TechniSat SkyStar 2 DVB-S Satellite PCI Card - Using the Product
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The whole installation process was very smooth. I've tested the product in two computers. The first one was an Intel Pentium 4, the second an Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, both with 1GB RAM and SATA2 HDDs. The operating systems were Windows XP Pro and 2003. I haven't had any issues.
The most remarkable critical feature on this product is its PVR function. What exactly is PVR? It means Personal Video Recording. With this card you can record your favorite TV channels on your PC, pause live shows and so on. Of course, you can schedule certain recordings and set it up to shut down after they are over.
Check out the attached screen shot below. It's resized to 400x300 for aesthetics.
The on-fly recording format is MPEG2 digital quality. A one hour long recording from a standard definition TV channel should occupy around 1.5GB of space in standard MPEG2. But there are tons of other applications that can convert MPEG2 to DivX, AVI, MPEG4, and so forth. Also, it is worth mentioning that if your computer is powerful enough (any Intel P4 / AMD 3000+ or comparable system with 1GB RAM will do) you could directly encode on-the-fly to MPEG4 that is way superior to its predecessor.
As a side note, I'd like to point out that this satellite receiver card has no video and audio outputs, so you won't be able to watch channels on a TV unless your computer has S-video or composite output. That shouldn't be an issue since nowadays every video card has one.
Its software package is pretty decent, as I said earlier. The wide variety of utilities and specific applications enhance its flexibility big time. For example, you can control LNB settings, DiSEqC motorization and switching, and the list of transponders. You have the ability to search for new transponders to update the existing list. This feature takes a while but it's all right if you realize the complexity of the procedure. Anyway, the list of existing transponders is fantastic so it should be enough for the average user.
The received quality of image and sound was astonishing. The picture is razor sharp while the voice is perfectly clear. HDTV and 4:2:2 broadcasts are also amazing. The 4:3 ratio was a great bonus, because that was the best way to view channels on an average desktop monitor. Also, DVBViewer has a phenomenal feature that basically replaces your desktop background with your TV. So you can watch TV real-time on your desktop while working and such. Of course, having multiple icons ruins the entertainment. But I personally preferred either the full-screen or windowed view.
Some of the readers might have had bad experiences with earlier versions of TechniSat cards due to their insane overheating. On prior releases, apparently, the card overheated easily after hours of usage and ultimately stopped functioning (until it cooled down again). This shouldn't happen with the new SkyStar 2 releases. I personally haven't had overheating issues.
In both of my systems I've let the card run overnight while doing tests and specific recordings (on-the-fly encoding) and the next morning when I checked the main chip was barely warm. But I must admit that I'm an enthusiast and in both systems I have more than a few fans, excellent cable management, great airflow, and so on. Even so, I don't think that an average user would have problems.
The remote control works excellently. Let's face it, in this era we all want flexible remote controlling, so that we can enjoy watching different channels while sitting or lying on a sofa. That's what we're used to… but TechniSat knew this when they designed this product. The first time you need to program your remote; basically, you need to teach the system each of the button's functions (the digits, the volume buttons, mute, teletext, and so forth).
I've used the WinLIRC software; its setup process was easy and it worked fine. Also it is freeware and an open source project. If you want to use your remote then that's the utility I recommend, though I haven't tried other applications for my remote.
After "teaching," your configuration is saved in a CF (sort of CFG file) and you won't need to fiddle anymore. If you have a TTS35A1 remote control (look at the sticker located in the back of the remote) then you're lucky. I have an accurately configured CFG and I'm sharing it via this article. Check below to see how my remote looks and verify your sticker; if the numbers match just download the attached ZIP. It contains the required CFG that you need to extract into and enjoy.
Otherwise, just take your time and program each button individually. It doesn't takes more than 30 minutes. Once you're done don't forget to back up your CFG. Nonetheless, it appears that the configuration file that you can download below should work with any TS35x remote, though I don't know for certain. Check it out yourself, it might be useful anyway.
One last thing I'd like to point out about the card before heading to the conclusion is that, since the card is compatible with the DVB standards, you could use any third party application as its very own DVBViewer alternative. For example, I can state that it is compatible with MyTheatre and DVB Dream. I've personally used both of them for a while. I prefer DVB Dream for its unique features. You might want to check it out.
Next: Conclusion >>
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