ATSC/DSS/DVB card

[willie8605]

Does anyone know of a PCI card that tunes ATSC, DSS, and DVB-S/S2?

 

[Smith P.]

NOT EXIST

 

[willie8605]

Is there a reason why they don't exist or could it be done and no one has done it yet?

 

[Smith P.]

Try to find a card [ exclude well known TH1020a] what is support DSS, then you will get the reason.

 

[zamar23]

There are cards sold in Europe supporting DVB-S/S2/T. When it comes to NA market, sat cards makers consider it low volume supplementary, which usually doesn't justify product development costs, while requiring totally different from the rest of the world solutions. Card makers consider ATSC cards current sales volume very low for a combo card development, when stand alone solutions exist. On top CN companies often keep product costs low by cloning West European and US made cards, or at times simply re-branding extra production runs. If there's nothing to clone, given lower skills, risk of such investment is not justified. Some JV products start showing promising results, but again they're hesitant to invest in development of NA products, when NA companies don't do that.

 

[B.J.]

Does anyone know of a PCI card that tunes ATSC, DSS, and DVB-S/S2?

To add to what was replied above, you CAN just get 3 cards, one for each of the above. I have an Air2PC card for ATSC, a Twinhan 1020a for DVB-S and DSS, and a TT3200 for DVB-S2, and all three of these cards are controlled by the same program (TSREADER). Of course, this requires a computer with a lot of card slots, which in this day and age means you have to build the computer yourself, getting a motherboard with a lot of slots, and also getting a power supply capable of handling all those slots. I mistakenly got an insufficient power supply when I put mine together. I was fooled by peak ratings vs rms ratings), and found that there was excessive noise going up the coax, so that DiseqC didn't work well. Luckily that power supply burned up, and the more powerful one I replaced it with cured the DiseqC problems.

 

[willie8605]

I asked the question initially so I could see if there was a way around getting 3 cards . I already have a media PC behind my TV, which I did have to build. It has plenty of expansion slots and I already have a Twinhan 1020a and an ATSC tuner (Pinnacle Pro - USB) but I hate having that USB device hanging out of the computer with a big coax on it...it just doesn't look good.

Zamar, what you said makes sense, and I was thinking a similar thing, but I just can't believe it would be that hard to justify making a combined tuner card like this. Twinhan, for example, has cards that do ATSC, DVB-S, and DSS. Would it really be that hard to combine the technology they already use onto a single card? I guess they make more money by selling them individually, though...

A card like this would seem like a good 'total free TV solution' to help eliminate hunting for various pieces or hardware all over the internet and hoping you got the right stuff. If possible, I prefer buying one thing that does everything vs. 3 things that do different things. That is 3 times too much configuring if you ask me

 

[Smith P.]

You don't aware about technical issues when doing design of such combo cards; there are a lot of issues with voltage rails, noise, PCI bus load, etc. Add to that microscopic market of DSS support.
I have one PCIe card similar to your requested - LifeView , but no DSS and no DVB-S2 support.

 

[willie8605]

Well I guess for a 'total free TV solution' DSS wouldn't necessarily need to be supported. Mainly ATSC and DVS-S/S2. That card looks like it would do the job, at least until DVB-S2 becomes used more than DVB-S. But, unfortunately, it would still be cheaper to go the multiple devices route.

 

[zamar23]

I just can't believe it would be that hard to justify making a combined tuner card like this. Twinhan, for example, has cards that do ATSC, DVB-S, and DSS. Would it really be that hard to combine the technology they already use onto a single card?

When same question was asked to a Sat PC Card maker, who already tests DVB-S/S2/T card with a CAM unit, they referred to very slow ATSC Card sales. More: "NA Sat Card market looks dead. We develop only world products". On top: "Can you pinpoint any such product from NA, we can build upon?" Its a lot of very competent work to make it right. Often such investment gives very little in return, and larger players don't buy into it. Adding to that, they are also to blame for next gen. chipsets weak spots, when customers have trouble with a particular card unaware of reasons. And when they try to cut corners and make the price right, the cheap caps start popping up, half of 8 psk and S2 TPs can't be locked to due to dirty or insufficient power to chips, etc...Some Card makers have a habit: let Germans do the job, then we throw some (they think optional ) components away, re-brand drivers and make a cheap alternative. But now when TT went caput (sorry, changed hands), what they're going to do: wait. You have to be a lot more convincing $$$... wise to make them move on that. Only very small players - some say DVB-World is just one person enterprise with contract production runs - might be willing to take that risk.

 

[Larry1]

For ATSC, the HDHomeRun will save you a card slot as it is connected through eithernet. There are a variety of USB tuners available as well, just not one all in one product.