Recording and watching uses roughly the same amounts of system resources. In order to view it the stream already exists, recording just writes it to disk instead of deleting it. I answered how long I had it in one of my previous posts.t I've had it for two years (bought it new), although it hasn't had much use.
Where'd you find it for $140? Cheapest I could find it on pricespy is $168.
Tell me what you think it's worth, but I'm not desperate to sell it.
I found it for 140.00 brand new on TradeMe. But the guy specified pick-up only on the auction and the location is yonks away from me. I also found it for 168.00 at PlayTech. I think it would be worth buying new, as I don't know what the general Lifespan of a TV card is.
Fair enough. I've had a TV card die on me before (capacitor exploded), although it was a no-name brand, in a very hot computer and lasted 5 years anyway.
Have a look at the HVR-4000 as well. The only difference (I think) is that it supports DVB-S2 as well as DVB-S. Won't make any difference at the moment (unless you've got a dish aimed at some foreign satellites) but if the price difference is minimal it might be worth futureproofing.
The 4000 model is around 230 to 250 dollars...So i think I will stick to my guns with the 3000. Thank you for recommending it! Now I know I am buying quality.
As for the actual STB...I am buying an STB from Freeviewshop.co.nz and have been given the choice between a Globlo 4100C or a Satlink 2800. Which one if your opinion would be the better choice, or are they relativity the same.
Also, is it possible to connect one STB to two TV's? I've seen it done with sky, but not sure about the Freeview STBs (I know only one channel will be displayed on both at the same time on each TV)
If you're getting them for the prices on the freeviewshop website, I'd suggest you don't. Neither of those are particularly good brands (never heard of Globlo, think I've used a Satlink once). I've bought 3 used STB's from trademe for between $50 and $80 and all are working well (actually, I can sell you one or two of those as well, only use one these days). If you read this in time, this one's a good option: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=255268549
Whether you can connect one STB to two TV's depends on the type of connection you want to use. With a composite/S-Video/RGB/component connection, it should be possible with a double adaptor. You'll get mismatched impedance but it should still work. If you want to attach it inline with the Sky boxes on the antenna feed then make sure the set top box has an RF modulator. If the STB is next to the TV though, there's no real reason to use this option.
Trademe has a separate category for satellite receivers at http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/TVs/Satellite-receivers/mcat-0124-0060-7088-.htm . I'm more than happy to sell you mine (I'd probably put them on trademe soon anyway) but there are some cheap receivers there as well. Freeviewshop's definitely not the cheapest place to buy. I don't see why you'd pay $120 for a no-name brand STB when you can get them for $60 off trademe.
I have 3 receivers, willing to sell any/all of them. Bought all 3 second hand. All 3 have RF modulators if you want to connect them to your existing system.
One's a DSE 7500. It's Freeview approved (so it receives programming updates automatically) but I don't have the original remote for it. I have a universal remote which can control the basic functions (change channel, volume) but that's it. I'll sell the STB, 3RCA-3RCA cable and universal remote for $50.
Second's an old Zinwell ZDX-7000FTA. It's a rather old model and the interface is a bit slow, but works fine. You'll need to select Optus B1 instead of D1 though. It also has a CI card reader slot, so if you happen to have a dish pointed at C1 and an Optus Aurora card you'll be able to pick those channels up. The guy I bought it from was a heavy smoker and it had a bit of a smell to it, but it's mostly gone. I'll sell the STB, remote and 3RCA-3RCA cable for $40.
Third's a Digistar DSS-810U. This one's capable of recording and playing back programs to a USB drive, as well as playing back various formats (including DivX). It's the one I still use (although not that often, since my parents have MySky HDi now) so would want at least $80 for that, the remote and cable. It also has a mini-CD with some games it can run off a USB drive.
I also have some RG6 cable (about 60m left) if you need it but I'm unsure about the quality. It's working fine for me, but you might want to go for a brand name cable.
Well it turns out there is a special on a multi-satellite receiver for 75 dollars on TradeMe here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=256779714
And there is a brand new dish kit at 100 bucks here: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=255709777
Good deals? The sooner I can get this thing running the better. Is a 75cm dish enough for Freeview. I was looking at 90cm dishes before.
They're all multi-satellite receivers, if set up correctly. Set up correctly means connected to multiple LNB's with an appropriate multi-switch setup or a motorised dish. A motorised dish or advanced setup might use DiSEqC but most STB's have support for that as well. The first ad you link to, they don't even give you a model number, and $75 isn't a particularly good price for a STB on trademe. "Multi-Satellite support" is something just about every STB out there has. It does appear to have a card reader, so it might be worth the price (if you have any use for that) but I'd confirm the model number and whether it's a CI card reader first.
I see no reason to get a separate dish. Freeview runs on the same satellite and polarisation as Sky. I imagine you have a 1-input, 3-output splitter? If it's unpowered, you should be able to get a 5-7 output splitter to replace it pretty cheap. Upload a photo of the current splitter used, and any markings on it.
I can't really comment on that dish. I just put a splitter inline with our Sky feed and ran RG6 from there.
50m is probably too long for an unamplified signal, although it might work with high-quality cable. You could try using an amplifier, or set up an HTPC server near the splitter and some HTPC clients where you're going to be watching, but a separate dish is probably be the best solution.
75cm is probably enough for Optus D1, but you are likely to occasionally (a few times a year) get rainfade. Again, I've never used one so don't value my opinion too highly on this.
Well the recommended dish for freeview is 60cm - 65cm and Sky dishes out 60's I think. (pun intended :P ). So I should be fine.
I can get a 90cm dish with LNB and mount for 99 dollars or a 75cm dish with sat finder, mount and LNB. Sounds like the better one to go for.
I'll need an 8 way splitter in case I want to add more TV's to the house, 1 STB so far and a 10m, 15m and 30m cable. I take it I won't need a booster to run 30m of cable, right?
30m should be doable, but I'd pay a premium and make sure you're getting high quality cable. I'm using really cheap cable ($50 on trademe for 100m) but all my distances are under 10m.
Try making a new thread and asking for advice specifically on that question.
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