DVB broadcast compability with capture cards...

[vigi_lante]

I recently got a DVB-C service, and now I would like to directly capture this DVB stream. But before spending a lot of money on a capture card, I need to know first if the card could capture the signal even considering there is no settop-box. And in order to the settop-box work, you need to insert a smartcard on it (something you can't do with the PC capture card).

So, these DVB Capture Cards can work with any DVB broadcast, even on my case ?

Thanks.

[Heff]

I'd think about getting a DVB satellite card. More options there as long as you have a view of the south.

[lordsmurf]

I'd think about getting a DVB satellite card. More options there as long as you have a view of the south.

Advice like this is only good in your own area for certain satellites.
The poster is from Brazil.

[vigi_lante]

A DVB satellite card would be no use for me. But even with satellite services, like Directv and Sky, there is also this smartcard issue. So, I wonder if there is any capture card that also have somekind of slot to use it...and if there would be another situation that could make everything not work, since this is a paid service, not free.

Anyway, right now is better to assume that the DVB-C transmissions are encrypt and I need the smartcard.

The smartcard is the thing that decrypt the transmissions or what ? Because if I remove the smartcard, I still can get very few channels.

[Abbadon]

Hi,

I have a DVB-S card and I can capture FTA (Free to Air) satellite signals with it directly to MPEG2 and then burn to DVD, I guess you could do the same with the application that comes with your DVB-C card.

Now, certain DVB-C cards, such as the Technotrend Premium DVB-C 2300 OT, have a Common-Interface that you could use to attach a CAM (Conditional Access Module), assuming that your cable company uses a Smart Card for the Video/Audio decryption, CAM modules are very common in Europe, but very difficult to find in the United States.

You need to consider your options to avoid purchasing something that could work or not.

[vigi_lante]

So, I need the capture card with Common Interface+ a CAM + the Company Smart Card ?

Well, the company Smart Card is no problem. But what about the CAM ? How I could know if it's gonna work with the smart card or not ?

[vigi_lante]

Well, the cryption system is NagraVision. I was reading about the subject, and maybe the Smartcard could be "married" with the settop-box, so nothing would work. Do you know what I could do to make sure if the smartcard is "married" or not with the settop-box ?

Thanks.

[Abbadon]

I am afraid that your cable company will not be happy letting people know what encryption they use, so I guess they will not tell anyone.

Maybe the easiest way to capture is just to use a TV card with composite and S-Video In, you would connect the S-Video out of your cable company's set top box to your S-Video In of your TV card. You can use VirtualDub or any other good application to accomplish this.

[vigi_lante]

Well, I think it can't be done. The company here use Nagravision, and I'm almost sure that the smartcard is "married" with the settop-box, so it can't be used on anything else, besides the settop-box.

About DVB...I wonder what kind of bitrate the signal is broadcasted. Looks like it's much more higher than a DVD could support. Some channels looks crap, but others looks like an analog broadcast (without all the noise). So I think there is some serious bitrate that just can't be played on any DVD Player. I'm talking about burning DVDs without re-encode, of course.

[SatStorm]

It's a bit more complicated, since you use Nagra

You need a DVB/s card with common interface. Sky Star 1 for example.

You can't use any nagravision cam, but you can use a nagravision compatible cam. Something like "Matrix revolution" cam, "Dragon Cam", or the more official "Alphacrypt" cam. Other alternatives could be Zeta Cam, Ice Crypt, Neotioncrypt cam, etc.
We do this in Europe, but I don't know if you can do it in Brazil.

[ronnylov]

To receive a DVB-C service you will need a DVB-C card, not a DVB-S card because the cable signals are not the same as the satellite signals. But since it is Nagravision encrypted I don't think it's posible as the cards are "married to the receiver".

I own a Tecnotrend Premium DVB-C card with CI-interface, Viaccess CAM and use it on comhem cable network in Sweden. But the encryption is "conax tunneled in viaccess" but it works after upgrading the firmware in the CAM.

"About DVB...I wonder what kind of bitrate the signal is broadcasted."

It depends, but the best channels here are 720x576 PAL with a bitrate of around 4 - 6 Mbit/s. Some channels are worse like 3 mbit/s at 704x576 or 2.5 mbit/s at 352x576. But 480x576, 528x576 and 544x576 resolutions are also used.

With the help of PVAStrumento I can convert the recorded files to DVD-compliant streams (from the channels with DVD-compliant resolution).

[TBoneit]

Well, I think it can't be done. The company here use Nagravision, and I'm almost sure that the smartcard is "married" with the settop-box, so it can't be used on anything else, besides the settop-box.

About DVB...I wonder what kind of bitrate the signal is broadcasted. Looks like it's much more higher than a DVD could support. Some channels looks crap, but others looks like an analog broadcast (without all the noise). So I think there is some serious bitrate that just can't be played on any DVD Player. I'm talking about burning DVDs without re-encode, of course.

I believe it always shows a 15mb data rate but on my system reality strikes again with aprox. 1 Gb drive space used per hour as an average.

IE I have a Dishnetwork DVR with a 40Gb Drive it was advertised at the time as I recall it as holding 35 or maybe 40 hours, I do not recall exactly. But either way when we subtract drive space to hold guide data and reserved space which includes the 1 hour buffer and such things we end at around 1 Gb an hour, some things run highr and some lower.

Cheers