TV Card and DirectTV

[rubic]

I'm looking for a TV card that will work as a PVR with my DirectTV. From what I can tell the majority of the top cards (ATI TV Wonder, Leadtech, Hauppauge, etc) mention that they work with cable TV but I'm not sure if they work with Satellite.

Has anybody used Satellite with their TV card and how does it work (i.e. does it automatically change channels properly)?

[neo_18]

i think a TV card will work with DSS. but you would have to have a cable coming right from the IRD to the TV card in the computer. i know sum IRD's only have one set of outputs but the TV cards run off the cable wire and not off A/V cables. so if you use the A/V outputs for your tv then your cable hookup in the back of the IRD would be free and you could just run the cable to the IRD and hook it up to the TV card. i know i could make it work with my IRD i have in my basement coz i have 2 sets of AV hookups and 2 cable hookups in the back of my Philips IRD. but i have not tryed this but it is sumin i have bin thinking about doing for sumtime. you could always just get the tv card, try hooking it up. and if it does not work, then take it back.

[DaddyB]

Yeah what he said.

Most if not all TV cards DO NOT have digital decoders and even if they did it would have to be the same format as your digital cable to decode it. So you cant just connect your cable to the TV card and get the digital channels, you can however do that and get the regular (analog) cable channels. My box has a coaxial cable out, S-video out and RCA outs; so for example I can connect the Svideo to the TV and the RCA's (or coaxial out) to the TV card (as said above).

The problem with doing that is that your TV card will only get the signal for whatever channel the cable box is on, your TV will not be able to change channels, it will always have to be on channel 3 (or video in if you use RCAs) and can only record the channel the cable box has on.

My cable box will allow me to set a timer to turn itself on and goto a certain channel at a certain time, so I can just set my TV card to record at that time and it records but its not ideal since you have to set up two timers.

[Boomstick]

Yeah DaddyB is correct. You would have to use the satalite receiver to decode the stream. Decoding the signal on your computer would be illegal.
You should just call up DirecTV customer retention (1-800-600-8977) and get them to give you a TiVo or at least a discount. Yeah it $5/month, but it's worth it IMO. It's the only text based PVR that I know of. Meaning that you enter the text of what you're looking for verses a time slot/vcr replacement.

[neo_18]

Decoding the signal on your computer would be illegal???


LOL News to me :D ... JK.. but you got to love daves Free TV. but P3 cards are down. BUT soon The P4/D5 will be hacked for Card Testing :D

Feel The Joy:cool:

[Mr.Radar]

I remember that the AiW Radeon 8500DV could decode digital satalite. ATI doesn't make it anymore but you should be able to find some places that have some.

[DaddyB]

I have an AIW 8500dv, they do not decode digital TV. They have a digital tuner, meaning that its a silicon chip rather then PCBs and whatnot. The digital tuner was supposed to change channels faster but ATi decided it ran too hot and returned to the analog tuner with the newer cards.

[v1k]

Decoding the signal on your PC could get you in trouble (mainly because there are no legal ways to do this).

There isn't a DVB card available that can decode DirectTV (DishNetwork is a different story). Your IRD has to decode, and your card would just display it.

Anyway, there is no difference between the output from a cable receiver and a satellite receiver as far as a TV card is concerned.