Sky Star 2

Macy

Hi,

I've done a search, but that's just made me more confused (seems to be differing opinions in differing threads).

Can you video capture using a sky star 2 PC Card? Have a reasonably spec'd spare PC that I want to set up as a PVR. I already have an analogue TV Card which I've been using via the RF out of the dodgybox, but would prefer to be able to record direct from sat.

Probably a dumb ass question, but that's the way this working week has been so far....

mayto

you can record from the ss2 card alright.a few gigs for eack hour downloaded.really good value card.you will get one for less than 70 euro incl. delivery off german ebay.should include a remote control aswell.

watty

It's not video capture. It is even better. Since the Digital Satellite is already MPEG2 / AC3/MP2 etc, the PC simply copies the data stream from the card to the hard disk. Very little CPU overhead to rearrange the data slightly for MPEG file format (MPG) instead of broadcast stream (PVA). Older software did use PVA files. But all the free applications now record in mpg format.

There is no encoding or video capture involved. It is just a file transfer.

Playback is *SAME* quality as live


A 200G Byte disk is about 99 Euro even retail in PC World in Limerick.

Use NTFS disk format on NT4.0, Win2000 or Windows XP.

It is possible on Windows 98 SE FAT32 and also on NT4.0 NTFS, but really Win2000 or XP much better, much newer SW for Satellite cards is only Win2K/XP.

Set the application to segment files to 676M byte.

ProgDVB can play the files in one play list.

DVD creation Software and other programs inc DVD players can choke with a single big file. Actual DVDs (even 9G ones) do not have files bigger than 2G and typically each chapter may be a separate file.
I recommend ProgDVB for viewing and recording. I've tried about half adozen or more apps, free and paid over last 3 years and ProgDVB is best overall.

pH

Are the Skystar 1/2 or indeed any PCI based DVB-S card compatible with MCE 2005?

parasite

what is the cpu overhead for the skystar 2 as it doesn't have an mpeg2 decoder ?

watty

No difference for recording, only for playback or live viewing. For BBC it will be similar overhead to playing a decent commercial DVD. Some Graphics cards have MPEG2 acceleration which lowers CPU overhead.

A minimum of 400MHz CPU typically (Skystar1 or any card with its own MPEG DSP chip will work perfect on a 90Mhz).

A 600MHz is fairly perfect.

For HD video a very good P4 or better 1.8GHz with good graphics, or a more average 3.0 GHz PC.

My 933 MHz PIII can play a DVD (SW), display analog video from TV tuner card and display HW DSP Satellite DVB in three windows using about 75% CPU.

Playing a DVD in SW uses slightly less CPU than trying to view Analog TV at highest quality (deinterlaced 768 x 576 with adaptive BOB & Weave) .

If you have a 1.5GHz or higher I'd expect ordinary DVB-s viewing from satellite to be less than 25%.

very dependant on FSB, Memory architecture, Graphics card and CPU type rather than simple cpu clock speed

Don't try and burn a DVD at the same time

Unless using a graphics card with a MPEG accelerator and a true PAL TV out you will get artifacts and and bluring from frame rate conversion. Try PC screen refresh at 100Hz to get best on-screen quality. It won't do 50Hz and anything else is a probblem.

Macy

A fountain of knowledge as ever Watty. Might have a look at the Sky Star 1 instead, to future proof myself, and for the less cpu usuage... Anyway, thanks all.

watty

Oddly the Skystar1 looks like a less good deal:

1) It's MPEG DSP Chip is not as flexible as PC and can't do odd resolutions or HD
2) It can't do 4.2.2 *
3) It can't do HD *

(* Actually you can "turn off" the HW DSP in ProgDVB and then use it a bit like a slow Skystar2).

If you have less than 1GHz PC and want built in TV out and only regular broadcast TV: Skystar1 Family

IF you have a newish PC and want to be able to receive anything including MPEG4, then Skystar2. Though HD MPEG will use all the horses of a 3Ghz PC.

IF you buy a cheap SkyStar2 (1/4 price of Skystar1) now, buy a new Sat card next year. Ones with MPEG4 and HD DSP chip just hitting shelves now but too expensive.

Macy

watty wrote:

IF you buy a cheap SkyStar2 (1/4 price of Skystar1) now, buy a new Sat card next year. Ones with MPEG4 and HD DSP chip just hitting shelves now but too expensive.

Back to the Skystar2 so. Thanks alot Watty, I'll stall on the card with ci slot, as that's a while away anyway...

watty

You can use a legitmate viewing card with Skystar2. Google or happysat formus. No idea how well it works.