use satellite with htpc

M

mooPdead

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 17, 2003
Messages
105
just wondering if there is any way to take in satellite signals for an htpc, and use the htpc for changing channels etc, would be with echostar
 
yes, you can use girder to control the satelite box through an IR blaster which you will have to purchase by itself or with a remote for your htpc. Just google for IR blaster and you'll find a ton.


I also just found this hdtv/digital tv card. Anyone know anything about this? Will it work with digital cable or satellite or does it only work with signals similar to broadcast hdtv? here is the product link from the manufacturer i just found.
 
Depending on what frontend you are running, it can be really easy. I am currently running Windows MCE 2004 with Dish Network. It was a DIY HTPC, so I ordered the Generic Philips MCE Remote from Newegg. You just plug it in and then run through the setup for your specific receiver.
 
PruBowl300 said:
Depending on what frontend you are running, it can be really easy. I am currently running Windows MCE 2004 with Dish Network. It was a DIY HTPC, so I ordered the Generic Philips MCE Remote from Newegg. You just plug it in and then run through the setup for your specific receiver.
Click to expand...

just what i want to do :)
i like that remote
is there any kind of delay when changing channels ? having to go through the computer/ir blaster and all..
 
The MyHD-120 card listed earlier will only work with OTA broadcast HD and un-ecrypted cable HD, most HD over cable is using QAM encryption though. I believe it will do analog cable though, I know it will not do satellite. As others have said use grider and an IR blaster.
 
There is a slight delay, but you can keep tweaking the IR speed to try and fix it, but then it may go too fast and skip numbers. You just have to play with it.
 
unfortunately in the US there is no way to get satellite in to a PC directly.

Many companies offer DVB input cards that work with European satellite systems, but DirecTV/Dish don't allow anything like that.

Some DirecTV recievers have serial ports that allow direct control without an IR blaster. (link: http://www.dtvcontrol.com/) Maybe echostar boxes have something similar.
 
wolrahnaes said:
unfortunately in the US there is no way to get satellite in to a PC directly.

Many companies offer DVB input cards that work with European satellite systems, but DirecTV/Dish don't allow anything like that.

Some DirecTV recievers have serial ports that allow direct control without an IR blaster. (link: http://www.dtvcontrol.com/) Maybe echostar boxes have something similar.
Click to expand...

without the proper research in front of me i am not going to say your wrong...but i know a friend of mine (in the US) does this, the card was $100 for a cheap one, better ones go for around $200...but i forget the card he got. But it did work
 
wolrahnaes said:
unfortunately in the US there is no way to get satellite in to a PC directly.

Many companies offer DVB input cards that work with European satellite systems, but DirecTV/Dish don't allow anything like that.

Some DirecTV recievers have serial ports that allow direct control without an IR blaster. (link: http://www.dtvcontrol.com/) Maybe echostar boxes have something similar.
Click to expand...
Most mid to high end boxes have an RS232 port on the back and they're fairly easy to program. Better than IR cause you actually get feedback.
 
Mellman said:
without the proper research in front of me i am not going to say your wrong...but i know a friend of mine (in the US) does this, the card was $100 for a cheap one, better ones go for around $200...but i forget the card he got. But it did work
Click to expand...
Find out the card he's using and how he got it working. What he's doing isn't kosher by Direct or Dish, but I'd sure like to know how he did it.
 
mutazx said:
Sounds like a dvb card - google it
Click to expand...
All the ones available only do free-to-air transmission. In North America, that pretty much means the only thing you're gonna get is Home Shopping and religous stations. If someone has figured out how to use a card module in association with one to view Direct/Dish, that would be a feat that no one has done yet to my knowledge. At least, no one has done it and posted on the internet about it.
 
You can use DVB with Dishnetwork. All of Dish and BellevueExpress use DVB signals, the trick is emulating the CAM ( the little credit card in your receiver) which has been done for quite some time. Here is the software
That emulate the EPG and some other stuff.



**** This software is %100 legal! So MODS dont freak out. Its the circumventing of Dish Networks CAM that is illegal and I made no mention of it here.
 
Flagg said:
You can use DVB with Dishnetwork. All of Dish and BellevueExpress use DVB signals, the trick is emulating the CAM ( the little credit card in your receiver) which has been done for quite some time. Here is the software
That emulate the EPG and some other stuff.



**** This software is %100 legal! So MODS dont freak out. Its the circumventing of Dish Networks CAM that is illegal and I made no mention of it here.
Click to expand...
Completely emulating the CAM has been done? Interesting. I knew people could hack access cards and use them in receivers, but I didn't know this had been done. Although what's carried on SkyStar-1? Just the SD stream of Dish? If so, hardly seems worth the effort. If you can get the HD channels too, then ... that's something.
 
Completely emulating the CAM has been done? Interesting. I knew people could hack access cards and use them in receivers, but I didn't know this had been done. Although what's carried on SkyStar-1? Just the SD stream of Dish? If so, hardly seems worth the effort. If you can get the HD channels too, then ... that's something.
Click to expand...


I am not entirely sure, but I think HD signals are still in the works. The main problem is finding PC hardware that is capeable of handling an HD signal. The bandwith that HD signals consume in pretty amazing.

Essentially w/ a DVB setup you are emulating the entire IRD. So for example instead of using an actual CAM you are using a text file which contains the info that the CAM normally would. Then when the signal is received by the DVB card the software checks the text file for the data it needs. I.e Serial# PPV strings, blackoutKeys, etc. It is still in its infancy but it has come a long long way.
 
This is something I am still confused about. My WinTv-250 is still on its way so I have not tried anything yet, but I would like to ask... is this program(myTheatre) all I need to get my dish network receiver working with my htpc?
 
The big problem at the moment with HD on the current crop of DVB cards is we have no dedicated hardware engine on a dvb board to decode hd, the current crop of software written for dvb is written primarily for the Hauppage Nexus-s (what he refered to earlier as the skystar1 the flagship card) you can use HD with this board but you lose the abitliy to use its built in mpeg2 decoder, so basically it becomes no better than any of the software based cards such as the nova-s or twinhan 1020/1030

the thing that hurts the most when you lose the onboard decoding abiltiy you basically turn the pc on and back away, its that intensive. also in the case of the flag ship nexus-s you lose thats boards onboard video and audio outputs.

running a nexus-s in hardware mode is damn near as passive as it gets, with no noticable impact on the system
 
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