Is it possible to get Optus Aurora working in WMC in NZ?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Is it possible to get Optus Aurora working in WMC in NZ?

berrys

225 posts

Master Geek

#95546 7-Jan-2012 14:04

Hi,

I have access to an Optus Aurora smartcard via my parents who are visiting soon and want to watch some aussie tv over here. I wanted to see if I could align my dish to optus c1 and use their smartcard to decrypt the channels...? I figure this might be possible as I've read some posts with people doing this with sky.

I currently have a a 90cm dish and quad ku band lnb fed into my HTPC running media center to pickup SBSHD and SBS 2. I would like to keep using wmc to view/record the channels.

I figure I'd need a smartcard reader, I'm looking at this:

http://www.buydvb.net/usb-smargo-smartcard-reader-plus_p26.html

Would this suit?

I also think I'd need some software to take the signal and decrypt it to then feed it into wmc....?

This is where I'm a bit lost and my basic pc skills desert me.... can anyone help?

Many thanks

KiwiTim

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#585133 22-Feb-2012 12:48

I have Optus Aurora Smartcard working with the WinTV-CI and WinTV Nova-S-Plus, using DVBViewer 4.9 (in W7 32bit).

http://www.hauppauge.eu/boutique_us/fiche_produit.cfm?ref=00228&type=10&code_lg=lg_us&num=0

You also need an Irdeto CAM

http://www.kristalelectronics.com/product_info.php?products_id=77

You need to be aiming your dish at Optus C1.

Only Channels are Channel 7 and SBS QSD.

Of course your smartcard needs to be registered with a QLD Remote & Central Region address.

To be honest, it's not worth the expense and bother as we can get SBS unencrypted on Optus D1 and Channel 7 programming is for the Neanderthal gene pool :)

Tim

mm1352000

1149 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#585274 22-Feb-2012 17:28

I find that having the different timezone "versions" of SBS available is sometimes useful for a bit more variety.

To be honest I wouldn't recommend the WinTV CI for a few reasons:

1. It can only be used to decrypt one channel at a time.
2. You can only have one per PC.
3. The driver isn't crash hot - on XP it used to use 20% CPU when it didn't have a CAM inserted.
4. It can only be used with Hauppauge tuners (well some other tuners might work, but that would be sheer luck).

Okay, so maybe some of those points are more relevant if you were considering a solution for more general use, however I thought I should at least say that there are better solutions available these days. The TBS 5980 springs to mind - about $175 NZD. It has a MC utility that enables it to function within WMC.

Having said that, generally speaking it sounds like you're leaning towards a softCAM solution (OSCAM, NewCS etc.). I'd probably recommend that if you're trying to do things on the cheap. CAMs that will work with Aurora are readily available, however compatibility with the various PC tuner CI solutions can be a bit of a lottery at times. A softCAM solution allows you to avoid potential problem with all the benefits of the best available CAM-based solutions.

mm

KiwiTim

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#585583 23-Feb-2012 10:28

I do agree with mm about the restrictions of using WinTV-CI, especially that only one tuner can use it at any one time. I have found it to be very stable in W7 32bit with DVBViewer 4.9 and don't have any problems with excess CPU usage. I did get it working with a Tevii S480 for a time, but it suddenly stopped functioning with the TeVii hardware. Still works fine with the Hauppauge tuners.

I tried to get the Aurora Card working with a Omnikey 3121, OSCAM 1.00 and ACamd 0.6.1.8, but got no joy there so moved back to the WinTV-CI (although that setup works fine with Sky).

Tim

berrys

225 posts

Master Geek

#585697 23-Feb-2012 13:34

Thanks for the replies guys - thought no one would respond.

I still haven't got around to playing with it. I don't have a hauppauge card, so will be going the smartcard reader route. A friend can let me borrow a smargo smartcard reader plus and I'll get the aurora card soon.

I'm looking at the softCAM stuff here and at xpmediacenter.com.au to get it running, but I'm just not understanding it.