Need replacement DVB-S2 card - recommendations?

[samf88]

Hi everyone.

 

I've been a very happy user of DVBViewer for about 8 years now. Up until now I've been using a TechnoTrend TT-budget S2-3200 PCI card to receive satellite signals - which has been working perfectly. I'm now in a position where I need to upgrade my CPU/motherboard/RAM which means I'm going to be losing the PCI port. It doesn't seem like TechnoTrend makes PCI-E tuners, so I was looking at a TBS 6902 card but some of the reviews indicate there are problems with drivers. I was also looking at the possibility of a PCI>PCI-E converter from StarTech, which seems like a really stupid idea but may be the cheapest/safest option. I will be using DVBViewer with Windows 10 on the upgraded system, so I need a card that is proven to work as well as the TT has done. I don't think it makes a difference but I am in the UK and will only be using 28.2E satellites. I technically only need 1 tuner, but I'm not opposed to a dual/quad card. If anyone can suggest a decent solution to my problem then I'm all ears. Thanks!

[Griga]

You may want to have a look at the Digital Devices PCIe twin tuner card DD Cine S2. It's a German product, known as reliable, and there is a close cooperation between this company and DVBViewer developers.

 

[samf88]

Perfect - thank you so much for the recommendation!

 

That one is a tiny bit out of my price range (which, to be fair, I didn't state in my original post) and doesn't seem to be sold anywhere else cheaper (not even second hand on eBay), which is disappointing. Will definitely keep it in mind if I can't find a more affordable alternative though. I was hoping for around £80 based on the TBS 6902 pricing.

Edited December 1, 2019 by samf88

[Griga]

My second choice would be a DVBSky device. A DVBSky S960C USB proved to work well here (also for Astra 28.2° East) with DVBViewer under Windows 7. If you don't need a CI for decryption, a S960 will do. It costs about 60 € on Amazon.

 

[samf88]

Interesting. I had ruled out USB devices because it's extra clutter and yet another power socket (I already have 12 things plugged in to a server power strip behind my desk). Are DVBSky products rated well? Just looking at the DVBSky S952 PCIe dual tuner for £64.90 on Amazon and that sounds really reasonable. Any idea if it works as well as the TechnoTrend card in a Win10/DVBViewer system?

 

Alternatively the T9580 which has a single DVB-S2 tuner but also a DVB-T2 tuner could be an option, as it's possible I could move somewhere in the future where I'm unable to install a satellite dish.

Edited December 1, 2019 by samf88

[Griga]

2 hours ago, samf88 said:

Are DVBSky products rated well?

 

Well, check it on Amazon, search this forum for DVBSky (ask Google for site:dvbviewer.tv DVBSky)... my experience with DVBSky is good, but I only tried USB devices up to now and not under Windows 10. Besides that, there are only few trouble reports about DVBSky in this forum (compared to TBS).

 

However, DVBSky is a Chinese company. I wouldn't expect much support in case of trouble (that's something you pay for if you buy Digital Devices. If necessary they check with TeamViewer what's wrong in your PC). I haven't seen new devices from DVBSky in recent years and there are rumours that they are not developing anymore. Nowadays Windows 10 feature updates may disable your hardware at any time, and without a new driver you may be lost...

 

Another company that may be worth checking out is Hauppauge, if you prefer a western company. AFAIK they are well represented in the UK market. I have a Hauppauge Nova S2 HD PCI card  that I'm using for Astra 28,2° East receptions under Windows XP and 7 since many years without serious trouble. There are minor downsides (e.g. lame initialisation, takes some time until the first channel is played), but all considered it's a solid thing.

 

Anyway, you will not know if you have purchased the right card unless you have used it for some time... be prepared for a gamble

 

[samf88]

That would be disappointing if Windows 10 pushed an update where a good setup suddenly stopped working. ?

 

I had heard Hauppauge hardware has a reputation for pushing proprietary stuff, where you're locked into using their awful software, etc. Although this mustn't be the case given you've said the opposite.  I'll look into some of their stuff.

 

I think for now I might try and risk it with the cheap Chinese hardware... maybe I'll get it from Amazon in the hope that I can return it if it isn't fit for purpose.

 

Thanks for all the advice - it's much appreciated.

 

 

[Griga]

4 hours ago, samf88 said:

I had heard Hauppauge hardware has a reputation for pushing proprietary stuff, where you're locked into using their awful software

 

If Hauppauge provides a BDA driver for a device, it can be used with any DVB software (at least in theory).