[mythtv-users] DVB-S2 tuner cards for the UK

[Andre Newman MythTV]

> On 18 Sep 2017, at 20:04, Simon Hobson <linux at thehobsons.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> Stephen Worthington <stephen_agent at jsw.gen.nz> wrote:
> 
>> That has four aerial inputs for its 8 tuners, but they go through a
>> multiswitch frontend on the card, so you can use just one aerial input
>> for all 8 tuners if you want to, which is the way I run mine here in
>> New Zealand where we only have one satellite to receive from.
> 
> That doesn't work here - you NEED 4 separate inputs or you hit severe limitations on what combinations of channels you can record. I don't know about your sat services there, but here you get four different "groups" of channels - high and low band, horizontal and vertical - which are selected at the LNB according to voltages/signals sent up the cable.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-noise_block_downconverter#Universal_LNB_.28.22Astra.22_LNB.29
> 
> As a result, over here you need a separate cable per tuner - until you get above 4 when it's possible to use a multiswitch and quatro LNB.

This card has a multiswitch on board and can be configured to work with a Quattro or Quad LNB or the output of another multiswitch like a communal system or SCR even.

Or the competitors one the Max8:

https://digitaldevices.de/products/dvb_components/max_s8/

Which is more expensive but has in tree kernel drivers.

> 
> The alternative is to use a Unicable LNB & system - but I don't think support for them is very common.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-noise_block_downconverter#Multi-output_LNBs

I believe it supports that too.

They are becoming more common as that is what you will get in the UK if you have Sky Q installed and insist you need a “hybrid LNB” to drive a Freesat or other old Sky box. I may upgrade my building’s communal system to that one day.

> 
> 
> So for us, you need up to 4 cables.
> On one cable, you can select one of the 4 combinations of H/L & H/V - with the other three combinations (and the channels carried on them) aren't available to the tuner(s). That's "very restricting” !

Nope, these cards are very de-restricting, shame they are so expensive.

Andre
> 
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