Hi - hope some clued up personage can help....

I have got increasingly frustrated with the cost:good programming ratio on the sky subscription channels, but I do really like the sky+ PVR functionality. Transferring recorded material onto the PC for burning onto DVD etc is a chore though, as you have to play it back in real time through recording software. I am therefore interested in converting my Shuttle XPC with Winfast TV card into a proper media centre PC and was considering acquiring an OEM version of Windows Media Centre 2005.

However, in doing this it seems I will have to sacrifice the sky+ pvr functionality (i.e. recording one channel while watching another or recording two programmes simultaneously, which I do a lot) unless I buy a second TV card and a second sky box + subscription (as the sky+ box has only one output signal - I think). Freeview is not an option for me as I don't have an aerial, only the sky dish.

So my questions to the wise are:

1. A halfway solution might be to ditch the Sky+ sub for a Sky Freesat card (£20 one-off) - if I used this in the sky+ digibox, would I still be able to use the sky+ PVR functionality, albeit within the box and not within the PC, for those occasions when I really needed the extra sky+ pvr fuinctions?

2. Is there such a thing as a PC TV card with dual LNB inputs (i.e. to take the two feeds from the SKy+ dish) plus a CAM to read a sky+ or freesat card, and the associated built-in PVR stuff, especially one that would work in MCE2005? (Also, I read elsewhere in this forum that there might be a problem with CAMs reading sky cards anyway, except for possibly the Dragon CAM?)

3. Alternatively, could I control two seperate single LNB TV cards via a single CAM with a Sky+ or Freesat card, and if so, how on earth would I go about it?

Hopefully,
jon

1. No idea, from the tech side this could work.

2. No, would make no sense at all. You can install 2 dvb-s cards if you need that...

3. No idea what you really mean by that.

I think the easy and best way (costs some money) is to get a (twin sky card) you can get that if you allready have a Sky subscription. It will cost you some extra money but not that bad.

Someone in here wrote that the Sky card works in the Dragon Cam module. And that this

http://www.digital-everywhere.com/cms/en/index.php

The FireDTV, that should accept Dragon Cam. Then you can connect that to your computer and record what you like. According to the forums I don't think any program supports the EPG that Sky uses.


I can say this, SKY is a (biatch) to work with, they are the only system that uses there own encryption (or some standard encryption with a twist) thats why it's so hard to recorde stuff from it.

Of course one option (don't know if this is possible) is to get a Sky+ PVR system, recorde lots of stuff (what I know it should be standard mpeg2 - dvd ) that the system uses.

Then transfer the files from it to your computer, by removing and connecting the harddrive with USB2. This option would be by far the best. EPG would work, there are 250Gb harddrives that work with the PVR systems, lots of space to recorde and you allready have all the equipment you need.

I will try and find this information by my self since I am allso interested in this.

But I think the device is using some other filesystem etc so you can't access the files, if there are workarounds (programs) for this on the net I don't know you will have to try and track it down.

Found it, this is probably the thing you are looking for, or other products like it.

If it works with sky I don't know you will have to check your self.

http://www.firebox.com/?dir=firebox&...oduct&pid=1202

Thanks all for your input.

A reply I had to a similar post on the Sky forum tells me that I can keep the Sky+ PVR functionality for GBP10 per month, so if I went for the Freesat card, my outlay would be GBP20 up front and GBP10 a month to be able record the free channels only on my sky+ digibox.

The Firebox product looks very interesting too. Will definitely bear that in mind.

Firebox? This is just a normal Topfield PVR!

BTW, there is not only the FireDTV, there is also the FloppyDTV, especially for Barebones/MCPC/HTPC.

Hi Jondweeb

I have just recently bought a Lewis MC1200S which has two DVB-S freesat cards built in.
I have it connected to two LNB's each one feeding each tuner the system uses the windows MCE 2005 system so has a full guide just like sky+ and does record the channels in full digital quality as the cards are in the machine so no Svideo down mixing.
The only problem is that you cannot receive subscription channels as there isnt an option for a cam, I bought the system to store all my films and in readiness for the Freesat system BBC and ITV will be launching.
I dont think sky will ever allow a recording system outside of there SKY+ boxes but I think they will suffer as there is a few HD channels for free on Astra already.

Correct, but it's questionable how long these HD channels will be FTA.

looks like I made the right choice, have you seen this news release

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-...ws.php?id=8614

BBC can never charge for HD we already pay with licence fee

This sounds good.

Will they be transmitted via 28.2 degrees east on 2D?

Not sure which sat yet but spoke to Lewis and been told that they will release updates to recieve the new channels.
I cant believe it they have just launched a MC200S for £995 bugger.

Will keep you posted as soon as I get the updates

Thanks for this news, again!