108 replies to this topic

[kenneth]

ATTENTION NEW USERS:
Please do not use this thread for asking questions. Please read the red text threads at http://www.dtvforum....hp?showforum=60.


Contents
Compro VideoMate DVB-T300 <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Avermedia A771 <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Nebula DigiTV (PCI and USB) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
DNTV Live! DVB-T <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hauppauge Nova-T <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
DPandA/TechnoTrend T-1500 <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
TwinhanDTV <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
DVICO FusionHDTV range <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
DigitalNow DNTV Live! Hybrid LP <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
DigitalNow DNTV Live! USB Hybrid <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
TwinHan Alpha Mac Edition <{POST_SNAPBACK}>


If you want to add a product, please add it in the style of the other roundup posts. Guide at <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Please do not use extremely large font sizes.
Please also try and not add distributor links, unless it is the only source of information.
Distributors are allowed to add products, as long as they don't add their website (except for the case mentioned above).

No distributor/reseller wars please. Also, please check with the site administration, if you are a reseller/distributor, that you can post the information. I can not claim any responsibility in the end.


Note that prices are not needed. Link only to the product's website

Links to new items will be added when I have time.


The information I have added is not complete and maybe inaccurate. Prices are not added as due to the constant changes in pricing for various cards.

Please find a retailer for the cards listed here to ask for pricing.

Disclaimer: This thread is here to be used to provide as much information that I have gathered from websites and users on the various cards and devices which, as I know of, are available in Australia.

It is not to be used for commercial advantage.

Please note:
Digital TV cards are not for everyone. Also, older computer systems do not work as well with the card's software depending on the hardware.

Firstly, ask yourself:
-Does my location have a satisfactory amount of Digital TV transmitters that are on (ask in the relevant geography section in this forum and also check the DBA reception locator.
-Do I need a Digital TV card. Think about:
=What you are using it for
=Would a Set Top Box be better

Now, is your system powerful enough. Make sure you check the system requirements for each card.

Some cards work on lower spec'ed system (around 1GHz minimum) as long as a DxVA compatible card is in the system.

Other card's and device's like the Nebula DigiTV range need a high-spec'ed system (2.6GHz+ for best perfomance on HD).

If you have any enquires, make sure you do a search first to see if your question has been answered and if not, post a new topic.

Useful links:
Topic started by murrayt on Lightning damage and HTPC's. Also briefly talks about HTPC cases.

Edited by kenneth, 03 October 2007 - 09:26 PM.

[Rico]

Hi Kenny,
Here are some updates:

DPanda
Available in a PCI version.
Available from David Porter & Associates Pty Ltd

El Gato EyeTV 400
Available in a FireWire version.
Available from many AppleCentres in Australia.

Hope this helps.

Catch you later,
Rico.

[NoneToBe]

The DPanda looks like it supports Teletext and uses BDA drivers which means it might work with DigitalWatch when it adds BDA support!

Has anyone had any experience of the DPanda compared to VisionPlus?  Can the DPanda work in the same machine as VisionPlus?

[dvbguy]

Quote

The DPanda looks like it supports Teletext and uses BDA drivers which means it might work with DigitalWatch when it adds BDA support!

The DPANDA is the same thing as the Nova-t, a friend tried the bda drivers for the Nova but could not get them to work well, that is all I know.

[anthonysimilion]

dvbguy, on Apr 24 2004, 12:32 PM, said:

Quote

The DPanda looks like it supports Teletext and uses BDA drivers which means it might work with DigitalWatch when it adds BDA support!

The DPANDA is the same thing as the Nova-t, a friend tried the bda drivers for the Nova but could not get them to work well, that is all I know.

The DPandA now has its own BDA drivers. However, these are said to work only with MCE. It is worth a try though.

[kenneth]

I have updated the roundup. Thanks to those who have submitted modifications.

Maybe this thread should become a sticky?

[braddles]

Elsewhere there are comments about software bundles and system requirements.  Could you add that?  Then make it sticky.

[kenneth]

I have updated the roundup.

Now has:
Chaintech card (Title is in italics as it is a clone of the VisionPlus. Maybe I should do this for the DPanda?).
Information for each card (except for the EyeTV).

Now this could become a sticky?

[kenneth]

UPDATE

I have fixed the Avermedia AverTV Linux HOWTO link

[Champion_R]

kenneth, on Apr 26 2004, 01:48 PM, said:

Chaintech card (Title is in italics as it is a clone of the VisionPlus. Maybe I should do this for the DPanda?).

You haven't listed the Spectrum BDA drivers under the Chaintech card.

[kenneth]

Champion_R, on Apr 26 2004, 05:19 PM, said:

kenneth, on Apr 26 2004, 01:48 PM, said:

Chaintech card (Title is in italics as it is a clone of the VisionPlus. Maybe I should do this for the DPanda?).

You haven't listed the Spectrum BDA drivers under the Chaintech card.

I have now.

I will in the future add a direct link to the BDA drivers but for now I am just leaving the information.

[rumpole]

I can't believe it .... our first 'sticky' post !!!!

Edit: I should add the Nova-T works with quite a bit of 3rd party software in Linux. In windows it now works with:

1. ShowShifter
2. MyTheatre (can be configured to use a H+ card as well)
3. MyHTPC (with the MyTheatre plug-in)

[kenneth]

Yay, It's a sticky.

UPDATE:
Nova-T 3rd party application support information added. Thanks rumpole.

[dcallan]

kenneth, on Apr 23 2004, 11:53 PM, said:

Nebula DigiTV
Linux Support: Support exists, but takes a degree of fiddling around in CVS to get. There's a guide located here.
This driver appears not to have been added to the 2.6.0-textX kernel tree yet, so presumably won't initially exist when kernel 2.6.0 is released.

The Nebula is now (as of late March) correctly supported by kernels >= 2.6.4.
You may still need the guide to know what modules to include (ie: Nebula = NXT6000 + BT878, etc) , but no more CVS'ing required to make it work (though you can always get slightly newer DVB sources that way). Nor do you need my little Makefile/Kconfig patch anymore.

I made quick edit to the HOWTO but have been too busy (or slack) to completely re-write the instructions. Temporary corrections have been made though (it now tells you that it is out of date ;-). Will clean it up sooner or later ... promise

[kenneth]

Could someone/s supply detials of the currently avalible DVB-S cards for me to add to the list.

I would like details like:
CAM Support
Recording
Timeshiting
Now and Next
Satellite moving (for moterised sat's)
etc.

[Rico]

Hey Kenny,
The El Gato firewire based DVB-T tuner for Apple Mac's can receive and record HD.

However, only Mac's equipped with a G5 processor (or perhaps 2xG5's) have enough grunt to decode a 1440x1080 16:9 MPEG2 stream smoothly.

Oh well, at least the SD channels scale somewhat nicely in full screen mode.

Cheers,
Rico.

[dmm]

I have the AverMedia DVB-T card working well under linux 2.6.7.

Tricks I learned were it works best when you enable hw on the bttv driver.
I also found issues with interupts and a network card miss configured to half duplex which interfered with the card (I presume).

I just cant get Channel 10 from como!!!

[FyKnight]

If you are interested, here is the information about which of those cards are supported under Mac OS X:

- DPandA DVB-T (PCI)
- Hauppauge Nova-T (PCI and USB)
- DVICO FusionHDTV DVB-T (PCI)

All those are supported by my drivers. (The FusionHDTV only since 3am this morning - and only the digital stream so far)

Hardware min requirements are a G3 @ 400 MHz for SDTV, and a dual G4 @ 1GHz for HDTV. All of the PCI cards can do HDTV. (And all equally well, since it is all decoded in my software )

The Hauppauge USB box doesn't do HDTV since it is USB1 and there isn't enough bandwidth there. Also I note that you didn't mention that the Nova-T is even available in a USB version - that would be a good addition but make sure you say it's USB1 and thus HDTV is out.

And of course:
- ElGato EyeTV 400 (Firewire)

That one doesn't use my driver framework, and I don't know what its requirements are, but what's written there now sounds right.

[tech9]

Quote

Only Digital TV computer receiver on the market (as I know of) that has Teletext/Subtitles support.

also dont' forget about the support for Audio Description for visually impaired.. (DigiTV is the first DVB-t card manufacturer to support Audio Description)

[wls]

Well the DVICO FusionHDTV has now an off shoot and its called the Ultraview. Basically as far as I can see its the same DVICO card ( and the remote is the same ) except it has the name Ultraview on them .  Maybe its a rebranding for marketing ?

btw: big difference in price. I ordered the Dvico Fusion for around the $230 mark and when I picked up recieved this card for $185

[samplehead]

There's another HDTV capable USB product. It's called OnAir USB HDTV and it's by Sasem.

http://www.usbhdtv.com/

It has been out in the US for about 6 months I think. There's a thread about it at avsforum.

Cheers,
Samplehead

[renura]

Quote

There's another HDTV capable USB product. It's called OnAir USB HDTV and it's by Sasem.

Hi samplehead,

Unfortunately that product will not work in Australia, as it is for the ATSC market (USA).

If you are interested in USB HDTV devices, wait a couple of weeks and you will see a few more being released.

Currently the only one that supports HDTV is the Nebula DigiTV USB version.

Cheers

Renura

[samplehead]

Thanks for the clarification Renura.

I'm stuck between deciding on a STB or the Nebula USB.

PCI is not an option because my main computer is a notebook.

I'm tempted to got with a STB because I expect it to be more stable, and also because the projector I'll be using should do a nice job on component signals with it's built in Faroudja chipset.

On the other hand the USB solution allows me to use the computer for all my media (it already does audio and video/dvd via SP/DIF and DVI out) all via one remote (a pocketpc running NetRemote) using wifi.

How does the Nebula USB stack up against a HD STB?

The other option is to go for both (one for playback, one for recording) but with my budget I'd be limited to only one initially.

Cheers,
Samplehead

[renura]

Quote

How does the Nebula USB stack up against a HD STB?

Hi samplehead,

This is probably an inappropriate thread to discuss this, nevertheless - in short I have not seen any HDTV STB that can do what I can do with my PC hooked up to a Nebula USB.

Furthermore, if you have a projector, in my view, the best way of feeding it a video signal, to match its native resolution, is via a HTPC. (suggest if you wish to disuss this further start a separateb thread)

Cheers

Renura

[samplehead]

renura, on Aug 23 2004, 07:31 PM, said:

Quote

How does the Nebula USB stack up against a HD STB?

Hi samplehead,

This is probably an inappropriate thread to discuss this, nevertheless - in short I have not seen any HDTV STB that can do what I can do with my PC hooked up to a Nebula USB.

Furthermore, if you have a projector, in my view, the best way of feeding it a video signal, to match its native resolution, is via a HTPC. (suggest if you wish to disuss this further start a separateb thread)

Cheers

Renura

You're right, sorry I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread. I'm surprised that a USB solution holds up so well, but am glad to hear it. Is your sentiment the general concensus? Guess, I'll post a poll.

Cheers,
Samplehead

p.s. I'm more concerned about picture quality and tuner stability than features.