Freesat - how are people getting on

[Bathman]

Although my DVB-T GBPVR box is working like a star at the moment. I have a week off work towards the end of the month and I was thinking about updating my GBPVR box for freesat.

I am particulary interested in how people have been getting on with BBC HD and ITV HD channels. The programmes that are listed look pretty dull to me however I do believe match of the day is in HD which would be good.

Hardware wise I only have one PCI Express slot on my motherboard and would prefer a dual DVB-T and DVB-S2 card. I was thinking a Black Gold BGT3540 but it would appear that it doesn't do DVB-S2 just DVB-S.

Also on the hardware front I am running a Pentium M 1.6mhz (which i could upgrade to a2.0ghz). Graphics card wise I have an ATI 3450 which plays back HD material that I have downloaded fine. However ffw and rrw are stuttery but settle down after a second of two. However I am not sure it will cut it with a live TV stream.

Could any body give me a few pointers please.

[martint123]

I'm using a Videomate S350 (Scan I think it came from on one of their 'deals of the day')
Slight problems with gbpvr in that scanning does not produce channel names, but borrowing other peoples cache files work. It's only DVB-S but gets BBC HD and ITV HD fine.
My server is a P4 3.2 with only an FX5200 (I haven't really tried anything better yet, as I'm in the process up upgrading to a new server) but it can't really handle broadcast h.264 HD. Using a PCH/NMT works very well though. Sadly PC clients don't currently work with .ts streams. ITV cheats and lies somehow with HD and the PCH can't seem to handle it at present.
I've tried a couple of ATI boards includeing 2400HD but they don't seem to like our h.264 streams

[Bathman]

Thanks for replying. Do you now how long a DVB-s card will work and when they intend to switch to DVB-S2?

[martint123]

Thanks for replying. Do you now how long a DVB-s card will work and when they intend to switch to DVB-S2?

I don't have a clue I'm afraid. But hopefully by then the prices will have dropped (or I might win the lottery)

http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-w...freesat-pc

This is a tricky one to predict - while the move to DVB-S2 for HD channels is likely in the long term, it may take years. However, many believe Channel 4 HD may continue to use DVB-S2 once its contract with Sky expires later this year.

[BigMoose]

What codec are you using for H264 playback? I've got PDVD7 and the trial PDVD8 but I'm having problems playing back recordings from the HD channels. LiveTV works fine but the recordings hang after 30-40 seconds of playback. The really annoying thing as it didn't used to do this so I'm not sure what I've done! The half arsed install of the trial PDVD8 might have caused the problem but even using PDVD7 for H264 playback still has the problem. Oddly stuff I recorded off BBCHD a few months ago plays back fine, it's only stuff I record now. However stuff I record now plays back fine actually within PDVD.... I'm very annoyed as I have no idea at all what I've done!!

[martint123]

I'm using the PCH for playback, so codec inbuilt!. Won't play ITV HD though last time I tried. (possibly due to their cheating - saved ITV HDfiles from dvbviewer act the same.
When I was getting it running, I think I was using the demo version of the CoreAVC codec.
The PVR "server" doesn't have enough steam to play h264 itself.

[MartinsPVR]

I have had a PVR for a few years now with an old Hauppauge 250 and think it is time to upgrade but because I have not had any problems have been out of the loop.

I would like to use a Dual DVB-S2 card I saw Hauppauge have the WinTV-NOVA-HD S2. I would like to know if anyone has any experience with this card or can recommend a card that would be suitable.

Thanks in advance

[Pob]

Despite scanning and problems I am having with a Nova HD-S2, I can watch the Freesat HD channels, record them, and play them back - which is not as simple as it seems with ITV HD as it uses weird video pids. Sub came to the rescue with an updated TSreader. GBPVR is one of the only progs that can record and playback ITV HD!
In fact as I has a spare Compro sat card, I can now watch / record BBC HD and watch / record ITV HD at the same time. This is not so usefull though condsidering the HD from ITV is embarrasingly poor - only two things broadcast in the last 14 days. Even then, they made a spectacular cock-up this Monday showing 'Wired' in HD - it started ok, then after the first ad-break it started again from the beginning, then after the 2nd ad-break it started again from the beginning- you get the picture!
You will see form threads on, say, Digital Spy that ITV just don't seem bothered with HD. Even when they do broadcast a show it is only in stereo (BBC is 5.1 surround), and the picture quality is often poor (Poirot anyone?).
Short-sighted of ITV, as I for one often find myself watching stuff just because it is in HD - and many of the BBC HD broadcasts have been stunning - Olympics, Sunshine, Massive, Spy in the Jungle, Heroes, Tess, to name but a few. And you def. don't need an S2 card, the HD is all just S. By all accounts though part of the Freesat spec for the new PVR's out next month is that they can handle S2, if they do ever change...

[MartinsPVR]

Thanks Pob for that, tow questions tho - you say you are still having problems with the Nova card is that since getting a new TSReader? also the Nova card is a dual tuner card but is that a single tuner for either DVB-S or DVB-S2? I.e can I record and watch at the same time or will I need two cards.

I have to admit I thought there was better support for HD but it might be another 3 years before I upgrade again so I probably should get HD support.

Regards

Martin

[Pob]

Thanks Pob for that, tow questions tho - you say you are still having problems with the Nova card is that since getting a new TSReader? also the Nova card is a dual tuner card but is that a single tuner for either DVB-S or DVB-S2? I.e can I record and watch at the same time or will I need two cards.

I have to admit I thought there was better support for HD but it might be another 3 years before I upgrade again so I probably should get HD support.

Regards

Martin

Yes myself and some others are still having some issues with the Nova HD-S2 in GPBVR, and the new TS reader was for any satellite card to enable recording and playing back ITV HD, so not specific to the HD-S2. However I don't think these problems should prevent you getting one - it is only a matter of some channels not being picked up in a scan, and crashing when watching live-preview satellite TV. These can be circumvented by manually editing the scan-cache file (or borrowing someone else's scan-cache), and by not using live preview (i.e. use timeshift instead).
BUt you are right, the HD-S2 is not a dual-tuner card - the one tuner can work with standard 'S' or 'S2' signals. But I don't think GBPVR supports S2 - and nothing (free) is broadcast using S2 at present in the UK. I have seen some talk of Channel 4 HD going unencrypted next year and possible using S2, but I would not hold my breath!