Current Recommended TV-Tuner for FreeView Terrestial and Sky Digital with MediaPortal?

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Ramjet99

85 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#23084 17-Jun-2008 15:43

Hi,

can anyone advise a good current TV tuner card to use that will 'work' with Freeview Terrestrial and Sky Digital inputs? I have MediaPortal on my PC.

By work I mean that MediaPortal will be able to access the channels.

There's a lot of options so I'm interested in what choice you would make if you could choose a card today.

amphibem

138 posts

Master Geek

#138851 17-Jun-2008 22:08

Well I have put this out there a few times for people looking for a Freeview DVB-T+Analogue setup; I cannot but recommend basicaly what I have. I am using a Nova T 500 and PVR 150, they both work without issue in MP (I understand newer products like the HVR2200 are not perfect yet), and I can basically record as much TV as I want as I don't care about the Kordia channels (see http://www.mythtv.co.nz/mythtv/digital-tv for technicals on the Freeview service). Buying now though, i would replace the PVR150 with an HVR1700 as it is around the same price, low profile, PCIe and can be adapted to DVB-T if so demanded.

In your case you would have the NovaT for Freeview, and the HVR1700 Sky (and presumably record Prime off Sky if you want it). If your not fussed about dual DVB-T then just get a HVR2200, just confirm it is working properly first. For that matter I have no idea on the HVR1700 so that would need investigation. I am interested in what others may have to say.

My thoughts anyway.

Desktop: 5200 X2 - 3GB - 320GB - Nvidia 8600GT - Vista Home Premium - PVR150 - MediaPortal 1.0
My HTPC Blog - HTPCnz, the Home Theatre PC Resource

Ramjet99

85 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#138896 18-Jun-2008 08:34

Thanks Amphibem for the reply, Hauupage seems to be the way to go.

In doing some hunting these BlackGold really caught my eye too. 6 tuners on one low profile card!

http://shop.blackgold.tv/product/3540.html

I wonder if they would work in New Zealand?

amphibem

138 posts

Master Geek

#138899 18-Jun-2008 08:44

Wow thats sounds pretty cool. I see no reason it won't work in NZ, a digital card is simply reading a stream of bits to the hard drive and it takes software support to read the various codecs. So what works in the UK will work here. I wonder if there is a limit of how many of tuners can record at once, at least it is PCIe.

Good luck with your quest.

Desktop: 5200 X2 - 3GB - 320GB - Nvidia 8600GT - Vista Home Premium - PVR150 - MediaPortal 1.0
My HTPC Blog - HTPCnz, the Home Theatre PC Resource