Thread: Linux FAQ about DVB-S QPSK DVB-S2 8PSK PCI PCIe USB adapters

Ok, post your questions here and I'll try to consolidate them into an FAQ about Linux and DVB in general.

There have been a few threads on Linux and DVB, but I'm hoping we can consolidate a lot of useful information into this one.


What is the BEST card for Linux?

Asked:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/free-air...linux-use.html

Answered:
Best is subjective, it really depends on what you want to accomplish with the card. What kind of computer you have also plays a significant role in the question since the card needs to be hooked up somehow. PCI, PCI Express, USB are all ways to connect and your options are limited by what your computer supports.

With any hardware and Linux one of the key factors is driver support. Without any driver support, or without reliable driver support, you will not be able to use the card under Linux. Once you have narrowed your selections to those cards with good driver support you need to think about what software you'll be running on Linux to access the card and confirm that software supports your choices.

DVB-S/QPSK cards are well supported under Linux, depending on the card, but DVB-S2/8PSK support is still limited. If you want a reliable hardware & software combination you should consider using a DVB-S/QPSK card initially until you're more experienced and willing to get your hands dirty with Linux. If you're looking at using Linux just to have access to DVB-S2/8PSK feeds, you should realize from the beginning that you most likley won't be just installing a polished Linux distribution and adding DVB support. You'll be checking source code out of repositories, applying patches, compiling and installing it, debugging driver issues, etc. It is not for the person new to Linux as it can already be frustrating trying to get supported cards up and running under Linux, nevermind the bleeding edge.

My current recommendation would be to consider the Twinhan 1020a PCI card, available online (search: Twinhan 1020a) for around $55 and supported under Linux and Windows. The Twinhan 1020a is also a supported card with TSReader, a great Windows application for looking at DVB/DSS information in great detail. Make sure you get the normal size one, not the low profile model. The normal size, original Twinhan 1020a supports DVB (FTA & DishNetwork) and DSS (DirecTV) standards which can be very interesting with TSReader.

I also recommend the Geniatech Digistar (search: Geniatech DVB PCI) which is available for around $50. I'm am using this card with Linux and MythTV and it is working for me. I have used this card a lot more under Linux than the Twinhan, but since the Twinhan has DSS and TSReader support I would recommend it over the Geniatech at this point.


More questions to follow, including:
What's the best Linux distro for DVB?
What software should I use with Linux?
How many tuners can I have under Linux?
And of course YOUR questions. Post away.

Great stuff Thanks

I gave up a while ago trying to get AMC 21 to tune with MythTV, I must get around to having another go at it.

One problem I found was that most of the "How To" guides are written by hackers and go into a great detail about stuff that isn't really needed or doesn't work on our Sats.
It leaves this Linux beginner confused.

By the way I have a Twinhan 102g card it seems well supported under Linux using MythTV and Kaffiene

Good idea. Couple of suggestions:

1. I have an old box that I want to use for experiments with DVB cards. What minimum requirements do I need?
2. Manufacturers such as Skystar produce various models of DVB cards, which is best for my box? E.g. Skystar produces a II and an HD model. The II appears to handle HD just fine. The HD model is about twice the price of the II, so under what circumstances do I need to go for the more expensive model?

gillham
Thanks for starting this great topic. May be we also need Windows Sat FAQ too. Especially now, when WMC 7 reportedly now supports DVB-S2. Please give as much detail info as you know about setting up a DVB-S/S2 PCI / PCI-E card under Linux. If some newbies can't understand it on a first run, they'll come back later, when actually trying to use the card, not just considering buying it.

I also have some questions:

Will speed limitations of PCI bus create a problem with watching or recording DVB-S2 MPEG4 channels? Or with using a dual tuner DVB-S2 card?

How these cards interact with onboard H.264 Decoder Chip of graphics cards? What sat software and graphics cards models are better suited to work jointly with DVB-S2 sat cards for decoding MPEG2/4 in hardware instead of using the PC Proc?

Is it possible to record a received Mpeg4 sat signal to file? In what format or container - .ts ? Or directly from graphics card MPEG decoder - again in what format?

What are the best links & forum sites on the topic? I think that a myth of complexity using Sat Cards compare to receivers is mostly caused by lack of systemic info in simple, compact and complete format, a DIY PC user can understand. Sat cards aren't that much harder to install and setup than any other PC components - anyway one has to go through some learning curve every time adding new components to a PC. But Newegg and NCIX don't usually complain about lack of customers...

Gillham, just to update where I'm at (my earlier thread you linked to), I've got a 1020a (PCI) on the way - expect it in sometime this week.
The PC is currently running Fedora 10 plus have the bulk of the rpmfusion packages added. Was trying to get an iSCSI target machine setup for the back-end storage, but, due to circumstances beyond my control, that was tabled until further notice.
Currently just have a single 500G SATA drive and plan to add a couple of 1T drives before long.
Also, as my luck would have it, my son nailed my 10ft dish with the tractor this weekend, so there's a step back.
Now working on getting the other 10' setup in it's place... yeesh - this never ends, does it?
ANYWAY,
Kaffeine and MythTV are both loaded and waiting to be tested with the 1020 - any other software options I should look for?

Thanks for doing this! I'm running Ubuntu, and VLC is playing anything I throw at it with my Twinhan 102g -- 420, 4:2:2, HD, and I'll need to wait for a 4:2:2 HD feed to see if it can handle that.

As for Myth, it drove me nuts when I used it -- sometimes programs would work, sometimes not. Sometimes schedules would show up, sometimes I'd need to reboot and reconnect multiple times. Recording was a crapshoot, I'd usually get a random error and then other times it'd work.

What about playing H.264 encoded TS files? Can you do it using your Graphics Card H.264 Decoder Chip to unload the proc? Do you use any extra soft for this?

Haven't tried VLC. Have to give it a go once I get the TwinHan in...

What are the differences between the Twinhan 1020a and 102g? I want to buy one soon, but not sure which one to get...

I have a Viewsat Ultra Lite, but it doesn't support AC3 or HD. I already have a home theater PC (running Ubuntu 8.10) behind my TV so I figured I might as well get one of these PCI receivers.