Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Hauppauge WinTV Nova
If you don't have a satellite system already, and fancy buying a dish to watch a very small number of free-to-air digital channels, WinTV Nova is great. Otherwise, it's a very limited piece of kit.
| Product | WinTV Nova |
|---|---|
| Company | Hauppauge |
| Web | www.hauppauge.com |
| Price | £109 (£128.07) |
| We like | Satellite Internet is a great idea - |
| We don't like | shame it's a non-starter with this kit. |
| Rating | 4/10 |
| Requirements | PC with Pentium II Processor (min. 233MHz for Data reception) (min. 400MHz for TV reception) Windows® 95, 98, 2000 or ME Free PCI 2.1 Slot Sound Card Digital Satellite Dish |
Digital Telly - the great new thing that's been going since 1996. It's streets ahead of analogue TV. And how about 40kbps Internet download speeds - Broadband at 150 Euros a year? Sounds exciting! That's exactly what Hauppauge's WinTV Nova PCI promises all over the box, but, if you're already Sky Digiboxed, the latter is, I'm afraid, not yet a reality.
What you get is a card with an input for the feed from your satellite dish, a CD with the driver software and a single sheet quick start guide. Physical installation is simple enough, if you have very few other cards installed (and a nightmare if there's a clash), but actually getting the thing to pick up Digital channels is something else.
The trouble is, out of the box, the system is set up for the channels on Astra 1 at 19.8 degrees East, while anyone with a Sky Digital system has their dish pointed at Astra2A at 29.2 East. So all the channels you see on the main screen aren't actually there.
That means you have to dive into the channel scan system, and get the Nova to search for channels it can use - and they have to be free to air and unencrypted - that means they don't require a Sky viewing card. On the current channel line up, that leaves around six channels you can watch, a further five the system thinks you can watch and absolutely no data channels at all - they're on Astra 1.
Hence, if you like Boomerang (a kids cartoon channel), TCM, QVC and SHOP! you're well set. If not, or if you're looking for broadband Internet, you're going to have to get hold of another dish and get it pointed at Astra 1 at 19.8 East, or even Hotbird, wherever in the sky that floats.
And, in truth, if you can achieve that, then the channel line-up look fabby, and all the info on super high-speed Internet download speeds looks great. It's just a shame you can't get it if you're already digital.
In short, this is not a piece of kit for anyone in the UK unless they're already kitted out with the satellite reception kit they need to access the two satellites that aren't being marketed in the country. If you're moving from analogue to digital, then, yes, keep your current dish, and you'll be able to use all of the services. If you've already gone digital, save your money.
