[mythtv-users] video capture card list for MythTV

[Ben Bucksch]

Ray Olszewski wrote:

> If no ... well, I have no way of making this available independently 
> of Myth

If webspace is the problem, I can provide that to you.

> Often, I cannot add information you suggest simply because I do not 
> have it.

Yes, I realize that.

> Note that my draft does not mention a "Pinnacle PCTV" card -- though 
> it does include a "Pinnacle PCTV Rave" and a "Pinnacle PCTV Pro". I 
> mention this because it is the kind of problem I run into again and 
> again when I try to compile info from reports on this list. I cannot 
> add your correction because I do not know which entry you are correcting.

Yes, There is a "PCTV" (without anything else), a "PCTV Rave" and the 
"PCTV Pro". All of them apart from the Pro are mono, to my knowledge. I 
also see "Studio PCTV Pro" and IIRC "Studio PCTV", but I don't know what 
those are.

[PVR 350]

> Do you mean a comment that TV-out doesn't work (yet) with Myth?

Yes, and the hardware decoder. (I don't remember, if the ivtv driver 
supports the decoder at all yet). Because that's the difference between 
the 350 and the slightly cheaper 250, it reasonably influences purchase 
choices and has been asked a few times on the list as well.

[DVB]

> Again, I only know what shows up on this list, and all of the 
> information you write above is news to me. Perhaps you can draft an 
> actual insert?

"
MythTV has experimental support for DVB (-S, -T, -C) cards (digital 
video standard used in Europe). LiveTV doesn't work yet with DVB, but 
recording and playback should. If you are in Europe and have access to a 
DVB feed (e.g. via a satelite dish), this is superiour and recommended 
over analog TV cards, because the quality is higher, the CPU 
requirements for recording are lower and you have much more channels 
available. For general info about DVB, please search the Web, there are 
informational sites about it.

Supported cards are all those supported by the LinuxTV 
<http://www.linuxtv.org> driver later than October 2002.

There are 2 types of DVB cards: "full" and "budget" cards. Full cards 
have a build-in MPEG decoder and tv out, budget cards don't. Because 
MythTV doesn't make use of the decoder and TV out and the full cards are 
2-3 times more expensive, a budget card in recommended.

An example for a budget card is the Hauppauge Nova. It costs about 80 
Eur without CI (for Pay-TV).

If you want to watch Pay-TV, the Nova costs about 120 Eur (card incl. 
"Common Interface") plus 50-150 Eur for a CI module (doing the actual 
decryption) plus the Pay-TV subscription fees for the smart card. That 
is, if there is a CI module for your Pay-TV provider. For example, 
DirecTV in the USA is actually DVB, but with a proprietary encryption 
and they appearantly won't allow decryption modules to be sold :-(.

A few informative DVB links:
Driver supported by MythTV <http://www.linuxtv.org>
Card descriptions and links at the bottom 
<http://www2.arnes.si/~mthale1/dvb_english.html>
Channel tuning lists (German) <http://www.dxandy.de>
Astra Frequency list 
<http://ricardo.petzold.bei.t-online.de/Frequenzen/Astra_1_(BY_FREQUENCY).html>
Links <http://www.linuxdvb.tv>
Resolutions <http://www.dvdrhelp.com/forum/userguides/94382.php>
Some MPEG formats explained 
<http://web.archive.org/web/20020202044829/www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/public_html/research/future-net/digital-video/mpeg2-trans.html>
"

> [Pinnacle PCTV Pro]
>
>> PAL version did not work as of Autumn 2002, despite being listed in 
>> the kernel'S CARDLIST as supported ("slipstreaming", as you call it).
>
> Is this your own experience?

Unfortunately: yes.

>>> Terracom Cinergy 400. Video capture works using the SAA7134 driver. 
>>> Audio: no information.
>>
>> s/Terracom/Terratec/
>
> Are you certain?

Yes, that's the card I use.

>
>> Audio works[...]
>> Because of the new, integrated SAA7134 chip, it provides stereo sound 
>> *and* is relatively cheap.[...]
>
> I infer that this is a report from your own experience.

Yes.