Post by dkennedy on Nov 18, 2005 5:06:30 GMT -5
Hauppauge Unveils Satellite TV Tuner
November 18, 2005
MEDIA CENTER PC NEWS
It's the tv tuner card that we've been waiting for. Hauppauge Digital has released a new add-on card to convert a PC into a satellite TV receiver.
Available immediately, the WinTV Nova-s receives free satellite channels, and will work with Freesat, the service announced by the BBC and ITV in September. No viewing card and no subscription fee are required.
The $59.99 VAT device plugs into a spare slot inside any desktop PC and decodes signals from a satellite dish. Owners can watch satellite TV on the full screen, or in a window whilst working on something else on the PC. Programmes can even be recorded to the PC's hard disk for later viewing.
The WinTV Nova-s will appeal to householders who already have a satellite dish and wish to use a PC in the kitchen, study or bedroom as an additional digital TV. The Nova-s is also compatible with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE), the entertainment version of XP.
Owners of Hauppauge's WinTV Nova-s can receive all the BBC TV channels immediately, including One, Two, Three, Four, CBBC, Cbeebies and BBC News24. The BBC's radio channels are also available, including Radios 1 to 7. ITV services, including ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and Men&Motors will become available shortly, and more channels will be added early in 2006 when Freesat officially launches.
"Freesat will be the satellite equivalent of Freeview," said Yehia Oweiss, Managing Director of Hauppauge Digital. "Already broadcasting BBC, the service is be available to all UK households and bring free digital TV to the 25 per cent who are outside Freeview's area. Consumers can buy our Freesat tuner now and enjoy many digital channels now, with more being added all the time."
The WinTV Nova-s is also compatible with HDTV (High Definition TV). HDTV broadcasts are expected to be delivered by satellite in 2006/7, offering stunning visual images.
The EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) broadcast by Freesat will be available on the Hauppauge card. In the meantime, owners can obtain an EPG via the Internet. The Nova-s will allow for scheduled recordings, using the hard disk in the PC to store programmes at their original broadcast quality. Owners could play back the recordings or copy to DVD for playback elsewhere.
As an added bonus, the Hauppauge WinTV Nova-s has a video input socket. This allows a camcorder to be plugged directly into the PC. Home movies can be digitised into MPEG format, edited and then copied to DVD for preservation.
ITV currently encrypts, or scrambles, its transmissions via satellite, using the service provided by Sky. In the next few months, ITV will begin to broadcast its channels "in the clear" - without encryption - so they can be watched through any satellite receiver. The BBC started doing this in 2003.
November 18, 2005
MEDIA CENTER PC NEWS
It's the tv tuner card that we've been waiting for. Hauppauge Digital has released a new add-on card to convert a PC into a satellite TV receiver.
Available immediately, the WinTV Nova-s receives free satellite channels, and will work with Freesat, the service announced by the BBC and ITV in September. No viewing card and no subscription fee are required.
The $59.99 VAT device plugs into a spare slot inside any desktop PC and decodes signals from a satellite dish. Owners can watch satellite TV on the full screen, or in a window whilst working on something else on the PC. Programmes can even be recorded to the PC's hard disk for later viewing.
The WinTV Nova-s will appeal to householders who already have a satellite dish and wish to use a PC in the kitchen, study or bedroom as an additional digital TV. The Nova-s is also compatible with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE), the entertainment version of XP.
Owners of Hauppauge's WinTV Nova-s can receive all the BBC TV channels immediately, including One, Two, Three, Four, CBBC, Cbeebies and BBC News24. The BBC's radio channels are also available, including Radios 1 to 7. ITV services, including ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and Men&Motors will become available shortly, and more channels will be added early in 2006 when Freesat officially launches.
"Freesat will be the satellite equivalent of Freeview," said Yehia Oweiss, Managing Director of Hauppauge Digital. "Already broadcasting BBC, the service is be available to all UK households and bring free digital TV to the 25 per cent who are outside Freeview's area. Consumers can buy our Freesat tuner now and enjoy many digital channels now, with more being added all the time."
The WinTV Nova-s is also compatible with HDTV (High Definition TV). HDTV broadcasts are expected to be delivered by satellite in 2006/7, offering stunning visual images.
The EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) broadcast by Freesat will be available on the Hauppauge card. In the meantime, owners can obtain an EPG via the Internet. The Nova-s will allow for scheduled recordings, using the hard disk in the PC to store programmes at their original broadcast quality. Owners could play back the recordings or copy to DVD for playback elsewhere.
As an added bonus, the Hauppauge WinTV Nova-s has a video input socket. This allows a camcorder to be plugged directly into the PC. Home movies can be digitised into MPEG format, edited and then copied to DVD for preservation.
ITV currently encrypts, or scrambles, its transmissions via satellite, using the service provided by Sky. In the next few months, ITV will begin to broadcast its channels "in the clear" - without encryption - so they can be watched through any satellite receiver. The BBC started doing this in 2003.