progdvb.com

I'm planning to buy myselfe a DVB-T card as they have started to air digital terrestrial television here in Norway. The source coding they are using is MPEG-4 stream. (H.264 with HE-AAC sound).

I'm guessing that most card don't have any problems letting me use hardware decoding of the MPEG-4 stream, but I'v heard that there is a problem getting sound as there isn't any offical codec that can demux AAC out of the MPEG-4 stream? (Not to sure what that means), but I catch the drift..

But besides the problem with some codecs (prolly be fixed soon anyways), what DVB-T card can you guys recomend. I'v got a SkyStar2 DVB-S card and are verry pleased with my satelite setup in ProgDVB and I hope to get just as a reliable DVB-T card..

I'm guessing that most card don't have any problems letting me use hardware decoding of the MPEG-4 stream

You won't find a hardware decoding DVB-T card anyway...
So that would be an issue of finding a suitable codec combination (and perhaps make a custom graph).

BTW, are you sure, Norway uses the standard DVB-T modulation? If I remember well, Norway once planned to use an early version of DVB-T2.

Surely you can get such information from some local provider. Norway is to far away to test from here

All I know is that Norway is the first country in europe to use the new standarisation MPEG-4 Part 10 (H.264). And the sound codec HE-AAC

If that count as DVB-T2 beats me.. But people say that they have no problem getting the picture with a regular DVB-T card, the only problem is the sound.. The technical part is going a bit over my head, but I think I understand the basic. As long as the card don't prosses the Transport Stream itselfe, but sends it RAW to the actuall player it should be a software solution. And that was what I ment in my first post, letting the software take care of the codec, prossessing it with CPU(Hardware) rather the actuall DVB card itselfe. I'm just terrible explaining myselfe..

I write so much that I'm kind of confusing myselfe now, so please stay with me.

But back to the subject; Riks-TV (The Norwegian brodcasting dudes) are currently in some sort of cooperative mode with Pinnacle, figuring out a software solution to get a offical card suported for HTPC. So out that information, I think when there will be a software solution it can be used for any cards.. The issue is just something to do with muxing, demuxing the mpeg-4 stream, what ever that means..

So, the real question is just what DVB-T card I should buy. I'm pretty sure a regular DVB-T card would work.. I just wanna buy the best one

But please.. Correct me if I'm wrong.

OK.

MPEG4 is NOT related to DVB-T2, which is a more effective modulation (still under development), not a compression standard.

However, there are a few general aspects on DVB-T, that may depend on your location.

- DVB-T can, but not must, make use of all three terrestrial TV bands (VHF low = Band 1, VHF high = Band 3 and UHF = Band 4/5). But many receivers won't tune to VHF low (RF channels 2 - 4). So find out, if channels 2 to 4 are in use or planned.

- the other (modulation relevant) technical parameters may also differ, like guard interval. Compare technical specifications of receivers with data from the provider, if in any doubt. Normally a working STB would also be able to tell you that...

- the transponder data rate may require a USB2 port instead of USB1.1, as on software decoding solutions the stream filtering is also done by software, requiring the whole transponder data stream to be fed over the interface.

Some very cheap devices are known to need extra high CPU ressources, due to bad drivers and / or interface hardware. This may get even more important on MPEG4.
So better go for a nice concept like from Technotrend or their OEM brands, or fight with nasty behaving stuff like Geniatech or Twinhan...

If going for a USB2 device, make sure to give it a dedicated host controller, never let share with a USB1.1 device. So just don't use the other socket of that pair.