Freeview HD ( DVB-T2) tuners finally becoming available

[cosmocat]

Hauppauge have just announced it at IFA.

The press release says...

The PCTV nanoStick T2 290e is on show at IFA and is exciting news for UK Media Center users in a Freeview HD area, who will be able to receive BBC HD, BBC1 HD (coming soon), ITV HD and Channel 4 HD via their PC. ... Available in the UK in October priced at £99.

More details are here....

http://www.wegotserved.com/2010/09/06/if...ata-sheet/

Questions will be, what software will be needed and can it work with our favourite PVR system ?

[sub]

Questions will be, what software will be needed and can it work with our favourite PVR system ?

Yes, it should work. A sample of this PCTV device worked when I tried back in April.

[Graham]

The article at the link says, "The tuner will ship with PCTV’s DistanTV software". Do we know why not WinTV? Do we care?

[sub]

The article at the link says, "The tuner will ship with PCTV’s DistanTV software". Do we know why not WinTV? Do we care?

PCTV branded devices are developed in Germany, and have always shipped with PCTV software. Hauppauge branded devices are developed in the US and ship with Hauppauge WinTV software.

I know some guys in the Hauppauge UK office watched the football world cup earlier this year using this PCTV DVB-T2 device with WinTV though, so it definitely works with WinTV.

[cosmocat]

Originally Posted by cosmocat
Questions will be, what software will be needed and can it work with our favourite PVR system ?

Yes, it should work. A sample of this PCTV device worked when I tried back in April.

Thanks Sub, just the magic words I was hoping for.

Cheers
A.

[7ore]

Good news for us in Sweden as well.
Boxer plan to start using DVB-T2 later this fall.

[BigMoose]

Anyone know if from Wales I 'd get real C4HD or a Welsh channel instead? As I think C4HD is the only one on UK freeviewHD not available on FTA sat? Still, it's good to see DVB-T2 devices finally appearing.

[imilne]

Anyone know if from Wales I 'd get real C4HD or a Welsh channel instead? As I think C4HD is the only one on UK freeviewHD not available on FTA sat? Still, it's good to see DVB-T2 devices finally appearing.

Apparently not. Looks like you'll get S4C Clirlun instead. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_%2...reeview_HD).

Iain

[BigMoose]

Bummer! As an Englishman living on the east coast of Ireland, S4C would be sod all use to me! So no point looking for a DVB-T2 device just yet.

[Pob]

This is really welcome news - better late than never I guess! I lost patience and purchased one of the Tesco Freeview HD receivers - just to get channel 4 HD:-(
I know that the main reason for the wait was the shortage of the DVB-T2 IC's, which were all ordered by TV manufacturers. It is handy though having another HDTV source to compare with GBPVR, and I can report that mostly I can't see any difference in picture quality switching between the two, except when it comes to the scrolling credits at the end of shows - the hardware decoding of the box does result in pin-sharp text, where the software decoding (in my case PDVD) does struggle. The nanoStick T2 will def. be going on my Christmas wish-list though...