USB TV

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 17:08:06

Has anybody any experience of these USB stick digital TV receivers for laptops,
I've used one on mine and it gets the freeview TV OK, but not TELETEXT.
Can anybody recommend one that does, we need t-text because of the subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Rik · May 27, 2008, 17:10:54

I tried one recently, Bob, and got no signal at all.

madasahatter · May 27, 2008, 17:18:43

I've often wondered whether these are actually any good . They seem like a great idea.

Quote from: Rik on May 27, 2008, 17:10:54
I tried one recently, Bob, and got no signal at all.

Can you get freeview normally Rik?

Rik · May 27, 2008, 17:20:17

No - which probably had something to do with it. We won't be able to get it until the switchover (hence Sky). However, I did take it to some friends who could, and got nothing there either - it was from Aldi, either Tevion or Medion branded.

madasahatter · May 27, 2008, 17:22:13

Quote from: Rik on May 27, 2008, 17:20:17
No - which probably had something to do with it.

I thought you'd said that previously - otoh if it didn't get anything at your friends house either.....

Rik · May 27, 2008, 17:23:39

May have been a bum unit, of course - it also blocked 2 USB slots due to size...

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 17:32:33

Quote from: Rik on May 27, 2008, 17:20:17
No - which probably had something to do with it. We won't be able to get it until the switchover (hence Sky). However, I did take it to some friends who could, and got nothing there either - it was from Aldi, either Tevion or Medion branded.

The one I've got is a MEDION came with the laptop, but of course its of German origin so no TELETEXT, but it picks up the digital TV fine ,brilliant picture but of course only with the rooftop antenna.

Dangerjunkie · May 27, 2008, 17:34:25

Hi,

If Freeview is a problem in your area and you don't need to be mobile there are a number of USB and PCI satellite tuners you could try. I've used the Technisat PCI tuners at work and they're rock solid. The only thing is they only work for unencrypted channels but I believe that will at least get you the BBC and ITV packages.

http://www.technisat.com/index34d2.html?nav=PC_products,en,76

Cheers,
Paul.

madasahatter · May 27, 2008, 17:37:05

Quote from: talos on May 27, 2008, 17:32:33
The one I've got is a MEDION came with the laptop, but of course its of German origin so no TELETEXT, but it picks up the digital TV fine ,brilliant picture but of course only with the rooftop antenna.

I often wondered how them tiny things were supposed to be able to pick up the signal - obviously they're not

Do you have to plug your aerial lead in then?

Rik · May 27, 2008, 17:38:00

The one I tried came with two small antennae, but had a standard socket.

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 17:39:07

Quote from: Dangerjunkie on May 27, 2008, 17:34:25
Hi,

If Freeview is a problem in your area and you don't need to be mobile there are a number of USB and PCI satellite tuners you could try. I've used the Technisat PCI tuners at work and they're rock solid. The only thing is they only work for unencrypted channels but I believe that will at least get you the BBC and ITV packages.

http://www.technisat.com/index34d2.html?nav=PC_products,en,76

Cheers,
Paul.

Thanks Paul, but they look a bit pricy to me.

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 17:42:05

Quote from: madasahatter on May 27, 2008, 17:37:05
I often wondered how them tiny things were supposed to be able to pick up the signal - obviously they're not

Do you have to plug your aerial lead in then?

You do if you're on the fringe like us, but I have heard of peeps getting good reception with those bits of wire they provide in good strong areas.

kinmel · May 27, 2008, 17:47:17

I have a Peak USB DVB-T (rrp £16) and it works fine with a proper 75ohm rooftop digital aerial, but using the supplied twig aerial it receives nothing at all.

They are tiny units though and do need a good aerial and all seem to be USB2 as well

madasahatter · May 27, 2008, 17:49:15

I always thought that the main idea of being able to use them on your PC/laptop was that you could use them anywhere - obviously as far away from the truth as it's possible to be

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 19:00:47

Quote from: kinmel on May 27, 2008, 17:47:17
I have a Peak USB DVB-T (rrp £16) and it works fine with a proper 75ohm rooftop digital aerial, but using the supplied twig aerial it receives nothing at all.

They are tiny units though and do need a good aerial and all seem to be USB2 as well

Can you get subtitles for the deaf please? ,it is important to us.

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 19:02:10

Quote from: madasahatter on May 27, 2008, 17:49:15
I always thought that the main idea of being able to use them on your PC/laptop was that you could use them anywhere - obviously as far away from the truth as it's possible to be

As usual the reality is nothing like the hype

kinmel · May 27, 2008, 19:20:06

Quote from: talos on May 27, 2008, 19:00:47
Can you get subtitles for the deaf please? ,it is important to us.

Yes, subtitles are there for those channels that provide it on Freeview.

I use Winter Hill ( 45 miles away) and Moel Y Parc ( 7 miles away ) transmitters and both work perfectly.

If you are happy to meet the cost of postage both ways, PM me and you can borrow it and see how it works for you.

Dangerjunkie · May 27, 2008, 19:25:19

Quote from: talos on May 27, 2008, 17:08:06
Has anybody any experience of these USB stick digital TV receivers for laptops,
I've used one on mine and it gets the freeview TV OK, but not TELETEXT.
Can anybody recommend one that does, we need t-text because of the subtitles for the hard of hearing.

I believe the standards have evolved over some time. Have you gone to the stick manufacturer's site and downloaded the latest drivers and software for it? It could be that you have old software that doesn't support the right version of MHEG (or MHEG at all)

Would you mind PMing me the exact model and serial number?

Cheers,
Paul.

kinmel · May 27, 2008, 19:40:36

Quote from: talos on May 27, 2008, 17:08:06

I've used one on mine and it gets the freeview TV OK, but not TELETEXT.
Can anybody recommend one that does, we need t-text because of the subtitles for the hard of hearing.

On Freeview the service for the deaf is supplied separately from Teletext and usually has it's own button labelled SubTitles , check yours.

The Peak unit mentioned by me earlier works in this way.

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 19:54:46

Quote from: kinmel on May 27, 2008, 19:20:06
Yes, subtitles are there for those channels that provide it on Freeview.

I use Winter Hill ( 45 miles away) and Moel Y Parc ( 7 miles away ) transmitters and both work perfectly.

If you are happy to meet the cost of postage both ways, PM me and you can borrow it and see how it works for you.

Thanks for your help and that very generous offer, but if it works for you there is no reason it won't for me and at that price its def worth a try, the one I was supplied with doesn't even have a teletext button, so I know it's not capable.

Dangerjunkie · May 27, 2008, 20:01:50

I also think subtitles on Freeview aren't done with Teletext but with a different mechanism. What you want may be possible in software or by some masonic handshake with the remote.

What is the exact make and modem of the card please?

Cheers,
Paul.

talos2 · May 27, 2008, 20:05:10

Quote from: Dangerjunkie on May 27, 2008, 19:25:19
I believe the standards have evolved over some time. Have you gone to the stick manufacturer's site and downloaded the latest drivers and software for it? It could be that you have old software that doesn't support the right version of MHEG (or MHEG at all)

Would you mind PMing me the exact model and serial number?

Cheers,
Paul.

Thanks Paul but the one I have is not really a "stick"type, it came with the laptop and is more like a card that slips into a slot on the side, both the lap and the TV adaptor are of German origin and although they use the same TV system as us they don't have the same teletext system.
It's a medion dvb-t tuner express card 54
rev ctx967 v7.2.2
p/no 40022821.

PS I call it TELETEXT because I don't know what it's really called.

Ann · May 28, 2008, 23:02:35

I have a freeview USB TV thingy. In fact I have two, a master and a slave so that I can watch one channel and record another or several depending on the various muxes. I love it as I tend to watch my telly on computer while doing other things of an evening but it wasn't particularly cheap. I got mine from here http://www.nebula-electronics.com/

kinmel · May 28, 2008, 23:29:08

Quote from: Ann on May 28, 2008, 23:02:35
I have a freeview USB TV thingy. In fact I have two, a master and a slave so that I can watch one channel and record another or several depending on the various muxes. I love it as I tend to watch my telly on computer while doing other things of an evening but it wasn't particularly cheap. I got mine from here http://www.nebula-electronics.com/

I use Nebula too, but be aware that the company that makes them went into liquidation and then resurrected the next week as another company. Their Australian distributors have abandoned them too.

Version 4 of their software, that was to sort out the many bugs, is now 2 years late with no release date set.

Ann · May 28, 2008, 23:46:46

Not quite true. The company wasn't resurrected. The TV part of the business was simply subsumed into the other part of the business which had always been there and has continued. That is Nebula TV became part of the parent company nebula electronics.

Steve · May 29, 2008, 09:17:39

How about this one, not used though
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=usb&ModuleNo=221708&doy=search&C=SO&U=Strat15

talos2 · May 29, 2008, 09:54:02

Thanks Steve that would do the job OK.
As an update, I had an Email from Hauppauge Digital with another two possibilities, so all in all I've got plenty of choices.
Thanks to everybody for their help and advice.

Danni · May 29, 2008, 15:22:17

I use a Hauppauge WinTV NovaT-500 or something (it's a pci card with two tuners). Connected to the main arial I get a decent signal, that seems to have improved in the last few months. To get subtitles depends on how I'm watching the programmes- in MythTV it's in the menu system when watching tv. Apparently all the Hauppauge WinTV products are meant to be decent, and I love mine so much I'll probably get a second one after I get a decent arial in my new flat.