Opinions - Where are the DVB-T2 PC tuners?

[billybear]

Just a pointer, but doesn't BBC HD use DRM on its broadcasts? Could this be another hurdle to get around? It may require a Windows MCE update.

Same goes for DVB-S2, the take up of that has been really slow too. Blackgold have supposed to have released a card months ago, but is constantly being pushed back. I could be wrong and it could be in the shops now, but I have given up on S2.

I also want to buy an all-in-one media centre PC for the bedroom, but non are being shipped with DVB-T2. Annoying when you have inbuilt freeview, full hd and blu-ray, yet no HD broadcast TV.

[directhex]

Didn't the Beeb win their "DRM EVERYTHING!" fight with Ofcom, so a DVB-T2 tuner is essentially useless?

[directhex]

Same goes for DVB-S2, the take up of that has been really slow too. Blackgold have supposed to have released a card months ago, but is constantly being pushed back. I could be wrong and it could be in the shops now, but I have given up on S2.

S2 tuners have been out for ages. Any Freesat HD channels are DRM-free:

* ITV 1 London
* BBC HD UK
* ITV 1 Granada
* STV West

[Percy1983]

Isn't the BBC DRM just on the EPG? Strange as it sounds I am sure thats the problem.

With that I am sure there will be ways around it with other EPG etc.

[MonkeyL]

Just a pointer, but doesn't BBC HD use DRM on its broadcasts? Could this be another hurdle to get around? It may require a Windows MCE update.

No, currently DRM free on the actual picture & sound.

Same goes for DVB-S2, the take up of that has been really slow too. Blackgold have supposed to have released a card months ago, but is constantly being pushed back. I could be wrong and it could be in the shops now, but I have given up on S2.

DVB-S2 cards have been available for at least the last 2 years, I have had a
Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-HD-S2 for approximately that time, and watch Freesat (SD/HD content) with no issues.

Hauppauge seem to have totally dropped the ball with respect to T2 though, they were promising a USB tuner for the world cup, then they've gone very very quiet. You can't get any information out of them, it's almost like they're pretending it doesn't exist

[Steve]

Hauppauge seem to have totally dropped the ball with respect to T2 though, they were promising a USB tuner for the world cup, then they've gone very very quiet. You can't get any information out of them, it's almost like they're pretending it doesn't exist

I'd bet money* that whatever has lead to a holdup at Hauppauge, is whatever has meant nobody else has PC receivers either...

*Actually, make that "I'd bet a DVB-T2 PCI tuner"

[Firejack]

Add me to the list of frustrated people who own a Media Server but no DVB-T2 tuner.

Perhaps supplies of DVB-T2 demodulators are being snapped up by TV and set-top manufacturers before PC add-in manufacturers can get a look-in?

This is my guess too. Seems like the Media Centre crowd is too small to be ever taken seriously by manufacturers. Everything else is a battle to get TV on your home network. This doesn't surprise me at all. Lets just hope when we are finally able to receive Freeview HD, it is true HD i.e 1920x1080 instead of the current 1440x1080 we have on Freesat.

[Ross1]

http://forums.hexus.net/1817097-post12.html

8 months ago..... ;(

[s_kinton]

Another one here who's been waiting to update my PCs to T2 tuners! My transmitter switched over to HD in March, but what the point! I'm not paying for a PVR when all I need is a PCI or USB tuner....

[Funkstar]

Perhaps supplies of DVB-T2 demodulators are being snapped up by TV and set-top manufacturers before PC add-in manufacturers can get a look-in?

Which is hardly surprising. TV manufacturers have much bigger clout with the suppliers of these things, they are also able to justify paying a premium to secure supply over the likes of Hauppauge. Sony can soak up any advance order premium or whatever on tuners in their £1k+ sets, not so easy to do that on a >£50 TV card.

[Percy1983]

I even have my parents looking out for one of these.

With blu-ray drives so cheap all we need is HD tuners and they will accept a little box under the TV.

[ilh]

I too was hoping for 1 in time for the world cup.

[baius]

The "Amateur Dramatics" (article - love it!) spectacle is over the timeframe for these devices can slip and slip and, uh... slip.

FreeView HD in time for the 2034 World Cup anyone? (There might not be any more games after that, because the cup may need replacing after that.)

[baius]

I too was hoping for 1 in time for the world cup.

You weren't the only one, mate.

I'm not sure whether to go with FreeSat or FreeView HD.

• FreeSat: Can use PC NOW, but requires the effort of getting a dish up on the roof and having a drill-happy engineer in the house for the day making holes... (I could probably do it myself, but can't be bothered.)
• FreeView/Freeview: Can't use PC yet. DRM worries. Aerial not always reliable for me. However, I have the existing infrastructure (cabling, basically) in the 2 rooms where TV is watched most.

Will the content be the same? Will both services continue into the future? Or will the BeeB remove one?

At least I got to see the World Cup final on DVB-T, and when upscaled in Windows 7 Media Center (sic), it didn't look half-bad.

[Salazaar]

At the moment I've got a Freesat and a Freeview tuner in my HTPC. I can get only BBC HD over Freesat at the moment though, for some reason I can't seem to red button through to ITV HD (why don't they just set it as a normal channel like the BBC?). And since I've got a dual freeview tuner as well I rarely have problems with multiple recordings

I'd love to get my hands on a DVB-T2 tuner at some point, but since our regions switch over isn't until next year I'm not going to worry about it yet.

[ChrisN]

Like plenty of other people in this thread, I was really disappointed that there weren't any DVB-T2 tuners available in time for the World Cup. I really was starting to think I was the only one... The most annoying thing is, I guarantee they'll have supply chain issues for the first 6 months after release because so many people will be waiting to buy them after this delay.