For desktop computers, there is no particular question about satellite TV reception. DVB-S2 PCI cards are already available to everyone today with a huge variety. For laptops, the situation is a little worse and there are not many DVB-S2 USB cards for receiving satellite television. Not everyone has a desktop PC, and besides, it’s much easier to set up antennas with a laptop or tablet than with a bulky TV. Satellite Internet is an option.
Well, everyone has their own goals, but to achieve some, you may need a DVB-S2 USB card.
Unlike DVB-T, the variety of DVB-S2 USB cards is not so great.
We won’t consider DVB-S USB cards
Setup and scanning #
Unlike its twin – GOTVIEW PRO
, programs for analogue and hybrid tuners -
GOTVIEW DVB
takes better care of the user. First of all, due to the already mentioned indication of reception quality.
The process of searching and tuning to satellites may seem somewhat intimidating to an unprepared user, but in fact it is simple: just select a satellite and press the Scan button. All transponders will be scanned by default, all channels will be collected, including radio, TV and scrambled channels. Through color coding, we can distinguish different types of channels from each other, preview and select for transfer to our list of received channels.
There are a huge number of customizable parameters. And then we discovered one small flaw. There are channels that broadcast in several languages at once. For example, Euronews or ARTE. In order to switch to another audio language in stationary models, just use the remote control and the audio button. In SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2
To do this you will have to go deeper into the Channels menu. Not operational.
Reception quality GOTVIEW SatelliteHD USB 2.0 DVB-S2 #
We compared SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2
with a stationary tuner (OPENBOX brand).
To do this, we only needed to switch the antenna cable - and that’s it. No more manipulation. HotBird E13
satellite , to which the antenna is tuned, was scanned under not the most favorable conditions (overcast, snow).
However, despite the reception difficulties, SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2
received all the channels we were interested in without dropouts or lags, and the reception quality indicators showed the strength of the received signal not lower than L-80% and the signal quality was stable Q-100%.
In total, about 500 open and 800 encrypted television/radio channels were found. Some channels were received with conditional access and, in principle, GOTVIEW DVB
allows the connection of plugins that expand the capabilities of receiving encoded channels through the use of so-called cardsharing. In general, not bad.
Video and graphics capture technique #
Considering that the hardware of the tuner provides for working with HD content, receiving channels not only mpeg2, but also h264, the hardware requirements increase if we want to capture high-resolution video. First of all, this relates to the power of the processor, which ensures the operation of a set of encoders/decoders that unpack the digital stream and save the video in the format we require. To save system resources, it is possible to disable video demonstration in parallel with recording, this will reduce the load on the computer when recording HD video. When working with SD channels, this function may not be activated.
Everything is working. What’s nice is that it works even with the default settings; you don’t have to rummage through profile presets for a long time and persistently, trying to determine which one is not only of good quality, but also stable for this particular system. SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2
There were no problems with recording, TimeShift function, or graphics capture.
The Planner's visual graphical interface perfectly demonstrates event collisions and our current place in time within the current week. Beauty.
DVBDream
Tested version: 1.5d.
DVBDream coped well with the tasks assigned to it, namely watching satellite TV, including HDTV and MPEG4, listening to radio stations, recording TV channels on HDD drives, receiving EPG and teletext. Watching TV programs is possible both in a small window and in full screen. The program allows you to save lists of favorite channels, as well as easily configure DiSEqC switches and USALS protocol. Scanning and switching between channels is quite fast. The program interface is convenient even for a beginner and does not cause any difficulties when setting various parameters. DVBDream is currently considered the most popular program for receiving satellite TV and radio, so the fact that it works with the Omicom S2 PCI rev.3 DVB card is good news.
Listening to radio stations
Watching TV channels in MPEG-4 format
Pop-up panel and rating #
A panel with a set of icons for the channels you are viewing automatically pops up at the top of the screen. Interesting trick. Channels in this panel can be organized by category, by number, or by rating. Rating is a way of determining the most frequently watched channels by taking into account the total viewing time. Such statistics, over time, will be interesting in themselves.
The screenshot shows that some channel icons are missing. In our opinion, this is not a drawback. It is impossible for a manufacturer to cover the entire vast world of satellite television. The basic icon set includes a limited number of logos, this is normal. The user just needs to independently create a square icon in accordance with simple recommendations and add it to an existing set by associating it with a channel in the Channels menu. And it will be displayed for this new channel.
Many parameters of this panel can be changed in the menu that drops down when you right-click. Interesting.
In order to confidently use all the capabilities of the tuner, the computer must be powerful enough. The manufacturer informs about this already on the packaging - the processor is not lower than 2.4 GHz, DirectX is not lower than 9.0c.
During testing of the tuner running Windows 7, system messages appeared about compatibility problems with the Aero interface, Windows 7
automatically changed the settings for the GOTVIEW DVB program to simplified ones - there is also
an item “Disable AeroGlass while the program is running” GOTVIEW DVB We didn't encounter any other problems.
But if you really want an alternative, go ahead! GOTVIEW
SatelliteHD
tuner supports alternative software for controlling DVB-S2 channel receiving devices.
We checked the ProgDVB
, its free version, somewhat reduced in capabilities (support for mpeg4/h264/DVB-S2 and something else is disabled).
Here are the system requirements of SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2
, which are a condition for the full operation of the system.
Satellite fishing
“Satellite fishing” in the post-Soviet space is extremely popular and once again needs no introduction. We will not delve into the nuances of setting up individual programs for so-called “grabbing”, and we will also leave the moral side of the process itself out of the equation, focusing on the “cunning capabilities” of the satellite map only from a professional technical point of view. “Satellite fishing” is a good test of the performance of a DVB card, as well as a good test for checking its drivers, since during “fishing” the satellite card has to process a multi-megabit stream, which includes hundreds and sometimes thousands of different files. Therefore, the card is faced with one more task - to filter the stream, despite the fact that this must be done “on the fly”, and even compose integral files from the resulting parts. If the performance of the DVB card is not sufficient, then data packets will be skipped (lost), and many files will not be able to be compiled into a single whole. Here you should also take into account the fact that the higher the provider’s flow rate, the greater the packet loss, and the likelihood of saving files intact will decrease. We decided to “cast the bait” at the orbital position of 39 degrees east longitude (Hellas Sat 2 satellite). To do this, we used the Skynet program, version 0.897.
Skynet program operation
In general, the Omicom S2 PCI rev.3 card copes with the task, the result of which can be seen in the screenshot.
Minimum system requirements for SD channels and satellite Internet: #
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP SP3 / Vista / Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit versions).
- Not lower than 2.4 GHz.
- At least 256 MB.
- At least 100 MB to install all applications.
- Version no lower than 9.0c.
SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2 satellite tuner
supports control of the positioner and motor suspension. The kit includes proprietary GOTVIEW DVB software, the tuner is also compatible with alternative software. EPG and downloading of program guides from the Internet are supported. The tuner has a delayed viewing function - Timeshift, the settings for each channel are individual, you can organize broadcasting over a network of received satellite channels in unicast and multicast modes.
, the SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2 satellite tuner
demonstrated good quality of the received signal, fast switching between channels, problem-free recording with the “default” settings. The price of the device at the time of testing was about 2,200 rubles.
What can a computer TV tuner do?
The main function of the receiver is to work as a television receiver, that is, to show TV programs on a computer monitor.
Depending on the model, the functionality can be expanded. For example:
- teletext – interactive program guide;
- record programs manually or using a scheduler;
- support for Dolby Digital surround sound - important for connecting to Hi-End equipment.
The device will be useful for those who do not want to purchase a full-fledged TV or are afraid of missing their favorite TV show due to a business trip.
Among the advantages of the device are:
- Mobility. Ability to connect to any computer, monitor or laptop;
- Versatility. Some models are capable of receiving signals not only from terrestrial, but also digital and satellite television.
Cons of SatelliteHD GOTVIEW USB 2.0 DVB-S2: #
- Lack of indicators in the description.
- Lack of switching audio channels on the remote control and keyboard.
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