DVB woes

[loverboy]

My attempts to capture TV continue to fail..........
After having resolved the problem of my pussy cats ripping the cables out of the back of my DVD recorder I now have another problem.
I set the timer to record the Malaysian GP qualifying this morning as being a Saturday, I didn't particularly fancy getting up early. Following a leisurely breakfast I was able to sit down & enjoy two-and-a-half hours of..................a totally blank screen other than a 'No Signal' logo!
A bit of internet research followed by a telephone call to the local Panasonic dealer who actually supplied the machine confirmed a tuner fault. (This unit has a built-in Freeview digital decoder). Fortunately, although not common, it's a problem they've encountered before (1 or more blown capacitors) & a repair at component level is feasable. It's still going to cost about 80 quid & probably take about a week to repair..............& of course, nothing now will happen until I can get it to the shop on Tuesday as we're all far too busy pigging-out on Easter Eggs!
Sensible suggestions for a good quality DVB-T tuner card will be welcome as well...........or is it even possible to buy a DVB-S/DVB-T dual card (for UK use)

lb

[worf12]

I use a Hauppauge HVR-2250 tuner. It works great for me.

worf12

My attempts to capture TV continue to fail..........
After having resolved the problem of my pussy cats ripping the cables out of the back of my DVD recorder I now have another problem.
I set the timer to record the Malaysian GP qualifying this morning as being a Saturday, I didn't particularly fancy getting up early. Following a leisurely breakfast I was able to sit down & enjoy two-and-a-half hours of..................a totally blank screen other than a 'No Signal' logo!
A bit of internet research followed by a telephone call to the local Panasonic dealer who actually supplied the machine confirmed a tuner fault. (This unit has a built-in Freeview digital decoder). Fortunately, although not common, it's a problem they've encountered before (1 or more blown capacitors) & a repair at component level is feasable. It's still going to cost about 80 quid & probably take about a week to repair..............& of course, nothing now will happen until I can get it to the shop on Tuesday as we're all far too busy pigging-out on Easter Eggs!
Sensible suggestions for a good quality DVB-T tuner card will be welcome as well...........or is it even possible to buy a DVB-S/DVB-T dual card (for UK use)

lb

[loverboy]

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/product ... r4000.html

Any one have any experience?
Just to clarify, where I live TV reception options are terrestrial & satellite digital/analogue only.

lb

[loverboy]

DVD recorder now repaired & collected........2 blown capacitors on tuner board. All in, 55 GBP (85 USD / 62 euros) which I thought very reasonable.
Now to connect it all up again........a job for tomorrow!

lb

[loverboy]

The saga continues.........DVD recorder has failed again, this time refusing to read discs & showing an error code. Early research on the internet indicates a fucked DVD drive that is definitely not an economic repair............and I thought Panasonic stuff was supposed to be half-decent! Felt so pissed-off I've just gone out & bought a pre-loved Sony for the bargain price of 70 quid. Early indications seem encouraging & everything seems to work OK........even if it does fail early I can probably swallow the cost........however, that Panasonic was NOT cheap.

Entirely unconnected but.........
I was cooking dinner tonight............baked salmon, saute potatoes & a vegetable casserole in cheese sauce........all behaving normally in the oven when there's a fuck-off great big bang! Close inspection reveals the oven has exploded, or more to the point, the glass in the door has shattered, showering the food in shards of glass. I've ended up with a bag of crisps & a bottle of red wine!
There are times I lose the will to live........

lb

[Phuzzy4242]

I've ended up with a bag of crisps & a bottle of red wine!
There are times I lose the will to live........

lb

Drink a glass of wine, go out to dinner, then come home, put on a movie to watch and drink the rest of the wine. I feel for you, man - it could have been a lot worse, and I'm glad it wasn't.

[loverboy]

I think it was actually the surprise more than anything else. I half expect AV/PC equipment to fail but an oven is something I'm not remotely interested in & very much take for granted.....it was also a very loud bang indeed that did somewhat wake me up!
I've made great progress..........fortified with a bag of crisps & a bottle of red I've already literally thrown the old oven in the garden, sourced a replacement from a kindly neighbour for tomorrow & am now happily demolishing the second bottle of red. I do have another release to make but now is probably not the time.......

lb

[Hieronymus]

Yeah, I've had a "bag of crisps & a bottle of red wine" couple of weeks here, also, LB. I deeply commiserate.

- H

[Phuzzy4242]

I just had to buy a range/oven for the wife because the electronics failed in the old one. Everything on it was controlled by the electronics. The old stove was unfixable and the new one has more buttons than the space shuttle. It's that way with just about every appliance nowadays. Call me a Luddite, but give me a good old mechanical timer on the washer and dryer that works through hell or high water instead of 27 types of wash cycle (26 of which never get used) all controlled by a chip that can get zapped in a heartbeat by power surges that are all too common, and I've bought cars that were cheaper.

I'm glad you're getting things sorted out. What a way to start the week.

[whohas]

People still use DVD recorders and capture cards?

Why don't you get a cable/sattelite PVR box? It's much less hassle (not to mention more green, cos less power than a pc uses) and usually very good quality stream captures.

Something like the "Starview HD Combo" does a great job, captures normal (sd) and HD sattelite or cable direct onto USB memory stick (or external usb hard-drive), or Eurovox does an DVB recorder, and many others