Digital TV card

[NightshadowUK]

Am I right in thinking the only difference between these two cards is that the T300 can pick up terrestrial analogue as well as freeview while the T200 only does the latter?

VideoMate DVB-T200

VideoMate DVB-T300

[dave87]

Yup looks like it.

[NightshadowUK]

Hmm, so why would anyone want analogue if they could get the same channels in sweet sweet digital quality?

[Thorsson]

Not everyone can get digital.

[NightshadowUK]

When they're not in a freeview area you mean? I knows that but surely if you couldn't you'd just buy a cheaper card with only analogue...

[fredered]

i think they are slowly getting freeview to all areas so you get one and know you wont need to buy a new card when freeview comes in, although by then the card will probably be obsolete anyway.

[Funkstar]

the good thing about digital cards compaired to set top boxes is that they are far more future proof. You see sitckers on the boxes saying they are HDTV ready when we don't even know which compression system is going to be used for HDTV in the UK (if at all for terrestrial). This is because all the card does is tune the Mux and then decodes the raw stream for the drivers/software to deal with, the cards themselves actually do very little.

So in theory we could completely switch to MPEG-4 or H.264 and they card wouldn't know any different. it's still just sending a data stream to the drivers.

[ja3h]

Hey,

I bought the t200 for my g/f's shuttle and its v.good. They've fixed a lot of the bugs with the software with the most recent update. It isn't compat with xp media centre. And i think the digital reception depends on your area. I can only get it through a aerial on my roof. My g/f just plugged in a indoor aerial thingy that she bought for a tenner and she gets a high signal.

[NightshadowUK]

I bought the t200 for my g/f's shuttle and its v.good.

Bitchin' - thanks for the recommendation!

[5aboy]

for good freeview, more importantly than the card is what type of aerial you got installed on your house/flat.

i live in an attic so should have good reception, but apparently not - time to get the drill out and start to install a new aerial!

[NightshadowUK]

We have actually have the aerial in the attic, haha! It picks up freeview fine downstairs through a set-top-box so would it be any different through a card?

[5aboy]

if it works for your set-top box, then its safe-ish to say itd be fine with a card (no guarantees though, unfortunately!)

[behappier]

For anybody interested in a freeview PCI only, PC World is selling the Nova-T PCI for £39. Jut got mine at £35 as it was an ex-display. V happy with it.