdvb great

Do i have to disable it everytime i am going to use the softcam and key file?

[Sir Bronking]

whatever settings you shut down with, usually means there the ones you open with

[hank007]

hmm i dont think iam follow you

[Sir Bronking]

if your softcam is disabled when you shut down progdvb, it will be disabled when you open progdvb.
if you are watching, say multivision 1 on hotbird when you shut down progdvb it will be set to that when you open it,