please help!

kaka · #1 (**permalink**) 08-18-2005, 10:45 PM

hi,i'm planing to purchase the s-5 system and i want to know if this system can only be viewed via internet or can it be watched on television or both.i'm new to this ok so please excuse me.thanks a zillion,bye.

pictureon · #2 (**permalink**) 08-18-2005, 11:10 PM

THis is a PC card that enables you to use your computer as a receiver to watch FTA channels on your computer's monitor. You do not need Internet connection to use it (Unless you want to). You wouldl install it on your computer and connect it with the cable from the dish to get signal.

kaka · #3 (**permalink**) 08-18-2005, 11:30 PM

thanks for the info but i was wondering if i there's anyway i can view it on my computer,also how many fta channels does it have and how many are english?

pictureon · #4 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 02:36 AM

Well, that depends on what satellite you are pointing at. You can get information about what channels on what satellite by going to www.lyngsat.com

kaka · #5 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 05:17 AM

ok can you tell me which satellite to check-up on that site?

wejones · #6 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaka

ok can you tell me which satellite to check-up on that site?

That depends on where you are located. I see you have listed "Bridgetown" as a location, but there are several Bridgetowns around the world. Basically, go to the Lyngsat web page, and look at the satellites which have an orbital position that is something like +/- 60 to 65 degrees either side of your longitude, then once at the page for those satellites, click on the link in the "beam" column, and see if the footprint of that sat covers your location.
Then once you've gotten a feeling for which sats and beams cover your area, the signals that are FTA are those which are DVB mode, AND not encrypted, and this is shown by the color of the listing at the Lyngsat site. Ie if the listing says Digicipher, or NTSC, then you can't view it. If it lists an encryption scheme like Powerview then it is encrypted. Also, pay attention to the freq and polarization. The system you are talking about does linear polarization Ku, and won't do C-band (ie those signals with freqs in the 3700-4200 range), and although it can get some circular polarization signals, the lnbf is not designed to receive those signals that list R/L polarization.
Also, although you can receive HD signals, your PC may not be fast enough to display HD signals, but may be fast enough to network to a HD device like a Roku HD1000. Also signals that are listed as 4.2.2 may be more difficult to display, depending on the speed of your computer and the software you use.

Admin · #7 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 11:08 AM

If you want to get the most amount of channels and still get internet via satellite, you will nee the M-3 system here.

wejones · #8 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Admin

If you want to get the most amount of channels and still get internet via satellite, you will nee the......

Note, the motorized system doesn't really get more channels. A stationary dish can get just as many. It's just that a motorized dish gets them without going out and re-aiming the dish manually, which is a pretty big advantage obviously. Also, the internet via satellite is only one-directional and requires a terrestrial connection, not to be confused with systems that transmit.

kaka · #9 (**permalink**) 08-19-2005, 09:27 PM

ok thanks you guys very much but i what i really need to know now is can i watch tv on my television and does it have to go through the internet?i live in barbados.thanks again friends.i mean it!

wejones · #10 (**permalink**) 08-20-2005, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaka

ok thanks you guys very much but i what i really need to know now is can i watch tv on my television and does it have to go through the internet?i live in barbados.thanks again friends.i mean it!

For normal operation, the internet is not involved.
The card itself has no outputs. The software that runs the card displays on the computer. If your computer's video card has a TV output, then that can go to a TV. My ATI card has both a HD output and an SVID output, and you can set up the computer to display the "overlay" on the TV.
With additional software (TSREADER), you can stream over your local network or even over the internet if you wish, but that isn't requirred. Myself, I stream over my LAN to a Roku HD1000, which is connected to my TV when I'm not watching on the computer.
From barbados, I am not sure about the reception, as much is beamed either CONUS or to South America, so you are kind of in between. You may be on the fringes for many signals, which would mean that you might need a bigger dish in some cases. Best to check with other people in your area with respect to what you can receive.

kaka · #11 (**permalink**) 08-20-2005, 06:49 PM

ok,now suppose i had an FTA receiver with a 36" FS90U dish,would all my worries be over,in terms of television viewing without the need for internet?by the way,what is a smartcard and its uses and how would it help?thanks and bye.

wejones · #12 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaka

ok,now suppose i had an FTA receiver with a 36" FS90U dish,would all my worries be over,in terms of television viewing without the need for internet?by the way,what is a smartcard and its uses and how would it help?thanks and bye.

Re smart cards:
You've asked this question about smartcards in several different threads, and received some answers, but I don't think you understand.
Some of the receivers have a slot for a smart card and others do not. A smart card is a card that will allow you to subscribe to certain encrypted channels. You would get the card from the company that sells the subscription, not here. However, there are very few channels that you can subscribe to in this way. As someone else told you, I think there are some international channels that you can subscribe to. Personally, I do not have an fta receiver that accepts a smart card, and don't know of anyone who does. The smart cards that Dishnet and DTV use for their receivers are similar, however they can not be used in a fta receiver, and you can't subscribe to those services without buying one of their receivers. So basically, unless there is some channel that you want, and you know that it is encrypted and can be subscribed to via a smart card, then you have no need for a smart card.
Relative to your statement "would all my worries be over,in terms of television viewing" the answer is probably "no" , but it depends on what type of channels you want to watch.
If you are wanting to watch channels like you'd find on cable, then you are probably not going to be happy with a FTA system. You aren't going to find things like HBO or ESPN, etc. The channels that are viewable via a FTA system are primarily NOT channels that are being sent to home viewers, but are channels that they did not encrypt for some reason. There are lots of foreign language channels from various parts of the world, and there are lots of the second tier networks, and lots of religious channels. However, the biggest use (for me at least) is that the networks often send news and sporting events unencrypted in DVB format viewable on a FTA system. The "problem", which is why many people aren't satisfied with these systems, is that the networks generally don't tell you what satellite / channel these things will be on, because they do not intend for you to watch, so you have to search for these channels. I would say that most people who are satisfied users of fta systems are the types who enjoy searching for signals and finding interesting things to watch. People who want to be able to turn on their favorite TV program after dinner are NOT going to be happy with a FTA system. But if you want to find a live news feed about some breaking story or a backhaul feed of some sporting event, then a FTA system will be useful to you.
From reading your requests for information, I get the impression that you don't understand what kind of signals you are likely to find FTA, and I'm afraid that you might not be happy with what you are able to view. I have 4 of these fta receivers, and several other sat receivers, so to me they are great, but for most people who want to watch cable and network channels, a FTA system might not be the answer.

kaka · #13 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 05:36 PM

hi,i want to let you know that you've answered aalmost all my queries and i thank you a million for that.now what i want to know is are there any systems from sadoun that i can get those channels;hbo,espn?secondly,if i go with the s-2 system with a FC90U dish upgrade and a HH motor,wouldn't i be able to access several satellites enabling me to view my 'favourite' channels?thanks and bye.

Admin · #14 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 06:25 PM

Quote:

sadoun that i can get those channels;hbo,espn

Yes, our Dish Network systems. See our promotions here: http://www.888dish.com/

wejones · #15 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Admin

Quote:

sadoun that i can get those channels;hbo,espn

Yes, our Dish Network systems. See our promotions here: http://www.888dish.com/

I didn't think that people outside the US could subscribe to DishNet ?? Is that wrong?? I thought it was a copywrit thing? Or is that just to Canada?

kaka · #16 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 08:25 PM

hi,dishnet doesn't ship outside the US,so basically there isn't anything else from sadoun that i can get then? P.S. i do not want a FTA system.

Admin · #17 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 09:33 PM

Yes, Dish Network is only available in the USA. If you are outside the USA, I don't know what service you will need to get.

kaka · #18 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 10:46 PM

i think i'm going to stick with the s-2 system because i really like it.what i want to know though is if there is any way i can get the non-english FTA channels converted into english audio or closed-caption.thanks.