Linux Format forums

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

bobthebob1234 — Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:23 pm

Author: bobthebob1234

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:23 pm

Thanks for the answers.

I have a Hauppauge WinTv Nova-S2 HD DVB-S2 & DV Tuner on order, which apparently works with Linux, but only has 1 tuner, as I need a PCI card as my msi media live box only has 1 PCI slot in it... I shall let you know if / when I get it to work, and how many channels I can record at the same time!

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

dandnsmith — Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:53 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:53 am

That makes me think that you may be able to do the job with a quattro LNB, which will feed all the frequencies from the Astra2 complex (including the Eurosat1 which carries the program guide for freesat)
Techwatch, in the satellite forums may be able to give the final confirmation.
I've stopped going there, since they did their last forum change, but they had a few who have a wealth of knowledge.

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

wyliecoyoteuk — Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:36 am

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:36 am

MUX = Multiplex.
On my terrestrial aerial I can scan twenty or so, but only 6 are active in the UK.
MUXes carry multiple channels e.g. MUX1 carries most of BBC TV and Radio (30+ channels), MUX 2 is most of ITV, channel 4 etc, MUX3 is HD.
Each tuner can decode one complete MUX, so you can theoretically (if you have the disk space, memory, and processing power) record 30 channels simultaneously off MUX1.

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

dandnsmith — Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:47 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:47 am

I confess my ignorance with regard to the MUX bit - I don't understand it for digital terrestrial TV either.
I do know enough that I can say:
1. to cover one satellite complex (there are something like 4 providing the FreeSat at the moment) you need four LNBs pointing at the same area of space
2. that illustration is for multiple satellite work, where the satellite complexes are by some some 2 to 3 degrees of orbit (the FreeSat are all at 28.5 East) - what is needed here is a quad LNB, or possibly a quattro LNB (if the latter, then you could perhaps use an octo LNB, about which I know nothing)

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

wyliecoyoteuk — Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:26 am

Author: wyliecoyoteuk

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:26 am

Surely 1 LNB per MUX only?
MythTV takes the whole MUX, which is why it can record multiple channels per tuner.

So you might need DiSeqC switch, two tuners and two LNBs to record your 6 channels the way you have in the past. Or not.
The satellite tuner also has to provide 50V to power the LNB, so bear that in mind, no hotplugging!

Mind you, not sure how many MUXes there are on freesat, you may only need one LNB, but 2 cables and some sort of splitter.
You can even get Quad tuners
http://www.tbsdtv.com/products/tbs6984-dvb-s2-quad-tuner-pcie-card.html

Apparently a standard dish will take up to 6 LNBs, although this one has a few more.

Edit, thinking about it, each satellite tuner box at our office has a passthrough, and the Dish only has one LNB, so there must be multiple MUXes on the one channel

Re: Freesat tuner for Mythtv

dandnsmith — Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:25 am

Author: dandnsmith

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:25 am

You'll not only need the tuners, but also multiple LNBs on the dish to allow grabbing the different 'channels'.
Putting this in terms of digibox hardware to drive TVs, you need an LNB for each channel viewed or recorded at one time, or, alternatively, a way of decoding the information akin to the setup used for dissemination in a multiple occupancy such as a block of flats where they use a different type of LNB and decoder box to allow for the channel s on each and the use of high/low frequency and horizontal/vertical polarisation of the signal.

Sorry that that comes across as rather muddled, but I'm trying to show just how different the satellite stuff is from freeview.

Freesat tuner for Mythtv

bobthebob1234 — Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:13 am

Author: bobthebob1234

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 9:13 am

So just moved to somewhere where they only have 16 freeview channels!!!!

There is a satellite dish on the house, so I am thinking that I could get a freesat tuner or 2 to get more channels.

Anyone have any good/bad experiences with these? I have a MSI Media live box, which only have 1 pci card slot in, which currently has a freeview tuner in, so USB freesat might be better but I can always take out the freeview tuner. Also I like recording 6 channels at the same time on freeview (2 tuners, 3 channels on each). Can you do this on freesat or will I need 6 tuners and 6 dishes?

I am running mythbuntu (not 12.04, cos it keeps demanding to upgrade, but not entirely sure which older version. Possibly 11.10), and if I remember correctly the nightly build of the latest mythtv cos that keeps updating to...