TechniSat SkyStar 2 DVB-S Satellite PCI Card - Conclusion
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We've come to the end of this review. My conclusions shouldn't surprise you at all.
I was pleased with the overall performance of the TechniSat SkyStar 2. I haven't experienced any issues until now and I've been using it for a while. It's just as powerful as a standard digital satellite receiver but having the ability to run it from a computer simply enhances its usefulness and offers a wide range of a capabilities and benefits.
The only negative point that I can think of is the lack of official DiSEqC 2.0 support. Nonetheless, there are specific unofficial drivers and methods that can make it work, but they aren't guaranteed and you should only use them at your own risk.
I've mentioned DiSEqC, but what exactly is it? It's a special communication protocol that allows the satellite receiver (in our case the SkyStar2) to establish a connection to and communicate with the antenna/dish rotor or switch. It's useful because it is automatic. There are four versions: DiSEqC 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 2.0. The first one lets the receiver switch between a maximum of four satellite sources. Later versions offer more features. The latest version available (2.0) adds bidirectional communication too.
All in all, it's a great product and I'm wholeheartedly recommending it to everybody, from casual users up to satellite freaks and computer enthusiasts who want to fill every PCI slot that's available. The preprogrammed channel and transponder list is very useful for beginners but also for others, since they aren't likely to spend countless nights configuring and setting up thousands of channels one by one.
What really impressed me was its price. I already mentioned at the beginning of this review that it is 50€ (~US$80) at the time of this writing. It is very inexpensive compared to other satellite receivers but that doesn't lowers its quality and level of performance -- truly a German product. It is "DAS ORIGINAL!"
Therefore, as a conclusion, I'm handing out a combined 8 points on a scale from 1 to 10. I've considered the software bundle and hardware capabilities, the set of features and its performance. I wasn't able to test its data streaming and high-speed Internet capabilities; unfortunately, there isn't any provider in my area with those kinds of services. In short, I recommend this product!
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