Please recommend a DVB-S2 card! (CD, Sweden) (1 Viewer)

[MPM]

Hi all,

After 6+ years with MePo and DVB-C I will be switching to DVB-S and need some advice on a choice of card.

Only real musts for me are CI/CAM support and performance (FireDTV-C has set the bar high).
HDTV is also a must, but almost all new cards support it...
Both internal and external cards are of interest, that variable is not important compared to the ones above.

I will also need the ability to watch multiple (coded) channels at the same time so the card should either have multiple tuners (with multiple CI/CAM support) or it should be possible to install multiple cards (and have them supported by MePo). Given the previous condition, multichannel decoding is desired but not a deal-breaker.

Have searched the forum(s) and got scared by the number of "...issues with..." posts. Seems like there is no DVB-S2 card that is a full-proof solution like FireDTV was in the DVB-C world. Or am I wrong? (With that in mind, I'm extra curious about recommendations from users with similar hardware or/and same TV provider...)
Anyway, seems like cards that would suit my needs and have received fairly good (i.e. more positive than negative) feedback are TechnoTrend Budget S2-3200 HDTV-S2, Digital Devices Cine S2 v6, SkyStar HD2 / Terratec Cinergy S2 PCI HD. Between those three my favorit is at the moment TechnoTrend due to general user feedback and multichannel decoding support...

All input is extremely appreciated!

Regards,
MPM

 

[Requiem]

Hi MPM, hi all,

I've got the same question for Germany. I'm running a WHS2011 machine and will move to my new house soon, where the server will be used as a file and media server. Multiple PCs (HTPC, Netbook, Notebook, Desktop PC) will be using MePo, and I'd like to have a card with HDTV support, CI+-Support and multiple tuners with BDA drivers, so it'll run smoothly on a WHS machine. Best if it's pretty new so there'll be a chance that those drivers will work or ported to Windows Server 2012, if I ever should choose to switch to that one.

 

[mm1352000]

Hi folks

If you like the FireDTV-C then is there a reason you have excluded the FireDTV/FloppyDTV S2?

mm

 

[MPM]

Well, it's been a while snow since they stopped making it and it's almost impossible to find a used one, at least in Sweden (and I need two). Plus, it seems like people are having issues with it in combination with a CI... That being said, if I find one on the used market I would probably give it a shot anyway in addition to new card(s).

 

[mm1352000]

Hi again MPM

I bought a second hand FloppyDTV S2 for testing from ebay.de recently, so they are still available if you know where to look. However the newer tuners from the likes of Digital Devices, TBS, DVBSky, and Mystique tend to have better specifications - can lock on DVB-S2 transponders with symbol rate 1000 - 45000 ks/s (unlike TechnoTrend S2-3200 and TerraTec Cinergy S2 or SkyStar HD2 and KNC TV-Station DVB-S2 PCI), and can auto-detect pilot/roll-off and FEC rate.

mm

 

[MPM]

Hi mm1352000, thanks for the hint, I'll check ebay.de. So how did your tests go? And are you testing with or without CI/CAM? What do those "better specifications" mean in practice for every-day use? And, do you believe that they actually mean real improvements or is it only "paperware"?

(Sorry for the "interrogation"... )

EDIT: Checked the ebay.de and found few adds right away, but none that would send outside Germany...

 

[mm1352000]

So how did your tests go?

My tests went fine, although I have not spent a lot of time testing standby/resume etc. I did find that the PID filter implementation seems to be not very good - that would be the only serious reason that I would not recommend the FloppyDTV S2. This has an impact if you want to receive channels from DVB-S2 transponders with high bitrates.

And are you testing with or without CI/CAM?

With CAM. I have 2 CAMs, but only one was compatible.

What do those "better specifications" mean in practice for every-day use?

It means:
- the newer tuners can sometimes receive channels that the older ones can't
- the newer tuners may have faster zap times
- CAM compatibility might be better
- additional features (eg. MTD, blind-scan) might be supported

***note: don't underestimate the value of good support. Sometimes older tuners like the FloppyDTV S2 are no longer actively supported, so driver bugs are not being fixed, newer operating systems may not be supported, company support representatives are not able to help (or they charge extra) etc.

And, do you believe that they actually mean real improvements or is it only "paperware"?

Quite a lot depends on the channels that you want to receive - if you will be trying to receive many HD (DVB-S2) channels and/or feeds then newer hardware can definitely make a difference. The improvements are definitely not "paperware", however not everybody needs them. It is just like buying/replacing anything else - some of the improvements are very noticeable while others are more subtle.

(Sorry for the "interrogation"... )

No problem.

 

[MPM]

Thanks again mm1352000! So, at the end of the day, which card would you recommend for me?

 

[mm1352000]

I'm not aware of many products that only allow you to have one card in each PC, so multi-channel decryption is not necessarily a restriction. However if you do want multi-channel decryption now then you either need to go for TechnoTrend, a FloppyDTV S2, or Digital Devices (DD's MTD is *not* the same as the Digital Everywhere multi-channel decryption - the CAM is shared between tuners, but each DD tuner can only decrypt one channel). We hope to support multi-channel decryption for KNC/Satelco/Mystique PCI, Twinhan/Azurewave/TerraTec/TechniSat, TBS, NetUP and DVBSky soon. Anysee E7 with CAM will also be supported soon, but not multi-channel decryption (driver limitation).

Personally if I could afford it I would choose either a Digital Device Cine S2 (or some other combination of their tuners... or Mystique SaTiX clone) or a TBS 6991, 5980 or 6928. CAM compatibility for TBS is excellent - they are the only tuners that support both of my CAMs and multi-channel decryption. Prices and support are very good also. Only problem is that the CAM support is not official yet. DD are also very good, but quite expensive in my opinion...

 

[MPM]

Thanks for all the support mm!

I have now ordered TT 3200 in order to keep it simple and cheap to start with when switching from cable to satellite.

Still need a second card and those TBS cards are looking extremely good both in terms of performance and prices, so I'm looking forwards for news about official CAM support. Any feeling for what time frame we are talking about?

Cheers,
MPM