DVB-S2 card for MediaPortal with proper Diseqc 1.2 support (2 Viewers)

gurabli

Portal Pro
July 20, 2010
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Hi!
I'm currently running my HTPC with a DVB-C card (Cinergy C PCI HD) and it is working very nice, I do not have any problems.
Now I'm thinking to get and DVB-S2 card and mount a sat dish. For this reason, I would need a reasonable priced card that is capable of handling Diseqc 1.2 motor for rotating the dish and has no problems in MP.
Some have suggested the SkyStar 2 eXpress HD PCIe card as a good choice, but I did see that there might be some problems with this card. The price of this card is fine, it is low profile, and has extra power source which is important for the motor.
Anybody who is using this card successfully in MP with a similar setup?

BTW, should I use an external program in MP for viewing DVB-S2 or the default is fine (that I assume is WindwosMediaPlayer).

Thanks!
 

gurabli

Portal Pro
July 20, 2010
242
5
Home Country
Hungary Hungary
Thanks for the quick reply. I see the card listed, but some people have reported problems with this card (although there are no cards that have no problems), therefore I would like to be sure that SkyStar 2 eXpress PCIe is capable of this.
Anyway, this is good news, I will certainly give it a try.
 

mm1352000

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  • September 1, 2008
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    I see the card listed...
    The card is *not* listed. Only some other TechniSat cards are listed...
    That does not mean that it won't work, but it might not.
    I posted the link so that you can see other options.
     

    gurabli

    Portal Pro
    July 20, 2010
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    Yes, you are right, I confused it with HD2 which is not the same cards. Anyway, I'm sure that somebody has tried this card already, maybe I can get some answer...
     

    gurabli

    Portal Pro
    July 20, 2010
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    Take a look at the TBS 6981.

    Low profile with 2x DVB-S2 tuners and external power supply too.

    Thank you for the recommendation! It looks nice at quite decent price. I'm a noob when it comes to sat, therefore I have some questions and I hope you guys would be able to help me:

    1) will these cards be able to drive my Diseqc 1.2 capable motor within Media Portal? How does this actually work? Where do I need to setup the motor and dish if I intend to use MP for watching?
    2) it has two tuners, does this mean I will need to have a double LNB at the dish and two wires coming down from the LNB all the way to my HTPC? If I have only one LNB and wire, will it work with dual tuner?

    Many thanks, your help is really appreciated!
     

    DJBlu

    Portal Pro
    August 14, 2007
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    1) Yes, you have to manually move and store the posistions but it works, you only have to do this once in the setup. Me and another developer are working on modifications to the diseqc within TV Server and USALS will be added at some point.

    2) Yes the card has two inputs. You can use only one if you wish. I recommended it as it is similar in price to single tuners and gives you the option later on to add another LNB/dish. I use one input for my motor and one for a static dish(28.2e). You could put a dual lnb on the dish and run 2 cables to the card however you would only be able to see the channels that the motor is tuned to as only one card can control the motor. I hope this makes sense.
     
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    gurabli

    Portal Pro
    July 20, 2010
    242
    5
    Home Country
    Hungary Hungary
    1) Yes, you have to manually move and store the posistions but it works, you only have to do this once in the setup. Me and another developer are working on modifications to the diseqc within TV Server and USALS will be added at some point.

    2) Yes the card has two inputs. You can use only one if you wish. I recommended it as it is similar in price to single tuners and gives you the option later on to add another LNB/dish. I use one input for my motor and one for a static dish(28.2e). You could put a dual lnb on the dish and run 2 cables to the card however you would only be able to see the channels that the motor is tuned to as only one card can control the motor. I hope this makes sense.

    Thanks for the explanation!
    Regarding the setup of the motor, I'm a little bit confused. Is there a step-by-step guide that describes how should I do this? The motor I will have supports diseqc 1.2 but not sure about USALS. Does this mean that for each sat position I have to manually move the dish and scan in setup, and when I have this for all the positions I need then MP will remember and move the dish when I change the channel? Is this hard to do?

    Regarding the two inputs it is completely clear!
     

    DJBlu

    Portal Pro
    August 14, 2007
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    Got it in one.

    Move the dish, Store the position, Scan the channels and repeat.

    It's hard to get signal sometimes however a little patience and it works.

    Like I say there are 2 of us working on the diseqc solution for TV Server and it will become a lot more simpler.

    Like the dreambox you will put in your lat and long. Then search for channels on the Satellites you want and the dish will automatically move.
     
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