Recommended TV Cards (1 Viewer)

[globaldonkey]

Hi,


Can anybody please recommend a good DVB-T card that meets the following requirements:

1. Dual Tuners
2. Supports HDTV
3. Is not USB or use a USB driver on PCI hardware.

I'm currently using the DVICO FusionHDTV Dual4 and I have two problems with it:

1. My signal on Channel 36 (SBS Australia) is a little weaker on my antenna, but a consumer STB and a DVICO FusionHDTV Pro can both tune this channel on it. Response from DVICO is that the tuner in this dual tuner card isn't as good as the tuner in the Pro card. Duh......

2. I have intermittent problems (mainly when things get messed around with in USB land) with one or both of tuners being unable to start after a reboot. The system has to be fully powered off to restore the device to full operation. It uses an onboard VIA USB driver, and I'm reading that configurations based on USB, particularly USB on PCI / PCIe are not good. That certainly seems to be my experience too.


I've been looking through the hardware help Wiki on recommended TV cards. It would be great if this table had a few more columns, such as tuner configuration (dual/single/hybrid), HD support, and whether or not it is true PCI / PCIe.

 

[daleski]

I'm after some advice for aussies for a new TV card also!

I currently have 2 DTV cards:

1x Leadtek DTV1000T - This card is actually great. It can handle SDTV and HDTV no problems, even on my low spec HTPC (AXP 3200+ with 1gig DDR1 and Radeon 9800Pro). I have good reception, so i cant really comment on signal issues. The only problem with this card is SLOW channel change in MP. I've tried a variety of driver versions and decoders, but the best i can get is ~5sec channel change time

1x Old Twinhan DTV card - Try as i might, i just cant get this card right. Playback and recording are both stuttery as hell. Just when u think u have it solved, it continues to stutter and fumble along. It has great fast channel changes, but its pretty much unuseable.


Globaldonkey, what did u end up doing?
What are the rest of you aussies using and what do you think?

 

[Goose]

Whilst I think the Hauppauge Nova T 500 MCE has a usb bridge chip, I have had very good results with it under both XP MCE 2005 and VISTA MCE, specifically with SBS as well.

That is in Geelong, Victoria. BTW i do not currently use a tuner with MP. The testing i have done has been at work with MCE as noted above.

Hauppauge Digital: WinTV-Nova-T 500

 

[finrudd341]

Goose - thanks for the post. I am curious about this WinTV-PVR-500 MCE card, and if it works with MP...if you do have a chance to try it with MP, please do let us know how it goes!

 

[Goose]

finrudd341

Don't confuse it as the pvr-500 MCE because thats the dual analog. It is the nova t 500.

On second thought, are you after the ANALOG card? if so then yes it works well with MP.

BTW with the tests of cards i have done with hauppauge cards in MP, i have had no difficulties with them, save for the hybrid cards with software analog. The software analog did not work out.

New Magic BTW i am not affiliated with newmagic at all except that my work buys from them. That being said if you wish to buy one through work then go here http://www.ahcs.com.au

 

[finrudd341]

Thanks Goose - I was planning on using the dual receiver analogue WinTV-PVR-500 MCE card - connected into the StarHub set top box in Singapore.

I still have no real idea what it will look like on Media Portal, how the remote controls need to work (I have one Zalman Remote already) and what TV via the PC looks like! I have a lot to learn on this.

However, on the basis that the WinTV-PVR-500 MCE works with MP, I am going to give it a go.

 

[cheezey]

I recently upgraded to a blackgold 6-in-1, this comes with 2xDVB-S, 2xDVB-T & 2 analogue tuners on a half-height PCIe card (it comes with a full height bracket too).

It installed and was detected without issue with TV Server (I'm running a version from Nov), scanned and updated my channel DB in 10 minutes, and was watching an HD satellite channel straight away.

Picture quality in SD is equivalent or better than my previous card.

I've binned my Nova-T-500 and will be testing out the standby/resume scheduler stuff this weekend.

I highly recommend it.

 

[globaldonkey]

I recently upgraded to a blackgold 6-in-1, this comes with 2xDVB-S, 2xDVB-T & 2 analogue tuners on a half-height PCIe card (it comes with a full height bracket too).

It installed and was detected without issue with TV Server (I'm running a version from Nov), scanned and updated my channel DB in 10 minutes, and was watching an HD satellite channel straight away.

Picture quality in SD is equivalent or better than my previous card.

I've binned my Nova-T-500 and will be testing out the standby/resume scheduler stuff this weekend.

I highly recommend it.

Hi Cheezy,

This gear does look good. Haven't seen a 6 in one tuner before. As we don't have free satellite in Australia, I'm thinking the BGT 3520 might suit my needs.

Do you know if these products use a USB bridge to the PCIe slot? It seems that is the way most are being built nowadays, but I'm trying to avoid it because of the experience I've had with the DVICO, which intermittently "loses" one of the tuners and needs a full system power down to recover.

 

[IceHappy]

Goose - thanks for the post. I am curious about this WinTV-PVR-500 MCE card, and if it works with MP...if you do have a chance to try it with MP, please do let us know how it goes!

I have had two pvr 500 working in MP but 4 stations (that is all we get here in Devon England unless one goes digital) wasn't enough and wanted digital for more selection pulled those cards and switch to Nova T 500 which are twin Freeview recorder tuners on one card and I am trying to get 2 cards which equals for 4 tuners for 2 pci slots to work in MP. One works excellent still working trying to get the second card to work with the first. By the way I am running XP Pro NOT MCE and MP is working like the champ it is..... PvR500 worked a treat though...

 

[Marcusb]

It's been asked a few times before and I always very enthusiastically recommend:

DigitalNow

Check out the dual hybrid. It's AU$139 and has two digital and two analog tuners in a PCI Express card. No bodged up USB job, either.
I also had a DVico dul card and hated it so much I bought this one instead.

Bear in mind I have never tried out the analog side of the card and I also can't get SBS where I live but this isn't the fault of the card. I also haven't tried it with the built in MP TV engine, but it works great with the TV Server.