TV touble

[Just17]

One advantage of the USB stick - again as I understand it  (where DTT is concerned in my case)  - is that all the channels from a transponder are available to the OS, and thus all of them can be made available simultaneously enabling one to view one channel while recording another .........  or indeed play as many channels as the PC resources allow.

At least to some extent this is possible with an internal card too. I can simultaneously record any number of commercial broadcasts while watching one, and I can record several broadcasts from our national radio and television company while watching another one (and I suppose I could watch several programs simultaneously too). But I can't watch a broadcast from a commercial station while I record a national one or vice versa. They are on separate multiplexes.

Thanks for that info BB ....  is it the case that the decoding is done on the PC and not the card, just as with the USB devices?


Yes a dual tuner card would be needed to tune into two muxes ..... or even two single cards/USB devices/or one of each 

[Bald Brick]

is it the case that the decoding is done on the PC and not the card, just as with the USB devices?

I have no idea (but I strongly suspect it is).

[Just17]

is it the case that the decoding is done on the PC and not the card, just as with the USB devices?

I have no idea (but I strongly suspect it is).

Could you possibly post the details of the card?

If similar was available for my locale I would consider purchasing (depending on price of course  )

[uggy]

Just18

I can only comment on my experience of dual-tuner usb (Kworld UB499-2T T09(IT9137).
Not worth the extra for dual capability. Paid under £20.00 locally. Single tuners cheaper.

Yes can record more than 1 ch at a time, but if on different frequencies, will lock-up at the drop of a hat

Using M$ software could only record 1 mpx. Using Kaffeine on PClos have recorded 7 at the same time

uggy

[Just17]

Just18

I can only comment on my experience of dual-tuner usb (Kworld UB499-2T T09(IT9137).
Not worth the extra for dual capability. Paid under £20.00 locally. Single tuners cheaper.

Yes can record more than 1 ch at a time, but if on different frequencies, will lock-up at the drop of a hat

Using M$ software could only record 1 mpx. Using Kaffeine on PClos have recorded 7 at the same time

uggy

If you had a requirement to display/record channels from two different muxes (frequencies) then the dual seems to be a good solution. Else two singles .....  which to my way of thinking would probably be better .....  more redundancy in two separate devices.

Yet you seem to say that the dual device locked up when recording from two different muxes .......  that does surprise me ..... as it is what they are allegedly designed to do.
 Did I understand correctly ?

[uggy]

Yes, think two singles would be better.

When I said lock-up, this was on Xp & Vista with supplied s/w 

uggy

[Just17]

Yes, think two singles would be better.

When I said lock-up, this was on Xp & Vista with supplied s/w 

uggy

Hahaha .....  that's OK then 

In some situations needing two USB ports and an aerial splitter for two devices would be cumbersome, so the dual would be better there.

TBH, the devices are so cheap that they encourage us to get one even if not really required 

[Bald Brick]

Could you possibly post the details of the card?

It's an old Terratec Cinergy, no longer supported. (I told you it was on its third computer.) But it still works well.

PCC tells me this:

Identification
Vendor: ‎Philips Semiconductors
Description: ‎SAA7146
Media class: ‎Multimedia controller
Connection
Bus: ‎PCI
PCI domain: ‎0
Bus PCI #: ‎4
PCI device #: ‎6
PCI function #: ‎0
PCI revision: ‎0x01
Vendor ID: ‎0x1131
Device ID: ‎0x7146
Sub vendor ID: ‎0x153b
Sub device ID: ‎0x1156
Misc
Module: ‎snd_aw2

I moved six years ago and the documentation of this card wasn't one of the things I absolutely had to save. My point when mentioning it was really that I don't trust Hauppauge on Linux ...

[Just17]

Thanks for the info BB ......  gives me something to search for ...... so I might be able to find something similar   

[david1958]

Im glad i got this thread started. We can all gain a little knowledge on this one.
david

[parnote]

I realise there is a difference between the broadcasting systems (there Vs here), but I have seen the USB sticks advertised for North America also.

This is an example .....  very similar to one I bought some time ago, and use daily .....

http://tinyurl.com/ctru22x

I have not come across an internal card for similar money here.

regards.

The price range HERE for internal tuner cards ranges from $20 to $200. Of course, the old adage "you get what you pay for" definitely applies. USB tuner sticks can be had from around $20 to around $100.

I don't know if it's a "Linux thing" or not, but I have MUCH better success with the PCI tuner cards. The PCIe cards (in my limited experience with them) have not performed very well. I have a Hauppage (I forget the exact model) in my new computer. But, because a) v4l2 does not recognize the card, and b) only MythTV recognizes the card (and at that, only with digital HDTV signals ... analog signals are NOT displayable), I've taken my old ATI TV Wonder Pro out of my old computer and gave it a new home in a PCI slot in my new computer. It works like a champ, as it always has. Can I record the newer, crisper, clearer HDTV signals with it? Nope. But then I'm ok with that.

Fear of pouring money down the drain has kept me from buying (or otherwise investigating) USB tuner sticks. But I do like the portability it provides by allowing you to move it from computer to computer.

parnote

[Just17]

Analogue TV signals are being switched off in Europe and replaced by DTT only, so most of the old analogue cards are being dumped for peanuts. October 24 is the date of switch off here.
Most (if not all?) of Europe now has DTT, so there is no use buying an analogue device for TV reception.
Aus is also well on the way to complete switching to DTT, as I understand it. Not sure about other locations.

dvb is used on the PC in place of v4l2 for DTT.

The cheapest, by far, DTT compatible device, is the USB, at least at present.
Maybe the cards will drop a lot, but I doubt it. To be of any use they would need to be MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compatible, as well as being capable of decoding full HD.
I think their days are numbered, except for the higher-end cards, or maybe the real low-end cards that have no decoders on board and just pass the mux straight through to the OS, as the USB devices do.

regards

[parnote]

Analogue TV signals are being switched off in Europe and replaced by DTT only, so most of the old analogue cards are being dumped for peanuts. October 24 is the date of switch off here.
Most (if not all?) of Europe now has DTT, so there is no use buying an analogue device for TV reception.
Aus is also well on the way to complete switching to DTT, as I understand it. Not sure about other locations.

The same has happened over here. Fortunately, I have two of the digital>analog converter boxes. Also, since I have Comcast cable services, they sent me out two free converter boxes for use with their cable signals, after they revamped their equipment to almost all digital. The converter boxes are really nothing more than a digital > analog converter box. They output an analog signal that feeds perfectly into my ATI TV Wonder Pro card. I like those converter boxes especially, since they are really small (not much bigger than a pack of playing cards). I have the one at my desktop computer desk attached to the inside part of the desk, held in place with self-adhesive velcro strips.

dvb is used on the PC in place of v4l2 for DTT.

I'll definitely take a look at that. Here's the funny thing ... the PCIe Hauppage card in my new desktop computer is listed in PCC Hardware Info as being seen by v4l2, with no mention of dvb.

[david1958]

The 1250 turner card I got is for analog/digital so i had or have no problem. Some of the older cards are just for analog but the one I got is for both. my friend bought one and it was just for analog so he gave up. I also told him about the convertor box but dont you have to change the channels with the digital convertor box? I dont have to do that with mine, I can switch channels on the kaffiene viewer. Only thing that will not work thru linux is the remote for the 1250 tuner card under linux so at 1 time we would have to do the manual change. Then I went out and bought a 25.00 wireless keyboard and mouse and I can change the channels thru the wireless keyboard.
David

[Just17]

dvb is used on the PC in place of v4l2 for DTT.

I'll definitely take a look at that. Here's the funny thing ... the PCIe Hauppage card in my new desktop computer is listed in PCC Hardware Info as being seen by v4l2, with no mention of dvb.

Probably because it is doing the converting on the card and issuing a video signal to the PC which is handled by v4l2.

If you have a card with a built-in hardware MPEG-decoder the drivers create a video device (/dev/video0) which you can use to watch TV using v4l2.


Broadcast signals are handled by dvb, as I understand it.