Which PCI Card?

[marangos_1]

Hi there I am looking for some expert advice. I would like to buy a PCI card for my PC. I need this card to be able to offer an internet and teleision receiver extended with a so called CI-module (Common Interface) which offers a PCMCIA-look-a-like slot for a decoder card. I would also need it to provide me with the option of an additional antenna connection for hooking-up an additional Satellite receiver.

Please note that I require the most top of the range card in terms of quality that can offer me all the above.

I look forward to your reply and hope that finally my long search for the answer to my above question ends here.

[C64]

I've not used a DVB-S card for a few years, but back when I did the Technotrend cards were considered top-of-the-Range.

I used a Technotrend 2.1 Premium which had it's own MPEG2 decoder hardware.

Depending on what you want to decode you might not need a CI at all as some packages can be opened with an CAM emulator, failing that you could easily setup a card server which would read keys from the Internet.

Satellite Internet is shit, IMO

[Mackem]

Hi there I am looking for some expert advice. I would like to buy a PCI card for my PC. I need this card to be able to offer an internet and teleision receiver extended with a so called CI-module (Common Interface) which offers a PCMCIA-look-a-like slot for a decoder card. I would also need it to provide me with the option of an additional antenna connection for hooking-up an additional Satellite receiver.

Please note that I require the most top of the range card in terms of quality that can offer me all the above.

I look forward to your reply and hope that finally my long search for the answer to my above question ends here.

Don't think your specifications will be matched by any one device, Floppy do cable and sat cards although they are connected by firewire, digital everywhere - FloppyDTV
They have a CI slot for CAMs (both cable and satellite) you can use more than one and daisy chain them with the firewire connection, maybe post in the satellite section for more info on the satellite one, I do know the tuners are good (quality), don't really know about the internet side.

[C64]

He needs PCI mate.

[marangos_1]

Thanks Witchy2k1.
The reason I need a card that can do the following for me is because I am working on a particular project. One of the features that are essential to what I am working on is being able to provide satellite tv as an option if needed. Not freeview but a satellite system that when hooked up to the dish can provide me with the option to virtually receive any channels I want as long as I have the appropriate card to decode the scrambled signal. The internet through the dish as an option via the card is not really that important, so can be excluded if this means that quality will be downgraded as the modern PCI cards dont really have this as a feature. I know you might say why don't you just get a box, but because of the project I am working on this is not an option. A few things I have to take into account is space available (15cm height to work with give or take a little). Money is not an issue and what is important is that the quality of the card is the best available and can provide me with all the new features that the most modern cards can provide. By the way, you said that internet via satellite is shit. Please explain why you say this?

Cheers m8 n by the way Happy New Year!

[C64]

you said that internet via satellite is shit. Please explain why you say this?

Biggest problem is latency mate.

If you are just surfing and doing emails etc then that's fine, but if you want to play games online the lag is incredible (unplayable) VoIP is also practically impossible

You share the bandwidth with hundreds - possibly thousands of other subscribers, download speeds can be as slow as 30Kb/s at peek times.

You still need to have your PC connected to a telephone line to send data, your requests don't go via the dish, that is only for recieving data - there are devices which will allow you to broadcast directly from your dish to the satellite but is very expensive.

[marangos_1]

Originally posted by Witchy2k1

You stated that there are devices which will allow you to broadcast directly from your dish to the satellite but that they are very expensive.

Can you please tell me what kind of devices and the price we are looking at. As I said before price is not really an issue as long as the quality is second to none. You sound like you know your stuff so some advice would be very much appreciated.

Cheers mate

In regards to the Technotrend pci skystar 1 Rev 1.5 with the seperate ci board for ?70 John thanks for the offer but I am looking for the newest most cutting edge technology at this stage.

[Mackem]

He needs PCI mate.

I'd seen that M8, @marangos_1 is there a reason why it has to be PCI?, most modern motherboards have firewire connectors.

[marangos_1]

Hi Mackem

Firewire is good mate if that can be done. Im not too familiar with what is available now as it has been a while since I have done anything like this. Hence this is why I need some good advice from anyone that knows there stuff. If you have got any suggestions about the firewire flex then could you please explain what you have got in mind. Please take into account though that I don't want anything connected externally. It has all got to be internal. If you mean connecting it to the firewire slot on the actual mobo, yes it can be connected but, I can't see how that is really feasible considering I need everything on the inside. If i'm wrong dont hesitate to correct me.

Cheers mate

[Mackem]

Hi maragos_1, got you (everything connected internally) I use a FloppyDTV C/CI card for cable, it connects to the firewire on the motherboard, it sits in a PCI, PCI-Express, AGP or empty slot (not connects sits). You can connect additional cards to the first, as there is repeater firewire connections on every card. I have it working with windows mediacentre with a CAM and card which I suppose is top of the range in quality, like I said before these tuners are very good.

[marangos_1]

Thanks Mackem for the advice....
So do you recommend this or do you know of anything else that is even better that you would go for?

[Mackem]

Thanks Mackem for the advice....
So do you recommend this or do you know of anything else that is even better that you would go for?

Yes I reccomend it,

9.bmp

The file size limit restricts me from showing the quality.

[marangos_1]

Cheers mate!