Best DVB-T cards for MCE and maybe media portal

[beerglass007]

Ok I have posted a few problems I am having with MCE on here this week and still not getting anywhere so might look at media portal.

I currently have 3 PCI slots and 2 been used with sweetspot cards.

I read that the lastest media portal doesnt support software cards and a hardware card would be the best way forward.

So what is the best dual or single hardware DVB-T cards or card to buy?

I would like a dual rather than single if possible.

 

[avanzato]

The only apps I could get the Sweetspot/Blackgold to fully work in were MCE and Media Portal. I'm now using a Nebula card with it's own DigiTV software (it's slowly mutating into a full media player) that doesn't handle 2 PCI tuners AFAICT but will do PCI & USB. I'm not sure there are any dual tuner cards so far that work 'properly'.

 

[springtide]

I currently have 3 PCI slots and 2 been used with sweetspot cards.

I read that the lastest media portal doesnt support software cards and a hardware card would be the best way forward.

Are you talking SweetSpot MCE (ie. Black Gold)? If so these work with MCE and MediaPortal.

Re: hardware and software cards - this only applies to analogue cards and not digital. The hardware/software refers to the MPEG encoder.

As DVB-T cards just recieve the MPEG stream, there is no encoding or decoding being done by the card. That's also why there's no difference in quality between the DVB-T cards! (Unless they drop the stream due to stability etc - but that's another story)
If some says there is a difference in PQ, ask them to post and explain why!)

 

[warmachine]

I've got a Dvico Dual DVB-T pci card, and its the business!
Should work fine in MediaPortal.

WarM.

 

[beerglass007]

Are you talking SweetSpot MCE (ie. Black Gold)? If so these work with MCE and MediaPortal.

Re: hardware and software cards - this only applies to analogue cards and not digital. The hardware/software refers to the MPEG encoder.

As DVB-T cards just recieve the MPEG stream, there is no encoding or decoding being done by the card. That's also why there's no difference in quality between the DVB-T cards! (Unless they drop the stream due to stability etc - but that's another story)
If some says there is a difference in PQ, ask them to post and explain why!)

Yes I did mean the MCE version of the sweetspot.
So thats good news, I can use them in media portal.
So the next question is...how good is it.

Oh and the sweetspot cards are ok then?

 

[avanzato]

So thats good news, I can use them in media portal.
So the next question is...how good is it.

I found Media Portal to be as slow as a slow thing and it broke on two computers. Their homepage is promising a new improved release in a couple of weeks. Other people find it works great but still slowly I guess it's luck with having the right hardware.

 

[springtide]

Yes I did mean the MCE version of the sweetspot.
So thats good news, I can use them in media portal.
So the next question is...how good is it.

Oh and the sweetspot cards are ok then?

It's not comparable to MCE if that's what you are thinking. Think Beta!

 

[drummerjohn]

MCE looks better and is easier to configure but thats where it ends. Media Portal has been on my system for well over 12months and performs very well. I use a PVR150 and a Blackgold card.