What Receiving Equipment?

[Kramer]

Working with Skystar 2 here. Did some "playing" & now it streams perfectly to my HS10 via DVI.

CPU load = 80/85%, mem useage = 65/70mb.

I wouldn't recommend a quad LNB. They're fine for Sky+ etc, but signal strength is seriously reduced over a single LNB & signal strength is important when receiving 30mb/s.

2 separate issues here.

1. What "satellite" equipment do I need (ie. dish, LNB, Sat DVB card & software) &
2. What spec PC do I need for playback of 1080 (hi-def) material?

I'd suggest d/loading some WM9 files & see how your PC copes with them. There are also other hi-def clips available for download (.ts). No point in even looking at Sat cards/dishes etc. if the PC won't handle it.

[Chris Muriel]

Kramer, I have never used a $ky quad LNB.
However I have used various quad universal LNBs , currently an Invacom with C120 flange , previously an MTI with built in horn and some other make prior to that.
None of them had low signal strength or poor performance.

I agree that there are 2 separate issues as you said.

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

[Kramer]

Originally posted by Chris Muriel
I have used various quad universal LNBs , currently an Invacom with C120 flange , previously an MTI with built in horn and some other make prior to that.
None of them had low signal strength or poor performance.

Hi Chris.

Well the MTI stuff is among the best available, Invacom simiiar IIRC.

Certainly the few I've used (el cheapo quads inc a Sky one) have produced very poor signal strengths. Single lnb on the same dish(s) have yielded on average 15/20% better signal.

They might produce better results on a 1 metre dish & over, but most will have an 80cm dish at most.

Having said all that, a standard 60cm Sky dish with single lnb yields between 60/80% signal strength on all Astra 19.2 transponders (any I use/have tried). I'm pretty far west in Ireland, so would expect even better results in the UK.

As you say, probably better discussing this in the Satellite forum.

[Chris Muriel]

I have the choice of Elecard or Ravisent/cinemaster video codecs;
for those with an ATI8500 etc. the cinemaster one enables some hardware features in the ATI grpahics chip which puts less load on the CPU. Both work with HDTV ok (but only the Elecard can handle 4:2:2 video as used on some broadcast/SNG links).

FYI I have a Channelmaster 1.8 metre offset (2 metres high, 1.8M wide) and , as you say, am closer to the centre of the Astra beam.
I have a colleague in Limerick who will be seeing if he can persuade/modify a USA-made HDTV-capable STB to work with Euro1080 & HDNET - he has a 3-metre dish as well as a 1.8M identical to mine .

Chris Muriel, Manchester.

[Kramer]

Originally posted by Chris Muriel
I have a colleague in Limerick

Are you serious?

Guess where I am? Limerick

If you want to put us in touch etc... feel free to drop me a PM. Watty doesn't ring any bells I suppose?

Sorry for going OT guys

[PaulB]

We're talking HDTV equipment - don't think its off topic in any way Kramer, quite the contrary.
Paul