Newbie looking for lots of info :D

[Scotty306]

I've only just discovered that DVB-S cards exist and so I'm full of questions !!

From what I can tell the SkyStar2 is a good, cheap, propular card with a lot of support / software?

If i take a feed from my quad LNB to a DVB-S card in a PC what will i be able so recieve?
(I'm assuming just the same channels as on freesat)

What is involved in decoding the encripted channels?
(i'm assuming that's what you're refering to with Keys & Hex files?)

Windows Media Centre looks like a good way to manage Media & PVR functions, can I install a DVB-S into a PC runing Media Centre?



I haven't yet found any other good sites with info on satellite PC cards, so some links would be great.

Thanks,
Scott.

 

[Analoguesat]

You can watch the free to air (unencoded) channels. You CANNOT decrypt the pay tv channels with anything apart from a Sky Digibox. This includes the ITV1 / 2 / C4 / C5 stuff as they are currently encoded using Videoguard

 

[BGonaSTICK]

Thats correct for a dish pointing at 28.2E.

Now, if you were to have a second dish....

 

[Scotty306]

Now, if you were to have a second dish....

i was considering a 2nd LNB pointing at 19.2, what would that get me?

 

[Lancelot]

Currently quite a lot -

but the longer you leave it the more chance of encryptions being changed by the provider and then a (possibly) longish wait until someone comes up with a fix again. Having said that there is nearly always something that you can open if you look hard enough, you may have to move that second dish about a bit though.


L.

 

[farr]

If I could only have 1 dish, I'd personally plump for one pointing at 13E rather than 19.2E - seems to be a lot more there both FTA and uhm available if you see what I mean. Or, even better, get a Monobloc or two LNBs and a holder and leave yourself open to channels from both positions

 

[Topper]

If I could only have 1 dish, I'd personally plump for one pointing at 13E rather than 19.2E - seems to be a lot more there both FTA and uhm available if you see what I mean. Or, even better, get a Monobloc or two LNBs and a holder and leave yourself open to channels from both positions

I would agree with you there farr but of course it depends entirely on what alternative languages if any you can accept and understand. For me 13E is Ok as I understand a fair amount of French and Hebrew and a bit of German and a smattering of Arabic phrases. As always it is horses for courses and cost has to come into the equation as well when considering teh uhm part of the equation

 

[Old Geezer]

Hi Scotty306,
Seems like You've had a few replies about which to stick Your dish (careful now !!) , so thought I'd answer the question about the W*ndows Media Centre.
I installed it at one time on my PC to get a HTPC (Home Theatre PC) set up working , but found that it was primarily aimed at the DVB-T cards , which receive terrestrial signals as opposed to DVB-S cards (which we all know and love on this forum).
You can use the W*ndows website and check for compatability of various cards , but if I remember correctly they were all DVB-T.
There are other companies developing software for HTPC , but no-one that I know has managed to integrate a DVB-S card and get it fully working , although I would stand to be corrected (and educated as well).
Try a search on the net for HTPC , and see what choices You get,
Enjoy yourself,
Cheers All,
Old Geezer.