does not take place via PCI or PCI-e but via FireWire. With this, end users have the added benefit of being able to choose either an internal or external model of this product. The external version is called FireDTV and comes as a small box with all necessary ports being located on one side. The internal version bears the name FloppyDTV and can simply be plugged into an available PCI or PCIe slot. What unites both models is their FireWire interface for data transfer. Some readers may ask ‘Why FireWire?’ at this point. Well, contrary to USB 2.0, FireWire can maintain a specified minimum transfer rate, which is a particular bonus when it comes to high-resolution video. While in theory, USB 2.0 can reach slightly higher transfer rates, most real-world scenarios prove that FireWire has the leading edge. Apart from that, most modern PC systems these days come with a FireWire interface anyway, and even if you should find out your particular PC doesn’t, you can always add a FireWire interface and it won’t cost you a fortune. As it turns out, DVBShop made a smart move with focusing on FireWire, even more so as this type of interface has been gaining ground in the home video segment for many years now anyway. DVBShop sent us the internal model for our test – the FloppyDTV. It can easily be slotted into any PCI or PCIe port and draws its power directly from the PC’s internal power supply. All you need to do is connect the supplied power cord to one of the 4-pin power sockets that
are also used to power hard disks, DVD drives and so on. The outward facing side of the card features the tuner connection as well as – slightly below – a CI slot that can take any standard module for conditional access systems like Irdeto, Seca, Viaccess, Conax, Cryptoworks, Nagravision and so on. The FireWire interface required for data transfer is located directly on the printed circuit board of the FloppyDTV and cannot be accessed from the outside. This means the card needs to be connected to one of the PC’s internal FireWire ports. In case such an internal port is not available, the FloppyDTV package includes a second slot sheet that can be used to guide the FireWire cable to the outside and then connect it to one of the regular FireWire ports of the PC. The manufacturer can even supply a suitable adapter kit to install the card into a 3.5 inch hard disk slot, but this device is not included as standard.
Channel list sorted according to providers
Channel list sorted alphabetically
DVBShop ships three versions of the FloppyDTV card: DVB-S/2, DVB-C and DVB-T. It’s a pity that the card is not designed for swapping tuners because the tuner is permanently soldered onto the printed circuit board. A tuner that could easily be changed even by users with only moderate technical skills would provide some wonderful icing on the cake.
Installation If you’re looking for an impressive demonstration of how Plug&Play is supposed to work you’ve come to the right place. Simply identify an available PCI or PCI-e slot and insert the card. Indentations for both slot types are provided or you may also choose to simply detach the bracket that is not required to
38 TELE-satellite & Broadband — 04-05/2009 — www.TELE-satellite.com
Channel 4 HD with info bar
make sure the card firmly sits in place. Usually you will also easily find an unused power connector and be able to connect the card to an internal FireWire port. And that’s it! The manufacturer ships this product with a handy step-by-step installation guide. The minimum system requirements are Pentium IV
1.5 GHz or Athlon XP+ 200 for SDTV and Pentium IV 3.5 GHz or Athlon XP+ 3500 with a DXVA/H.264 compatible graphics board for HDTV. Both the Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems are supported, the latter with 32bit as well as 64bit. Apart from the provided FireDTV Viewer you may also