Is anyone still using BlackGold BGT3650?

[Madlec]

Hi, 


I am currently running a single USB TVB-T2 tuner on a Windows Server Essentials 2016 set up as a media server, and I am looking to expand my PVR so I can record and watch more than one channel at a time... I have seen the above card for a good price, and was wondering if anyone is still running it, and whether it is worth getting. I know that it I may not get it going on my Server 2016 machine, but I have a Windows 10 machine I can use as a Next PVR server.


Thanks. 

[gEd]

I run the dual dvb-t2 tuner (the 3620 I think) and it works flawlessly.
The only problem is that Blackgold appear to have disappeared so you might have problems getting hold of drivers for it.

[Madlec]

Thanks for that. I have searched the web, and found a copy of the 8.1.1.2, 9.1.0.5 and 9.1.1.2 drivers. Sounds like it will be worth a punt. 

[gEd]

worth a punt if you can get one on the cheap.

btw, do note that even with your existing USB Tuner, you can likely record more than 1 show at a time as long as the channels that you wish to record from are on the same mux.
A DVB "channel" is actually a multiplex of potentially multiple TV channels so when NextPVR tunes into the mux, it has access to all the TV channels on that mux at the same time so can for record every show on the mux.

The HD channels are all on the same mux so you should be able to record all of them together. (neat)

Try it if you haven't already. It'll either work or NextPVR will tell you that no tuner is available if it needs a different mux.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_te...ultiplexes

[Madlec]

I have managed to do this a few times, either with recording 2 channels, or watching one while recording the other.
The tuner arrived today, so I am going to try and get it up and running as soon as I can.

[Madlec]

Just a quick update. Installed the card and tried the latest drivers I found on a forum, 9.1.1.2, and it didn't pick up UK channels 1 - 10 (I cant remember the frequencies) The same with 9.1.0.5. With the original 8.1.1.2 drivers for the 36X cards installed, it now picks up all UK channels with no problems at all. I dropped an e-mail to BlackGold asking what the issue could be, but not heard anything yet. As its working with the 8.1.1.2 driver, I may just leave it alone.

[Methanoid]

Just a quick update. Installed the card and tried the latest drivers I found on a forum, 9.1.1.2, and it didn't pick up UK channels 1 - 10 (I cant remember the frequencies) The same with 9.1.0.5. With the original 8.1.1.2 drivers for the 36X cards installed, it now picks up all UK channels with no problems at all. I dropped an e-mail to BlackGold asking what the issue could be, but not heard anything yet. As its working with the 8.1.1.2 driver, I may just leave it alone.

As you cannot DL on Blackgold website... it might be an idea to consider posting any/all drivers you have to a free filehosting website (eg Mediafire) so they remain available.

[Madlec]

Just a quick update. Installed the card and tried the latest drivers I found on a forum, 9.1.1.2, and it didn't pick up UK channels 1 - 10 (I cant remember the frequencies) The same with 9.1.0.5. With the original 8.1.1.2 drivers for the 36X cards installed, it now picks up all UK channels with no problems at all. I dropped an e-mail to BlackGold asking what the issue could be, but not heard anything yet. As its working with the 8.1.1.2 driver, I may just leave it alone.

As you cannot DL on Blackgold website... it might be an idea to consider posting any/all drivers you have to a free filehosting website (eg Mediafire) so they remain available.

I have been in contact with BlackGold support, and they have provided me with some drivers. Once installed the card worked fine for a while, until I "lost" one of the tuners (just won't lock on to any channel) the other 3 tuners have been fine, so I have left it alone.

[Elmo Putney]

I've been running a 3650 for ~ 5 years or so without problem until recently when I lost 2 of the tuners - they don't lock, I have disabled them for now but I keep meaning to do some investigative work on them because it all happened in the midst of upgrading the HTPC and moving over to V5 of NPVR.

I seem to remember that there were dire warnings in the instructions about them being sensitive to static and lots of people were returning cards with dead tuners due to not taking appropriate static precautions when installing.

[Madlec]

I have been investigating on and off, and found that if I do a total driver clean up and re-install, all tuners come back. Then after what seems to be a random time frame, one of the tuners stops working. It seems to be Tuner 0 most of the time. I have it disabled at the moment, and the other 3 tuners have been totally trouble free for a couple of months now. (This is where they all stop working after I post this... )