which is best dvb-s2 card ?

[wod]

i have a skystar 2 card in my pc which i use to watch 4:2:2 feeds on but want to upgrade to a hd compatible card

can anyone recommend a good card ?

i have looked at the technotrend s2 3200 and the nova hd s2 but not sure which card overall is best as i was going to get the skystar hd but read a few comments in this section and not sure about that one.

i have also come across the prof dvb s2 7300 card, has anyone got this one ?

spec is on _http://www.prof-tuners.com/eng/prof7300.html

thanks

wod

 

[starman345]

Any of the cards will do HD, I have the Dvbworld cards (in my signature) and they work nicely. I have a TBS 8920 on order, I've heard good things about them but we will see once I get it. What software are you planning to use with the card. Not all cards have drivers that allow all the features with all the different dvb applications.

 

[wod]

What software are you planning to use with the card. Not all cards have drivers that allow all the features with all the different dvb applications.

i will be using either altdvb, dvbviewer or dvbdream and also smartdvb looks a nice little bit of software.

i'm mainly wanting it for the dvb-s2 4:2:2 feeds i've heard about as the tennis one on 10east is in this format i've been told.

 

[starman345]

I can only tell you my experience with my cards, hopefully someone else will add their experience with other cards.
The Dvbworld 2004PCI dvb-s2 card works with full functionality with Dvbviewer, diSEqC1.2, and switch control. It also works with Dvbdream in that it will tune and play channels but I can't move my dish or switch my DiSEqc Spaun 411F switch. The Dvbworld 2104 USB dvb-s2 card will tune and play channels with Dvbviewer and can move the dish and switch the switch as well. It is fully functional with Dvbdream, will move the dish and switch the switch. Both of these cards have full functionallity with the latest MyTheatre 4.0 beta.
I haven't had much luck with either of these cards and Altdvb and I've never tried SmartDvb so can't comment on that.
Not sure if you are aware but not all codecs will display 4:2:2 signals. You will need Elecard, Dscaler, or FFdshow, there are probably a few others but those will work for sure.
I've had quite a few cards over the years and I find the Dvbworld cards compare very well and have very nice sensitive tuners in them, I think both the above mentioned cards have the same tuner. The drawback is that they are very hard to find, you can buy them direct from Dvbworld in China.

 

[Ratchet]

i will be using either altdvb, dvbviewer or dvbdream and also smartdvb looks a nice little bit of software.

i'm mainly wanting it for the dvb-s2 4:2:2 feeds i've heard about as the tennis one on 10east is in this format i've been told.

Wod, just tuned into the Monte Carlo feed on 10.0E with my Nova HD S2. I can confirm that this card handles the 4:2:2 feed OK as long as you use a compatible codec (MainConcept for me). One thing to note though is that although the feed is in DVB-S2 / 4:2:2 it is not HD. The resolution looks to be 576i but has a very good bit rate of 11.7Mb/s. I have included a couple of screen caps.

 

[HB13DISH]

I personally prefer DVB-S2 cards which have the possibility of adding a CAM accessory, so that an official subscription card will also work on the PC.
SkyStar HD2 is one such option, but surprisingly enough Hauppauge doesn't have such option.

 

[wod]

Wod, just tuned into the Monte Carlo feed on 10.0E with my Nova HD S2. I can confirm that this card handles the 4:2:2 feed OK as long as you use a compatible codec (MainConcept for me). One thing to note though is that although the feed is in DVB-S2 / 4:2:2 it is not HD. The resolution looks to be 576i but has a very good bit rate of 11.7Mb/s. I have included a couple of screen caps.

excellent where did you buy the card and also is that mainconcept codec included in the software ?

 

[Ratchet]

excellent where did you buy the card and also is that mainconcept codec included in the software ?

I got mine from Amazon for £69.99 with free delivery (2 days). The software package that comes with it is Cyberlink Power Cinema which uses Cyberlink codecs. To be honest it's not very good and the codec doesn't handle 4:2:2. Personally I use DVB Viewer and Transedit for tweaking transponder ini files. I think I got the Main Concept stuff from a 'HD Codec' pack I found on one of the many DVB support sites out there.

 

[benko5009]

Hi Wod,


I've just ordered a Prof Red Series DVB-S2 7300, when it arrives, I'll let you know about my experience.

At the moment I'm usig a SkyStar HD2 card and also a Hauppauge HVR-4000 card. Both of them works well for DVB-S2 4:2:2 feeds, and also for DVB-S2 HD channels. For 4:2:2 I'm using DVBViewer with bitcontrol codec.

Regards,


Balazs

 

[wod]

benko5009, thanks for your reply. the spec on the prof card looks good as it uses a Conexant broadcast decoder chip on it, dont know if these are better than whats on the other hd satellite cards

are the dvb-s2 feeds really in 4:2:2 as i've only heard this mentioned on satelliweb feed site

 

[benko5009]

Yes, in most of the cases they are in 4:2:2.

For example, today ATP Masters from Monte-Carlo was dvb-s2 4:2:2.


Regards,


Balazs

 

[Llew]

I had that down as MPEG2 4:2:2, as I watched it on my Skystar2 (DVB-S only).

Llew

 

[eranshl]

Dear starman,
just saw you ordered TBS 8920. I am right before ordering one for myself and wandering are you happy with it ?
did you encountered problems with the popular DVB software ? (progdvb, dvbdream, dvbviewer, plug-ins ?)
will be happy to hear your recommendation

 

[maxtor]

Dear Starman,

since you own The Dvbworld 2104 USB dvb-s2 card ,, did you try it with capturing internet traffic using Skynet or Skygraber ,,, I want to buy one ,, but I need it to do just that task ,, random capturing of internet contents by other users on Europe-online and openSky at Eutelsat w3.....

I appreciate your comments.......

 

[BombedOne]

SkyStar HD2 is not rocket fast performer when things come to low symbol rates.

 

[Llew]

Much better for low SR's is the WinTV Nova HD. ZIF tuner chips are not known for great performance with low SR's, but at least the Conexant chip in the Nova is fully screened, unlike the Skystar's.

I notice the new Skystar S2 PCI has a 'tin box' type tuner, does anybody know which tuner chip is used in this one?

Llew

 

[BombedOne]

Was not SkyStar S2 released BEFORE the SkyStar HD2 ?

 

[Llew]

They did a DVB-S2 card a couple of years ago before the HD2, called the Skystar HD, somewhat larger in profile. This one comes after the HD2.

Llew