Satellite video card available? (1 Viewer)

[Eric_L]

I have built a HTPC and am reasonably happy with it. Troubl is that I can only use it to view DVDs since my spouse insists we use satalite instead of cable.

I really dont mind because it is my experience that the satalite has a better picture and soon HDTV will be available on more shows.

Trouble is, that many of the nice features ofn my AIW 9700 are useless for cable.

Anyone know of a satellite TV card or a work-around with this?

btw - if this is a tired topic I am sorry, I tried a search and came up empty.

 

[Scott L]

Don't think so. This is the only one that can decode digital QAM signals. Don't satellites use 8VSB? Hopefully someone else can chime in.

 

[Darryl]

As far as I know the only way to integrate satellite into an HTPC is to get a tuner card that also has a composite in, like the Hauppage 150.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Yep- you still need to tune with a DSS box and pass signal to the pc- although you can mod some DSS boxes with SDI to pass direct digital MPEG streams into the pc... mmmmm.

-V

 

[Mike Boniferro]

I was looking at the new HP Digital Entertainment Centre, and it can control satellite no problem. It has an IR blaster that changes the channel on the satellite receiver, but does this through Windows XP Media Centre Edition...
I'm not sure how you could integrate this type of system into an HTPC tough.

 

[Eric_L]

Yes, the trouble is integration. I could run the sat rvcr through the line in, but that does not help with things like setting it to record at specific times, downloading the channel menu, etc.

 

[Grant B]

Eric
I found this DSS card a while ago
http://s87265683.onlinehome.us/VP1020A.html

It picks up free stations and they are listed on the website.
Most of the US broadcast channels come from Hunstville AL for some strange reason. If anyone has one, I would love to hear if it's any good. It's only $88 ....so it might be a decent buy even if the channels are limited


Yes!
I asked this question a couple of weeks back and got no response. It amazes me that all of these video capture cards have no way to change remotely and makes most of their features useless if you have DSS.
Like Mike said, some High End Media PCs have that feature but you are out of luck if you put together your own system

 

[Steve Berger]

The retail version of the Hauppauge PVR150 (not the MCE) comes with an IR Blaster which can be used to control an external box (cable, digital cable, or satellite receiver).

There are various ways to control external boxes -- even some universal remote controls that have built in timers. You might even have a VCR with a similar control feature (sometimes called a cable-mouse) that you could jury-rig to control the box and wire to the PC as well as the VCR (poor man's tape backup?).

 

[Rick Evans]

try over at xxx.dvbn.net/ that site has tons of info dedicated to using PCI cards to recieve FTA (free to air) Satellite signals. some DVB-S cards can have a softcam firmware upgrade to recieve Dish Network