Best USB FTA for Laptop or PC?

[patbelcher]

In your opinion, what is your opinion for the best performing usb fta for laptop or PC? Starbox any goog? Match Box Pro?
Thanks in advance for your input!
Pat

 

[Anole]

If you get either for free, go ahead and try them.
I have an old USB Starbox.
For comments on it, search the model and my name.

Today, I'd get something more current.
Something that does S2, for instance.
And I bow to the guys running S2, for which is better.
I've not kept up.

 

[B.J.]

I bought one of the "old" Starbox receivers too, and found it extremely insensitive. I could only get the stronger transponders. Comparing it to other PC receivers and STBs, it would only lock about 50% of the transponders, using the same coax to the dish/lnb. I could have lived with that, but the big killer for me was that it wasn't compatable with Tsreader. I used my Starbox for a couple weeks, then disconnected it, and never used it again.

EDIT: Forgot to add that I think the "old" Starbox was USB-1, and I think the newer ones were USB-2. Not sure that there was any difference in the actual receiver, but after my bad experience with the "old" version, I wasn't about to spend more $s on what might be the same deaf receiver.

 

[melgarga]

Is usb-2 fast enough for S2/HD data processing? I avoided usb DVB for that reason, although, I dont know that it is valid reasoning. I too didnt want to make the cash outlay only to be disappointed in any peformance loss over PCI. A reliable, good performing S2 compliant USB box would be the bomb! Is there such an animal?

 

[dunnsept]

I have a TechnoTrend 3600 USB. It does S2 just fine (so far) and even though it lists a max SR as 30msps, I've locked channels that were above that (altho not by much, 32,something)
I've watched quite a few HD channels (both S and S2) and haven't had any problems with it (at least nothing above and beyond what others report about locking S2 signals)

now, I can't compare it to anything else, as I don't have anything else. But if you have specific questions or would like info about this particular unit, ask away.

I can't remember exactly what feed I watched, nor would I be allowed to post it here anyway, but it was full 1080P and AC3 and worked just fine on my Dell XPS laptop.
I think audio was a few meg/sec and video stream was just under 30.

like I said, if you want to know something specific to this model, let me know and I'll check it when I get home (except tonight that is, have class and then a school board meeting)

 

[melgarga]

What are the specs on your Dell?
Have you tried/been successful using PVR functions for SD and HD?
Is it TSreader compatable?

 

[dunnsept]

uhm lessee... it's an XPS 1330, core2duo, 4gig ram, 320gig HD. (dont remember proc speed 2.3~2.4 somewhere in that range)
PVR works great. I've recorded both SD and HD using DVBviewer. and I've recorded in both .ts and .mpg formats.. I have a couple episodes of Emergency! recorded and I have some nascar and World Fishing stuff in HD recorded.

I've not used TSreader on there, I went straight to DVBViewer

 

[melgarga]

Definately not your garden variety grandma's pc.........lol
I've only got one ~2.3-2.4ghz box [tower] and a 1.9ghz amd64 [tower] and a 1.6ghz laptop(PIII). None are dual core, the 2.x has 1 gig ram the others are 768 and 500 meg. I doubt it is enough horspower for HD, but the 2.4 does fair with the pci card on SD, but it is processor cycle/memory hugry and you cant do much else, especially when recording. I havent messed with it for a while. PC DVB is a PITA to tweak out, for me at least.......
One day, when I get the time to ......yadi, yadi, yadi........I bet you know that tune as well.....

 

[dunnsept]

that dell was a great deal if you're looking for a new lappy.. $500 shipped.. but it's only a 13" display. (was made to compete with the 13 inch macbooks)
nice thing on the XPS tho is that it has HDMI out. I have a 24" 1080P monitor that also has HDMI.. kinda like HTPC .. or HTlaptop ;-)
my _other_ PC is the garden variety grandma PC.. AMD 1ghz, 786meg ram.. it couldn't run any of this stuff and hasn't even been turned on in ages. but I'm currently building an HTPC and will scavenge parts out of it

 

[Stefan]

If you buy the tt3600 you'll regret it. I speak from experience here. It has a serious limitation with regard to high data rate feeds.

I have a TechnoTrend 3600 USB. It does S2 just fine (so far) and even though it lists a max SR as 30msps, I've locked channels that were above that (altho not by much, 32,something)

That's because it's a data rate limitation and not a symbol rate limitation. That means the modulation comes into play. On a Qpsk feed you'll not encounter this limitation and will be able to lock Qpsk signals with high symbol rates fine. That's because QPSK delivers only 2/3 the data rate for the same symbol rate. Therefore locking high symbol rates on QPSK doesn't reach the limit. 8psk is a different story and that's where the TT3600 sucks. Many DVB-S2 feeds are 8psk and have symbol rates above 25.000 MS/sec. You can forget about those if you get a TT3600 as the data rate is too high and the TT3600 can't handle it.