What's the best DVB-T card?

[gavinmetzler]

I'm so sick of issues - not going there right now.

What I want is a good Dual-Tuner (not hybrid Analog+Digital) - just two seperate DVB-t channels. Two seperate single tuner cards would be ok as well.

GOOD. as in, handles poor signal well, drivers are robust, works with GBPVR without fiddling around.

Price is no object (not anymore - all the time I've wasted on issues with cards up to now would be worth thousands of dollars)


Or should I just get Tivo? (I think you can get Tivo in australia now?)

[stustunz]

what card do you have?
do you live in oz or nz?

[gavinmetzler]

used to live in NZ, been in Oz for last 6 months. I've got a Compro Videomate T750F but the sales guy tricked me ... I thought it had 2 DVB-T tuners, but its a hybrid dig+analog.

So I need to buy a new card, pref dual tuner, but I would also buy 2 single tuners. But I've had SOOOO many issues in the past with setting up a HTPC, that I'm seriously considering Tivo.

[stustunz]

hvr2200 hauppauge
but all pc tuners need a good strong signal
for that matter any digital broadcast needs to be strong or will get drop out when the weather is bad etc

[gavinmetzler]

thanks, thats the second time i've seen that card recommened, so I will go with that.

I understand drop outs do occur, and as I say - I really dont know what the problem is, because the antenna guy reckons the signal is perfect. He told me my Samsung probably has a faulty tuner, because lots of them do, and he wouldn't comment on the HTPC.

The main thing is how the PVR copes with the dropout - if I have to restart the PC (or GBPVR) because of a poor signal, that tells me something is wrong with the programming somewhere (card driver, GBPVR itself, directx??? I dunno) - the system should expect poor signal from time to time, and cope with it - not demand perfect signal and go into tailspin when it doesn't get it.

I will see how I go with this card, and attempt to fix some of the other minor GBPVR issues I'm still having (everytime I mount an .iso DVD, GBPVR prompts me whether to continue or restart)

If that doesn't lead to joyousness, its Tivo I'm afraid.

[JonnyCam]

The main thing is how the PVR copes with the dropout - if I have to restart the PC (or GBPVR) because of a poor signal, that tells me something is wrong with the programming somewhere (card driver, GBPVR itself, directx??? I dunno) - the system should expect poor signal from time to time, and cope with it - not demand perfect signal and go into tailspin when it doesn't get it.

I think Sub said that there will be a fix in the next release for how GBPVR handles signal drop outs.

[Graham]

My reception is variable and very dodgy at times. Recording to DVR-MS in GBPVR handles poor reception very well in my experience. My Hauppauge tuners cope with poor reception better than the non-Hauppauge device.

Scanchannelsbda.exe will give you a good indication of reception quality. You should aim to get Quality = 100 reported by it..

[gavinmetzler]

my Compro card gets quality around 80 to 85 on most channels.

Does that HVR 2200 have 2x DVB-T tuners? Or is it one digital on analog?

I'm struggling - PBTech has a HVR-2200 for NZ$155, whereas in Oz, I can only seem to find a HVR-2200 MCE for AU$175. But from what I can tell, the MCE edition is the one that has dual DVB-T, as well as an analog, whereas the plain HVR-2200 seems to only have one DVB-T and an analog.

The hauppage.com site doesnt even acknowledge the existence of these cards!

[sub]

my Compro card gets quality around 80 to 85 on most channels.

Does that HVR 2200 have 2x DVB-T tuners? Or is it one digital on analog?

I'm struggling - PBTech has a HVR-2200 for NZ$155, whereas in Oz, I can only seem to find a HVR-2200 MCE for AU$175. But from what I can tell, the MCE edition is the one that has dual DVB-T, as well as an analog, whereas the plain HVR-2200 seems to only have one DVB-T and an analog.

The HVR-2200 and HVR-2200 MCE both have two tuners, each capable of either analog or DVB-T. The only difference is the software thats included, and the type of remote (or lack there of).

[stustunz]

you are going to the yank site you need to go to the Singapore or uk site to see the hvr2200
http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products...200mc.html

pb tech prices are pretty good on most things

if you want to get tivo go get it
report back what its like