New to FTA.. Interested in high bitrate HD

[eth0s]

Hello all, new to FTA here but very interested.
I do not know where to begin, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction and answer some general questions.

I have seen some high bitrate programming, specifically NBA finals last week, at a colleague's house and I was stunned. I am drooling over the idea of watching high bitrate HD programming at home in my theater, 100" screen. I really want access to these high bitrate HD network feeds, and the ability to record shows and sports onto my PC so I can then use networked PCs around the house to watch the recorded shows. What kind of setup would I need to do this, specifically what type of dish and pci tuner card?

I have a clear view of the southern sky from the roof of the garage behind the house.
No clear view from backyard, dish would have to be roof mounted, on garage.
I would like to keep the dish as small as possible for obvious reasons

What network feeds with a very high HD bitrate will I be able to access?
Is it only network channels that have these high bitrates I desire? or are there other channels, or direct feeds of sports events as well?
Is a smaller dish size able to reliably receive these high bitrate signals?
I am most interested in the aspect of maximum image quality without dropouts.

 

[TheTechGuru]

You're going to need a 10 foot for the DVB-S2 feeds to be reliable and you'll probably need to use a computer instead of a STB being a major network's master feed is in 4:2:2 MPEG2 format.

Here is a sample I recorded from CW's master feed, I think it's about 40mbps. Highest bitrate I've come across.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

 

[Magic Static]

Perfect timing for you. Linuxman is selling some premium sat gear very close to you. Check the "Classifieds" section.

 

[Tron]

As TheTechGuru mentioned, the best way to view (and especially record) high bitrate feeds is to use a PC equipped with a DVB-S2/DVB-S tuner. The standalone set-top box receivers do not do high bitrates (above about 25 mbps) very well. There are lots and lots of occasional feeds that are of a high bitrate, especially sports feeds. You'll want to blind scan these (or ask your friend about them), since we do not discuss the specific locations of feeds on open forum. This is because the bean counters at the networks may (and often do) scramble these feeds when they are discovered and publicized.

 

[eth0s]

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately it may be quite difficult to convince the wife to let me put a 6+ foot dish on the roof.. any tips in this department?

TheTechGuru, that sample looks incredible, exactly what I am looking to do, what kind of dish and pci DVB-S2 tuner card did you use?

And there is no way I can accomplish this with a 1.2m dish? I think that would be much easier to convince the wife to install as it would be hardly visible from the deck or backyard, only seen from the side yard.

Thanks again for the replies, this is a very helpful forum

 

[Mikey11]

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately it may be quite difficult to convince the wife to let me put a 6+ foot dish on the roof.. any tips in this department?

TheTechGuru, that sample looks incredible, exactly what I am looking to do, what kind of dish and pci DVB-S2 tuner card did you use?

And there is no way I can accomplish this with a 1.2m dish? I think that would be much easier to convince the wife to install as it would be hardly visible from the deck or backyard, only seen from the side yard.

Thanks again for the replies, this is a very helpful forum

if you are "allowed" a 1.2m dish like you say then just tell her its 1.2m.....install it when she is at work or away....is she going to go up and measure it?....lol....its easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission....lol....

 

[rv1pop]

if you are "allowed" a 1.2m dish like you say then just tell her its 1.2m.....install it when she is at work or away....is she going to go up and measure it?....lol....its easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission....lol....

Yes, isn't 1.2 meter uuh... 10 times 1.2 or uuuhhh ... 12 feet?

 

[Anole]

Unfortunately it may be quite difficult to convince the wife to let me put a 6+ foot dish on the roof.. any tips in this department?

What kinds of shows does she like?
What does she watch now, and via what method?
If you have no satellite nor cable, perhaps your FTA hardware will be the only game in town. (?) - :up
Maybe some medium-bit-rate shows she's not currently seeing would still be attractive to her?
(just don't tell; don't rub it in)

And there is no way I can accomplish this with a 1.2m dish?

That'd be great for PBS.!. - :up -

PS:
Also, a perforated or mesh dish is less noticeable than a solid.
Especially a white solid dish.
See the two in my signature; they're the same size, yet one blends in and the other stands out.

 

[Bongu]

Thanks for all the replies. Unfortunately it may be quite difficult to convince the wife to let me put a 6+ foot dish on the roof.. any tips in this department?

TheTechGuru, that sample looks incredible, exactly what I am looking to do, what kind of dish and pci DVB-S2 tuner card did you use?

And there is no way I can accomplish this with a 1.2m dish? I think that would be much easier to convince the wife to install as it would be hardly visible from the deck or backyard, only seen from the side yard.

Thanks again for the replies, this is a very helpful forum

Nice, you have a bunch of questions as you should.

One answer to your first question is to find a channel on one of the satellites that she will like to watch and tell her that once you install the dish the programming will be FREE. A mesh dish also minimizes the visual impact. A dish can be painted to blend in with the background also. I have found this to work very well for me. It took me a while to get even tentative approval to install a 6'.

On to your second question the Prof cards are doing the S2 signals pretty well for less than $150 and another company TBS makes some nice cards.

Third question 1.2M dish? A 1.2M is considered experimental only on C-band and not recommended for beginners. The best place for a beginner to start is at 8'. I will probably get some flak on this, but the 8' will get a bunch more signals than a 6' with few problems. A 6' can do very well if a lot of time is spent "tweaking" and fine tuning the reflector and feed. the "cat's meow" of the hobby is a quality 10' or greater like the Birdviews that Linuxman has for a VERY good price in the classifieds. One good thing about the birdviews is that they have an ultra rare Horizon to Horizon motor that is highly sought after. If you want a motorized setup you will need a way to control the motor such as an older receiver or a V-Box or G-Box controller.

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS and hope to see some of your BUD success stories posted here soon!

 

[Anole]

Perfect timing for you. Linuxman is selling some premium sat gear very close to you.
Check the "Classifieds" section.

OMG, you're right!
Perforated Birdview with Horizon to Horizon motor, on a NPRM (put it on any flat roof), recently serviced and upgraded!
Get an orthomode feed for C-band, and you'd be king of the skies! - :up

 

[TheTechGuru]

TheTechGuru, that sample looks incredible, exactly what I am looking to do, what kind of dish and pci DVB-S2 tuner card did you use?

Equipment is in my signature.

DVBWorld DVB-S2 PCI2004D, Eagle C LNB, Chaparral Polarotor® C Feedhorn, Sami 10' Mesh

DVB-S2 PCI 2004D WorldDVB  DVBWorld HD Satellite Receiver

DVBWorld

A word of caution, I would try to find a better PCI card if I were you, there have been no recent driver updates for this one and the blind scan feature does not work on 64 bit windows.