Any owners of the Haupauge Win TV Nova-T PCI ?

[steve_c10]

Hi people,

I went to visit my grandparents and for some reason got some money to spend Which makes a change from being skint.

Anyway, I was looking at dabs and this caught my eye... the 'Win TV Nova-T PCI'. The description from dabs is;

"The WinTV Nova-t PCI product is designed for receiving, decoding and displaying Digital Terrestrial Free-to-Air broadcasts on a standard Personal Computer. The WinTV Nova-t PCI product can receive and show digital TV (DVB Free-to-Air channels) and allows you to record to the hard disk in MPEG format. This means clearer pictures and sharper sounds, which is the major benefit of Digital TV. Millions of customers subscribe to digital TV packages, but most are unaware there are more free free-to-air channels than you think, many more people would like to see these channels, but refuse to pay monthly to do so. The WinTV Nova-t PCI will allow them to see the growing list of free channels without a monthly subscription."

Just wondering if anyone has seen this card in action...and can it really recieve channels just like that? I'm more taken in by the 'Clearer Pictures & Sharper Sounds' & the 'Recording in MPEG Format'. Was wondering how much clearer is the picture compared to my normal Hauppauge WinTV2Go PCI Card?

[KingJohn]

Hi

Don't know if you are aware, but the UK television company (On Digital > ITV Digital) has closed down, but the good news is the BBC have now got the digital license.

Don't know if your also aware but by the year 2005, all analogue television transmissions will be switched off, by this time, every one in the UK should have upgraded their TV sets to include digital TV, or bought one of the converter boxes, currently £49 for a pace at Dixon

So that card is something that will be very useful for years to come, for all the free to air channels available. The digital broadcasts are much clearer, and the capture should also be much better than the analogue channels.

However you need to know whether they are currently available in your location, here in the midlands I was always told they were not available (They check your postal code) however I bought the Sony widescreen with DVB "Ready for the future" but when I tuned in the set, it displayed all the digital channels without problem. They still says its not available YET !

When the signal is transmitted via the standard antenna network, its tested for interference at different power levels, when they are happy there is no interference, people will be told its officially available.

Until that time you may or may not get the signals, sometimes you also need to upgrade your TV antenna, see the Argos catalog for a £39 antenna that would boost the signals.

So, to re-cap, if you can pick up the signals and they are strong, the capture you make with that card should be a lot lot better than any analogue signal.

I have captured from my TV on one of the digital channels, and its is very good, but with my method, I am using the TV not the card to pick up the broadcast. (I have the basic WinTV 2000)

Hope this helps, there will be 24 channels by 2005

I will also get one of those cards

[energy80s]

I plan on getting one of these cards once the BBC service is up and running (in October) it should allow for direct capture of the MPEG2 broadcast stream, although I've heard that they don't like AMD processors. As the stream occupies about 2Gb an hour you will be able to archive over 2 hours of full broadcast quality material onto a single DVD-R disc. All for under £300 (inc. DVD Drive).

Now if only the Beeb would give them away cheaply to their staff!!!!!

[KingJohn]

October ?

Whats wrong with the channels they have now ?

BBC 1,2 BBC choice, BBC 4, BBC News 24, CBBC, Cbeebies

As well as ITV 1,2,3,4,5 and ITV 2, Shop, TV travel Shop

All in crystal clear widescreen

[SHS]

energy80s more like don't like VIA chipset.

[KingJohn]

energy80s more like don't like VIA chipset.

??? 'Win TV Nova-T PCI'

[SHS]

Just about all capture card don't like some of the VIA chipset KingJohn

[energy80s]

October ?

Whats wrong with the channels they have now ?

BBC 1,2 BBC choice, BBC 4, BBC News 24, CBBC, Cbeebies

As well as ITV 1,2,3,4,5 and ITV 2, Shop, TV travel Shop

All in crystal clear widescreen

Unfortunately only clear (and not that crystal) if you live near a DTT transmitter. Most of the UK population doesn't and that's one of the reasons why ITV Digital went bust, another reason was the crap picture quality.

When the BBC got the new license, two of the provisos were that they would increase transmission signal strength considerably and that they would drop the number of channels to increase the bitrate and therefore picture quality of all new stations.

Incidently, I can't recieve DTT at the moment (but hopefully that will change in a couple of months) and the BBC have never pushed it, preferring to use Sky signals on the ringmains in Broadcasting House.