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Satellite TV on Laptop


Andy T

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I have a satellite decoder box from Maplin which has a Scart socket . Is there any way I can connect the scart to a coax socket on the USB digital TV dongle that fits my laptop? Is there any kind of adapter or is the technology just not compatible?

Andy.

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Hi Andy, when you say the coaxial input on your USB tuner I assume you mean the antenna input and there is no way to connect the satellite receiver's output to this connection. If your USB tuner has AV inputs (usually on a flying lead you plug into it) then you could use a scart to phono cable and connect it to this flying lead for inptu to your laptop.

 

D.

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Hi Andy,

 

I agree with Dave - the less messy way is to go with a dedicated TV/DVD player. The only downside for me was having to have a sat receiver and yards of scart cable next to the TV. My present installation hides the sat receiver in a locker, and the RF out carrying the sat broadcast is spliced into the existing MH coax.

 

I have a Pace Javelin Sat receiver with scart and RF output (Analogue output switchable to channels 21 to 67), link http://tinyurl.com/49pjlr I use the RF output as a convenient way of getting the TV signal into my laptop through the wall mounted coax socket and via an Avermedia Card in the laptop, as in link http://tinyurl.com/4r3jg4 . If you use a dongle it must be able to receive Analogue transmissions, not just Digital broadcasts (DVB)

 

As the Pace Sat receiver will need to be replaced soon and the new Sat Receiver has only a scart connector, I need to buy a RF modulator as in link http://tinyurl.com/4nnlv3 , so that I can continue to use the RF input.

 

I notice that the above link and description indicates that a power adapter is supplied with the modulator, so perhaps it will use the 12 volt DC as well as 240vac.

 

Hope above helps. Terry

 

 

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Hi Terry,

Was it a bird, was it a plane? No, it was most of your post going over my head!

Sorry Terry if I gave the impression that I might know what I'm talking about!

Tried a TV DVD player from Argos at £129 but it froze when I tried to feed it a digital input and had to turn it off at the mains.

Back to the laptop.

Read Maplins bumf to try and understand; but now I've got it! At least I think I have. The bit of gear from Maplins that goes into the laptop has those three sockets for the red, yellow and white plugs? Is that it? Or do I need the RF gismo to go from scart to coax? Or either?

Like the idea of shutting the sat box in a cupboard so that I don't have to have that nasty stiff sat cable draped everywhere.

Thanks for your reply and sorry to be so slow on the uptake.

Andy.

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Hi Andy,

 

You nearly got it Andy -

 

You need to convert those red, yellow and white plugs/sockets and/or scart socket to coax so you can and splice it into the existing MH system and hide the sat receiver away in a cupboard. To do this you use a RF modulator as in link http://tinyurl.com/4nnlv3 which converts the three colour plugs or scart in to a coax cable, then splice or using a coax adaptor called a splitter, you can connected all the systems, terrestrial and satellite together, but be aware the RF modulator produces an analogue signal not a digital signal.

 

So there is one proviso – you do have to have a laptop dongle which is capable of switching from digital to analogue for receiving those old fashioned analogue broadcasts which are switch off in some areas now, and due to be switched off in nationwide by 2012. The Avermedia card http://tinyurl.com/4r3jg4 not only is switchable to both broadcast types as well as FM radio, but also accepts red, yellow and white inputs for scart type connections using the appropriate scart slimmer three core (conductor) cable.

 

PS. The Avermedia Card can be used worldwide to receive any broadcast station, also because it is a card, it processes more information on board and is less of a strain on slower laptops, so gives better results.

 

Regards Terry

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

First, thanks to the knowledgeable and patient experts who have answered so many questions about how to connect external tuners to Laptops

 

I'd like to also get DAB radio. I read that Microsoft don't support it but I may have misunderstood the very techie thread.

 

A google today pulled up this little fellah

http://www.littleshopassistant.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=29 and I notice it is also for sale on ebay.pl at £17 shipped form Park Royal NW10!

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether the DAB radio quoted on the box is DAB radio as we know it or is it a swizz?

 

 

Additional Q for Terry... Did I understand your post earlier that a PCMCIA card will be better than a USB device on older / slower laptops?

 

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Hi Hugh,

I have the 1.5hz Pentium processor in my laptop, the PCMCIA card works without fault on all broadcasts, if I use a USB tuner then I do get some skipping and pixelating. The USB TV tuner works okay on a faster than 1.5Ghz PC I have found.

 

Regarding the DAB/DVB-T, that's a neat little gadget, I would think that you will get TV sound as well as DVB-T Radio and DAB as advertised.

 

If you are online you can of course get all radio programmes, and even download them to play later as MP3 files with the software you already have on your PC. use link http://www.ourkindofmusic.co.uk/ and hear some proper DAB music (lol)

 

Comets were selling their Roberts DAB/FM Radio Model Gemini 59 seen on link http://tinyurl.com/3oprx6 at Comets for £19.99, which I can recommend, but you may have to wait until their next promo is on.

 

Regards Terry

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