Cyberlink and Hauppauge have come up with a TV Tuner card capable of accessing satellite HDTV content. The card can decrypt, record, and play MPEG-2 HD and H.264 content encoded for subscription-based satellite broadcast. It can also handle DVB-S and DVB-S2 content.In order to get hi-def satellite content on your PC, you'd need a USB interface, a decryption module, and a Smart Card provided by your satellite provider.
There's not a lot of details on how much the complete system would cost, or which satellite providers would be willing to let you have a smart card to use with your PC-based PVR when they could just continue renting out their set-top PVRs.
1. The chances of Charlie Ergen allowing one of these devices to work on Dishnetwork are about the same as Charlie Ergen handing out $1000 bills. The only way third party hardware will be allowed is if the FCC mandates it to be, as they have in cable tv.
Posted at 1:12AM on Sep 10th 2006 by Raucous Caucus