Buying advice

A

alphred

Member
My Satellite Setup
DVBviewer Recording Service
Windows 7 x64
Dual DVB-S PCI card
My Location
UK
Hi,

I've been using DVBviewer for a few years but getting fed up with lack of HD channels, so seriously considering the Dreambox + white Sky card route. I don't see the point of just using the DB as a CAM for DVBviewer, so planning to use it to record and stream my content. I don't intend to have a display connected to it (except for setup), so don't care about its decoding capabilities. The things I need are:

  • Sky white card support for FSfS channels only
  • At least 2 (preferably more) tuners
  • Ability to record and stream HD (don't care if it can't decode them)
  • Ability to schedule recordings remotely
  • At least a couple of hundred gigs of storage (or ability to upgrade later)
My main question is what hardware should I go for? I imagine the cheaper models can record/stream HD even though they can't decode it. Would a DM500S do? Once I have the correct hardware I'm sure I can work out how to make it do what I want.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
 
After a bit more research I'm starting to appreciate why people might prefer to use a Dreambox as a remote CAM and do their decoding and recording on their PC... the price. I'm surprised only the most expensive DBs have multiple tuners. Why would anyone want a machine want a device like this with only one?! Nearly £1000 for a DM8000 and two additional tuners is staggering.

So maybe I should change my question. Is the following system realistic?


  • Dreambox 500s
    • Connected to network
    • Connected to one LNB to keep card up-to-date (is this required?)
    • With Sky white card in its CAM slot
  • Windows 7 PC
    • 1 or 2 dual DVB-S2 PCI cards
    • DVBviewer recording service
    • Configured to use FlyCCCam/Hadu to share card in Dreambox
    • Viewing and recording FSFS DVB-S2 HD channels
    • Recordings scheduled through recording service
    • Live viewing through DVBviewer
It looks like this would cost a maximum of £250 rather than £1000 for a DM8000 since I already own DVBviewer and the PC. Am I on the right track here?
 
It would have to be a Dreambox with a DVB-S2 tuner anyway to resolve the HD channels. Unless you mean only the DVB-S channels with HD video.
 
Llew said:
It would have to be a Dreambox with a DVB-S2 tuner anyway to resolve the HD channels.
Click to expand...

I had assumed that the CAM could be used from the PC which was decoding S2 channels regardless of the tuning capabilities of the Dreambox and that the card could be kept up-to-date over old-school DVB-S. Am I missing something here?

Mickha said:
There are no more original Dreambox 500s models, only clones, but I think there is a Dreambox 500HD version
Click to expand...

It's interesting to know that all the 500s units that are for sale are clones. Does this really make a difference to me in this situation (only using it for card sharing)? The 500HD appears to be nearly 10x the price, this is an awful lot if I'm not sure it's neccesary.
 
If you want to watch HD channels you need HD set top box period
 
alphred said:
I had assumed that the CAM could be used from the PC which was decoding S2 channels regardless of the tuning capabilities of the Dreambox and that the card could be kept up-to-date over old-school DVB-S. Am I missing something here?
Click to expand...

Ok, understood. How about using NDScam as a software emulator for DVBViewer, together with a cardreader (USB or Season interface)? Not sure about EMM updates using that, but you can always pop the card back into you Sky box occasionally.
 
Topper said:
If you want to watch HD channels you need HD set top box period
Click to expand...
What is the rational for this? I only want to use the Dreambox as a card server. Is that not like saying you need an HD CAM to watch HD channels?

Llew said:
Ok, understood. How about using NDScam as a software emulator for DVBViewer, together with a cardreader (USB or Season interface)? Not sure about EMM updates using that, but you can always pop the card back into you Sky box occasionally.
Click to expand...
As I understood it, NDScam has not worked in the UK since Sky did their last card replacement. If it was possible I'd much prefer just to plug a card reader into the PC, so if you know something if you know different I'd be very interested. Having to keep a Sky-box on hand for EMM duty doesn't sound that attractive though. Might as well have a Dreambox to keep hold of the card permenantly and dispense with the card reader. If that actually works that is...
 
alphred said:
What is the rational for this? I only want to use the Dreambox as a card server. Is that not like saying you need an HD CAM to watch HD channels?
Click to expand...

Well now your intention is crystal clear perhaps Llew's suggestion is the way forward, but it may be short lived since Sky have made their intention clear to disrupt card sharing in any guise on a home network or over the net, but that is your call
 
alphred said:
As I understood it, NDScam has not worked in the UK since Sky did their last card replacement. If it was possible I'd much prefer just to plug a card reader into the PC, so if you know something if you know different I'd be very interested. Having to keep a Sky-box on hand for EMM duty doesn't sound that attractive though. Might as well have a Dreambox to keep hold of the card permenantly and dispense with the card reader. If that actually works that is...
Click to expand...

I use NDScam with DVBViewer and the latest manifestation of the Sky card, and it works fine (when I can be bothered, as I'm not an inveterate TV watcher on the PC). This is just for my basic Sky package, no premium channels.
 
Llew said:
I use NDScam with DVBViewer and the latest manifestation of the Sky card, and it works fine (when I can be bothered, as I'm not an inveterate TV watcher on the PC). This is just for my basic Sky package, no premium channels.
Click to expand...

Well that's really useful information that I've not come accross in hours of Googling. Could you tell me what card reader, tuner card and NDScam version you're using?

I haven't had a TV or STB for about five years, just a PC, 22" LCD and an HD projector. Looking like I'll have to find space for a £5 Sky box. Maybe under the sofa.
 
OK, here's my line-up -

Hauppauge WinTV Nova HD2 pci card

Duolabs CAS3+ (smart card reader facility and Phoenix programmer part of the CAS Interface Studio)

NDScam 0.0.0.7

PC - Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 3.0 GHz RAM, NVidea GEForce 9600GT video card

I haven't had the Sky card working with NDScam long enough to see if it can udate the EMM's. I'll give it a workout sometime when I can grab hold of the card from its rightful place in the Sky box :-rofl2
 
alphred said:
After a bit more research I'm starting to appreciate why people might prefer to use a Dreambox as a remote CAM and do their decoding and recording on their PC... the price. I'm surprised only the most expensive DBs have multiple tuners. Why would anyone want a machine want a device like this with only one?! Nearly £1000 for a DM8000 and two additional tuners is staggering.

So maybe I should change my question. Is the following system realistic?


  • Dreambox 500s
    • Connected to network
    • Connected to one LNB to keep card up-to-date (is this required?)
    • With Sky white card in its CAM slot
  • Windows 7 PC
    • 1 or 2 dual DVB-S2 PCI cards
    • DVBviewer recording service
    • Configured to use FlyCCCam/Hadu to share card in Dreambox
    • Viewing and recording FSFS DVB-S2 HD channels
    • Recordings scheduled through recording service
    • Live viewing through DVBviewer
It looks like this would cost a maximum of £250 rather than £1000 for a DM8000 since I already own DVBviewer and the PC. Am I on the right track here?
Click to expand...

Similar to my setup. It works :) There's also a program that lets DVBViewer download the Sky EPG
 
fergyc said:
Similar to my setup. It works :)
Click to expand...

That's good to hear although it does mean I'm going to have to choose. The costs are very similar so I guess it comes down to which is the most future-proof - NDS cam or Dreambox Clone + CCCam. Anyone got a feeling for which is in the most active development?
 
The most active CAM development is in actual fact OSCAM for the dreamboxes - there might even be a PC version. It is an open source CAM unlike the other cams that are around (e.g. CCcam).
 
I use DVBviewer with my Skystar2 HD on a Windows 7 PC and I have no problems at all watching HD tv. There are many DVB applications and most support HD. Furthermore, DVBviewer (PRO version €15) also supports 3D. It's your tuner that will make the difference, not the application.
I also have a CAS3 interface which I can use as a card reader (Phoenix mode). No problems with that either...

alphred said:
Hi,

I've been using DVBviewer for a few years but getting fed up with lack of HD channels, so seriously considering the Dreambox + white Sky card route. I don't see the point of just using the DB as a CAM for DVBviewer, so planning to use it to record and stream my content. I don't intend to have a display connected to it (except for setup), so don't care about its decoding capabilities. The things I need are:

  • Sky white card support for FSfS channels only
  • At least 2 (preferably more) tuners
  • Ability to record and stream HD (don't care if it can't decode them)
  • Ability to schedule recordings remotely
  • At least a couple of hundred gigs of storage (or ability to upgrade later)
My main question is what hardware should I go for? I imagine the cheaper models can record/stream HD even though they can't decode it. Would a DM500S do? Once I have the correct hardware I'm sure I can work out how to make it do what I want.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
Click to expand...
 
WildBit said:
I also have a CAS3 interface which I can use as a card reader (Phoenix mode). No problems with that either...
Click to expand...
Llew wasn't sure whether this setup supported EMMs without the need for a Sky STB. Have you got any experience of this? It's sounding like this might be the deciding factor.
 
fergyc said:
Similar to my setup. It works :) There's also a program that lets DVBViewer download the Sky EPG
Click to expand...
Did you manage to get Hadu to work with the recording service? That's that last piece of the jigsaw or me. I've got it in the Plugins1 folder but the service doesn't seem to bother trying to use it.
 
What's the recording service? I just use the EPG and click "Send to PVR" records encrypted channels fine.
 
fergyc said:
What's the recording service? I just use the EPG and click "Send to PVR" records encrypted channels fine.
Click to expand...

Ah, sounds like your using quite a different set-up after all. I'm doing the recording on the PC and just using the card-handling functions of the Dreambox. The recording service allows that to happen in the background.
 
Back
Top