jafattz said:
HI again ,anyone got any info on a Kworld card with conexant chipBT878 on board.Itcomes with remote too.
sounds like a Budget card,Kworld...is that related to Kmart ?
here is some info on cards.
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PREMIUM CARDS
The following 3 models are equipped with an MPEG2 decoder chip. In layman s terms, this means the cards use an onboard chip to translate the satellite signal into a viewable/understable format. In addition to this feature, these cards also have audio and video outputs.
Hauppauge Nexus-S:
The Nexus-S model is a DVB card that receives satellite TV, and is also the top model of the premium category.
This card is based on the SkyStar1 model from TechnoTrend, but there are differences to make it a better offer: the remote control is a standard accessory, the output connections on the cards are red/white/yellow, just as with your TV or VCR, and it also offers you a Dolby digital RCA OUT jack. The Nexus-S also uses the same drivers as the TT models(1.5 and 1.6), but more efficiently.
Hauppauge DEC3000-S
This is the new entry into the DVB receivers for PC. We say PC, but this is not quite accurate: this is a USB version of the Nexus-S, that works with or without a PC. Additionally, it has an embedded Conditional Access Module (CAM) slot, meaning that it will accept the most popular CAMs available on the market. Note that in North America, only specialty providers such as Globecast or other ethnic programming providers use this method (but in Europe, this is the standard way for receiving satellite TV from various suppliers).
A CAM lets you adapt almost any receiver to the provider s smartcard you received. Use a Nagravision smartcard with a Nagravision CAM, and your FTA receiver will display your subscribed channels. If you have a smartcard using another type of encryption, such as IrDeto, then you need to use an IrDeto CAM, and so on.
You can use the Hauppauge DEC3000-S as a standalone receiver, the same way you would use a Free-to-Air(FTA) receiver. You can also connect it to a PC to record shows with software. Note that at this time, the main freeware applications that are most used with DVB cards do not yet support the DEC3000-S.
TechnoTrend SkyStar1
The Technotrend TT 1.5 and 1.6 models are older versions of the Nexus-S, though TT is attempting to upgrade these.
The card is basically the same, though the only RCA output is the video. for audio, you get only a micro-plug, similar to the ones for PC speakers, and you don t get the Dolby Digital output either. The remote is not included, and it is not as performing as the Nexus-S, though it still does the job it s meant to do.
BUDGET CARDS
Hauppauge Nova-S
This card is become increasingly popular following the support from a few application, the most important one being TSReader, enabling HDTV reception among its features.
In Europe, the Nova-S is also known as the "Budget card". Here in North America, the true Nova-S includes a remote, and marketed by Hauppauge.
Twinhan VisionPlus 1020/1030
This card gained quick acceptance throughout North America because of its low price and availabilty. This does not mean that this card is the top performer in the budget category.
In Europe, the 1020/1030 are not well like due to its unreliability to give fast satellite Internet transmission. Also, this card does not have an MPEG2 decoder chip, meaning your PC requires double the CPU power to operate properly. In 2003, this card was not well supported, but this year, the card became supported by most software applications, though it s still not as good as it could or should be.
Technisat SKystar 2.6C
This is the best model in its category. The SS2 has sold more than any other, and has the most support from developpers and applications. Why? First of all, this was the first card to be adopted by developpers. Secondly, this card saw a major price drop which made it quite affordable. Thirdly, Technisat made their Software Development Kit (SDK) available, thereby speeding up the support to this card. Then fourthly, Technisat has been upgrading their initial design regularly on many fronts.
If you are in the market for a budget card, this is the one to get. It may not have the MPEG decoder chip, but it it the most supported, and most discussed in chat forums. It is also known to be the one that heats the least, something found in most budget cards. Note that the model does not usually come with a remote control.