Hauppauge or Other DVB card

leu96drm

Hello,

Having no technical knowledge of satellite systems, I am hoping someone can offer me some help on the following.

(A) Are pc cards the same as having a decoder box - in terms of quality, programming choice, reception etc.? I have no decoder box, but live in a block of flats having a single satellite dish (60 or 80 cm) pointed at 19.2 degrees astra (from the book!), hence, do I simply plug the pc card directly into the socket?

(B) What is a CI, and how do I go about receiving all the free channels, as well as access to other channels that are encrypted - e.g. adult, premiership football (saturdays), sky channels, etc?

(C) In general, which pc cards have received the better reviews?


Thanking all of you in advance for your help.

Loopy

rolfw

Hi Loopy,

First thing to check is whether the dish pointing at 19.2 is equiped with a universal LNB (See if other people in the flats are receiving digital satellite).

If it is then there is a huge range of free to air programming in several european languages (mostly not English).

The DVB cards have generally good performance, but I would favour a dedicated stand alone receiver if you are not going to use it for anything other than TV viewing.

Both the Hauppauge and PentaVision are excellent cards, avoid the ones without a hardware decoder, as they are processor hungry.

Both of these cards can be equipped with a CI module to accept a CAM, this is the unit which you plug your viewing card into.

You will find that prices vary considerably and in general they are more expensive than their stand alone counterparts.

Rolf

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leu96drm

Rolf,

Thank you very much for your reply. I agree that a stand alone receiver would probably be the best option. For now, I will continue to plough through vast amounts of information for find the best package.

Thanks Again,

Loopy.

verywiseguy

Any online sites where I can buy Hauppauge or PentaVision PCI card with a CI module...? Would appreciate your help.

Thanks
VWG

rolfw

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Aug-01 AT 08:01 AM (GMT)[/font][p]Try this one for the PentaVision http://www.digi-cams.co.uk/index.htm , there is also another company that sell the Vision http://www.emmettgroup.net/ , but I'm not sure whether they supply th CI module as well. Be aware also that a lot of newer mother boards to not have ISA slots and this module requires one for standard fitting (although PentMedia say it does not need to go in the slot) beggars the question why they didn't make it suitable for front bay mounting anyway.

Also this one for Hauppauge and very good value PC gear http://www.pcupgrader.com/framesonlinestore.html

Rolf

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s*t*a*r*m*a*n

If you are only interested in receiving tv and not satellite internet
then i would suggest you buy a dedicated satellite receiver. If you have a pc then yes you could fit a satellite card but i only took this option because i wanted to use the satellite broadband services.
The picture quality on my pentamedia-ci cam is i believe excellent but the cards software drivers are still rather unstable. They cause crashes in the system and THATS with a card that has onboard processor abilities so its not cpu intensive on your pc.
How did you manage to get the satellite dish pointing to 19 east?
How was this decided? My friend lives in a flat and he would love to get his communal dish working but i think it needs an LMB. Not sure who is responsible for the upkeep on this type of system.

rolfw

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-08-01 AT 08:47 PM (GMT)]Hello S*T*A*R*M*A*N,

Problem with communal systems is that the LNB is not the only piece of equipment that may need changing. If it is an old 19.2 analogue multipoint system, it will only have a dual LNB, that is one vertical and one horizontal output both of which will be either 10 or 9.75 Ghz. To convert to a universal requires changing the multiswitch (or Multiswitches)also and is not a job that can be carried out without a certain amount of knowledge.

Responsibility for maintenance of such systems is normally with the council, management company or tennants association, whichever is appropriate.

Rolf

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s*t*a*r*m*a*n

When i asked my friend if he still had a connection point in his house for the satellite he said it was just a hole in the wall with nothing connected. Funny thing is the roof of his flat is the highest point in my area and has satellites for all the emergency services on it from the ambulance service to the police. He says the roof is chock a block with dishes so one more wouldnt matter. If he swaped flats with his friend at the top he says he would connect the dish up and take the wire into his window. Cant see him moving just now though.

Channel Hopper

Just read this and I hope im not too late

If the roof system is full of antennas and dishes then DO NOT GO OUT THERE until checking with the maintenance company of the block

Its quite possible that some of these are either relay services for the telecoms industry (in which case you will receive some nasty radiation exposure - can lead to burns and in the worst case heart failure - ) or point to point links (as above but with the additional cost of breaking service if you get in the way of one of the links)

If you are on a hill then the chances are your maintenance/landlord is taking a backhander to enable these services to run, and he will not be happy with a dead/dying (non paying) tenant and break of service

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s*t*a*r*m*a*n

Hi no your not too late
Its not actually possible to get upto the roof as it is padlocked.
Probably not a bad idea considering what you said channelhopper and if the electricity didnt get you the wind probably would anyway as it is quite strong there.