Freeview

[AwesomeDude]

I was just wondering exactly what equipment I would need to view freeview on a laptop. I was looking around at some USB receivers, can anybody recommend one?

[theDruid]

This won't be much help to you, but just bear in mind that you have to have a really good aerial to get freeview reception in most of the UK. (If I understand correctly this will no longer be the case when analogue broadcasts are switched off in a few years, and the digital broadcasts can be turned up, as they'll no longer interfere with one another).

Also, see www.freeview.co.uk for details of coverage if you haven't already.

When I got a PCI DVB card a few years ago with the intention of getting freeview on my PC, I was really disappointed to find that the aerial in my flat at the time wasn't really up to it, and the results were very disappointing. A little while later that PC got stolen, so it wasn't really an issue any more

The reason I thought it might be worth pointing this out is that you say you want to get Freeview on a laptop; I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work fine at home plugged into a decent rooftop aerial etc.., but I wouldn't have thought it would be much good on the move.

I would need a fair bit of persuasion that it was worth getting a DVB receiver for a PC/laptop now, as set-top boxes have become so cheap.

Sorry if you already knew all that and I'm preaching to the converted.

cheers,
theDruid.

[SatStorm]

With any DVB /t card, you can grabb the DVB terrestrial transmissions (using third party software at least)