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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CyberSimian" data-source="post: 1188146" data-attributes="member: 141969">The very first tuner card that I purchased was a Hauppauge Nova DT-500.  That was a DVB-T dual-tuner PCI card.  When only one was installed in the HTPC, all worked well. The problems started when I installed a second DT-500 card, which had the habit of vanishing on wake from sleep (this was with WMC).  After much gnashing of teeth, I eventually found a post from a Hauppauge support person on their website saying that more than one Nova DT-500 in a system was not a supported configuration, and they were not going to fix it. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite4" alt=":mad:" title="Mad    :mad:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":mad:" />  The Nova DT-500 is a slightly weird card, as it is actually a USB dual tuner fitted to a PCI card (with an appropriate interface chip).  I admitted defeat and resolved not to buy Hauppauge again.The next tuner cards that I purchased were three <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite9" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":eek:" /> Pinnacle 2000i dual-tuner DVB-T PCI cards.  They worked beautifully, but I eventually retired them when DVB-T2 finally reached my area.To enable reception of DVB-T2. I purchased two TBS 6284 cards, and the gnashing of teeth returned.  The TBS 6284 is a quad-tuner PCI-Express DVB-T2 card.  The card in the 4x slot worked fine, but the one in the 1x slot disappeared on wake from sleep. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite16" alt=":cry:" title="Crying    :cry:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":cry:" />  I even tried it in the 16x slot (the slot usually used for the graphics card), but it still disappeared on wake from sleep. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite16" alt=":cry:" title="Crying    :cry:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":cry:" />  From posts on the TBS forum, it transpired that the TBS card used an obscure extension to the PCI Express standard that most motherboard manufacturers had forgotten to implement (version 1.0a).  A solution for some TBS users was to contact the motherboard manufacturer and ask them to issue an updated BIOS with the necessary support added.  That was not a solution for me, as my motherboard was a Dell, and out of warranty.I still use the TBS cards, but with hibernation instead of sleep.  Luckily, both tuner cards are present on wake from hibernation.  However, using hibernation presents its own problems.  It is achievable, but only if you are really determined.I have never used a USB tuner, so cannot comment on reliability.  But USB tuners result in extra clutter and cabling around the rear of the HTPC.  Also, if you were thinking of getting more than one (e.g. two USB dual-tuner units, for a total of four tuners), I begin to wonder whether the data rate would be too high.  In the UK, a DVB-T2 MUX has a data rate of 35 Mbits/sec.  Since MP can perform the trick of recording multiple channels from a single MUX using only one tuner, the tuner must be sending the entire MUX data stream down the USB cable.  A USB dual tuner would therefore have a data rate of 70 Mbits/sec.  Two USB dual tuners plugged into the same USB hub (external, or internal to the HTPC) would have a data rate of 140 Mbits/sec.  My experience with USB 2 (admittedly with disks, not tuners) is that useful sustained throughput is about one third of the rated maximum, so one third of 480 Mbit/sec = 160 Mbits/sec, which is worryingly close to 140 Mbits/sec. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown    :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" />  But then, what do I know? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin    :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" />-- from CyberSimian in the UK</blockquote>

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