From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-path: Received: from mail.trendhosting.net ([195.8.117.5]:41163 "EHLO thp003.trendhosting.net" rhost-flags-OK-FAIL-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751215AbZAXLiZ (ORCPT ); Sat, 24 Jan 2009 06:38:25 -0500 Received: from mail.trendhosting.net (mail.trendhosting.net [195.8.117.7]) by thp003.trendhosting.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id CB9C0150C1 for ; Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:27:16 +0000 (GMT) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail.trendhosting.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5F8B3A95E7 for ; Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:28:09 +0000 (GMT) Received: from mail.trendhosting.net ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (th4.trendhosting.net [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with LMTP id Jbh0mRdGYhMX for ; Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:27:50 +0000 (GMT) Received: from [82.69.192.89] (82-69-192-89.dsl.in-addr.zen.co.uk [82.69.192.89]) by mail.trendhosting.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9DECCA95E6 for ; Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:27:50 +0000 (GMT) Message-ID: <497AFB36.90203@pocock.com.au> Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:27:50 +0000 From: Daniel Pocock MIME-Version: 1.0 To: linux-media@vger.kernel.org Subject: initial experiences with DVB-S Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-media-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: Hi, Consulting the DVB wiki, I found a lot more options for PCI than USB. Having a PC with few PCI slots (it has some of the PCIe slots instead), I prefer to avoid using anything in a PCI slot unless absolutely essential. I couldn't find a source to purchase any of the supported USB devices (The Pinnacle PCTV looked interesting, but the company appears to have been bought out by another vendor, and the link to purchase their product doesn't work), so I decided to try a Technotrend S-1500 in my PCI slot. The card worked immediately with the Debian lenny (amd64) kernel and the `scan' utility found all the channels, and xine worked immediately too. Now for the issues: - Any recommendation on a USB solution? What to buy, and where to buy it. - The Technotrend card causes a constant increase in the power usage - even when I'm not watching anything. This makes my PSU noisier, not good for a multi-media experience. Maybe the device list needs a column with info about power usage? In comparison, plugging in my DVB-T USB stick makes no noticeable difference in PSU fan noise. I wouldn't mind paying more for a solution without the noise issue. - I decided to try watching a HD channel with xine. Although the channel is picked up immediately, it either works erratically or crashes. xine warns about CPU usage. My PC has a Pentium D 940 (dual core), and while one core is being used at 100%, the other is at less than 20%. There is no other load on the CPU, other than xine. - Another HD issue - are all HD broadcasts in Dolby Digital 5.1, and do I need any extra config to benefit from it? When watching the channel I tested, my amp reported only 2 channels. My xine is correctly configured for 5.1 through my optical output (tested with DVDs) - Does the choice of video card make any difference? I'm currently using a Matrox P650 in a 16x PCIe slot. The TV-Out doesn't work (Matrox proprietary driver issue), a few people have suggested I try NVidia cards, but looking at their web site I see a lot of options. Regards, Daniel