Moving to DVB-t Wellington

diecastblue · 2008-04-18, 02:16

I currently am using a PVR500 dual analogue tuner with mediaportal. Freeview just released DVB-T here so a couple of questions on making the move:
1) I need at least two channels at the same time, watching one, recording another/both etc to keep both me and my girlfriend happy, I have heard that with digital I can get multiple channels from the one tuner? Does this applie to DVB-T as well, and I assume I will need TV3 engine.
2) If not, what is a good PCI dual tuner DVB-t card (what is a good single tuner DVB-T card if I can get multiple channels?

3) My reception is not the best at the moment, I assume that a channel I get now over analogue that is very snowy, etc, when viewed over DVB-T will be unwatchable?

Thanks

mruane · 2008-04-18, 05:06

Hi Diecastblue

From my location in Wellington, I cannot see KauKau at all and the analog signals from Fitzherbert and Thorndon are pretty poor also. However with DVB-T I get the Fitzherbert signals just great. So, as long as you can get a signal the quality will be significantly better. You will either get a signal or not - no significant middle ground. I also use a small Kingray signal amp which helps for the one analog signal I need i.e. Prime.

I use an HVR4000 card and it will enable you to record all of the channels on a single transmitter using TVEnginev3. The built Media Portal built in tuner will not do that. So use the separate TVEngine for sure.

To get all of the DVB-T channels at the same time, you will need three HVR4000 or equivalents. For DVB-S though two are sufficient because only two DVB-S transponders are used. Two DVB-T tuners should cover most of your needs though - but not all. I have not seen any dual tuner DVB-T cards available at the local suppliers here yet. I like the HVR4000 because it has separate DVB-S and DVB-T tuners on board. So two of them covers all that I need - plus a PVR150 for the single remaining analog station (i.e as I said Prime). The HVR4000 does have an analog tuner but its useless for Media Portal because the card does not have an MPEG encoder - hence the need for the PVR150.

Cheers Mike

Kiwi · 2008-04-18, 09:50

Hi Diecastblue

I have snowy analogue reception off Kaukau (watchable though) and have movd to DVB-T with no problems, using a Hauppauge 2200 card which has dual DVB-T tuners. Be aware that its a PCI-e card. With TVE3, two tuners covers an awfull lot of possibilities. If your stuck with PCI, the Nova-T 500 has dual DVB-T although there are reports of issues with sleep / resume with this card - search the forums.

The 2200 also has analogue tuners , though I have not configured them as I kept one Hauppauge 150 to cover Prime (why dont they move onto Freeview!!!!)

The improvment in quality moving from analogue to digital HD is amazing - even if its not HD source material!

Cheers

2008-04-18, 02:16	#1 (permalink)
diecastblue Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Moving to DVB-t Wellington I currently am using a PVR500 dual analogue tuner with mediaportal. Freeview just released DVB-T here so a couple of questions on making the move: 1) I need at least two channels at the same time, watching one, recording another/both etc to keep both me and my girlfriend happy, I have heard that with digital I can get multiple channels from the one tuner? Does this applie to DVB-T as well, and I assume I will need TV3 engine. 2) If not, what is a good PCI dual tuner DVB-t card (what is a good single tuner DVB-T card if I can get multiple channels? 3) My reception is not the best at the moment, I assume that a channel I get now over analogue that is very snowy, etc, when viewed over DVB-T will be unwatchable? Thanks

2008-04-18, 05:06	#2 (permalink)
mruane Portal Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wellington Posts: 166 Thanks: 2 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Country:	Hi Diecastblue From my location in Wellington, I cannot see KauKau at all and the analog signals from Fitzherbert and Thorndon are pretty poor also. However with DVB-T I get the Fitzherbert signals just great. So, as long as you can get a signal the quality will be significantly better. You will either get a signal or not - no significant middle ground. I also use a small Kingray signal amp which helps for the one analog signal I need i.e. Prime. I use an HVR4000 card and it will enable you to record all of the channels on a single transmitter using TVEnginev3. The built Media Portal built in tuner will not do that. So use the separate TVEngine for sure. To get all of the DVB-T channels at the same time, you will need three HVR4000 or equivalents. For DVB-S though two are sufficient because only two DVB-S transponders are used. Two DVB-T tuners should cover most of your needs though - but not all. I have not seen any dual tuner DVB-T cards available at the local suppliers here yet. I like the HVR4000 because it has separate DVB-S and DVB-T tuners on board. So two of them covers all that I need - plus a PVR150 for the single remaining analog station (i.e as I said Prime). The HVR4000 does have an analog tuner but its useless for Media Portal because the card does not have an MPEG encoder - hence the need for the PVR150. Cheers Mike Last edited by mruane; 2008-04-18 at 07:22.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Moving from Vista!	bluebomb	Newcomers Forum	3	2008-03-16 06:01
Now that VS2008 is out... Are we moving to?	iosub	Development	5	2007-11-21 00:07
Given up and moving to linux	thargs	General Support	19	2007-03-08 14:52
Need some help... moving controls	zombiepig	General Development (no feature request here!)	0	2005-04-04 02:38
Moving background...	Anonymous	Improvement Suggestions	1	2004-08-08 11:36

2008-04-18, 09:50	#3 (permalink)
Kiwi Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pukerua Bay Posts: 29 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Hi Diecastblue I have snowy analogue reception off Kaukau (watchable though) and have movd to DVB-T with no problems, using a Hauppauge 2200 card which has dual DVB-T tuners. Be aware that its a PCI-e card. With TVE3, two tuners covers an awfull lot of possibilities. If your stuck with PCI, the Nova-T 500 has dual DVB-T although there are reports of issues with sleep / resume with this card - search the forums. The 2200 also has analogue tuners , though I have not configured them as I kept one Hauppauge 150 to cover Prime (why dont they move onto Freeview!!!!) The improvment in quality moving from analogue to digital HD is amazing - even if its not HD source material! Cheers