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Dvb Information

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DVB is very similar to PCTV. They use virtually the same boards with the exception of the addition of the input for the dish.

The higher priced boards also have a TV out and Audio out to allow you to send the signals to a conventional TV set.

There is a growing interest in these boards for some reason or another, the most likley it is a hope that they can be used with a N2 hack.
While the computer used does not have to be particularily new or powerful the can be used with them.

It differs from conventional hacking and FTA in that it requires NO IRD OR CARDS.

The entire system, like a FTA is self contained in the board.
But like conventional emulators it uses computer processing to decript the signal.

A DVB-S PCI card is a complete satellite receiver built onto a PCI card that you can install in an open PCI slot in your Windows based computer (if you have a Mac you are SOL). They do work and they work quite well once you get the software set up properly. The currently available software is still in it's developmental stages and is a little crude in many ways. Also, at this point the available software is not very intuitive and the setup is not at all self-explanatory, but things are improving rapidly. A plus is that most of the available software is freeware, but as such, none of them are very well documented.
Also be advised that at this point, a Computer/Windows/DVB-S card setup does not perfectly emulate the functions of an IRD. But, if you are into Linux, the available Linux software comes very close.
Inexperienced computer/software users should stay away from DVB-S PCI cards. DBV-S cards are more useful to the satellite hobbiest/tester than the casual free TV viewer. Anyone interested in DVB-S PCI cards needs to do a lot of reading and should include the

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HDTV - There are seveal limitations here, HDTV signal requires considerable horsepower to decode and display. I cannot currently direct-view either due to software or hardware limitations(p4 2.26ghz on 533fsb, 1gb ram gf4 ti4200 128mb). I do not believe this is a permanent issue I think at some point I will have HDTV working on my setup either through software fixes or through better tuning of my configuration on my part. I can however record and replay hdtv programming at this point. Another limitation is Dishnetwork new standard for broadcast known as 8psk no card currently avilable can tune and display this broadcast standard