6. Digital Satellite Video

For unknown reasons, Microsoft still doesn't support DVB-S interface cards in MCE. But a minor workaround permits Media Center PCs to control a satellite receiver anyway. This workaround depends on a small cable with an infrared transmitter. One end of the cable is attached (which is usually glued) to the satellite receiver, and the other connected to the Media Center PC's remote control attachment.

For satellite TV signals that come from a set-top box of some kind, the setup program asks users to push a button on their satellite remote controls after establishing that a TV signal link is working. If that signal can be identified automatically, the unit can calculate the speed of channel selection, and MCE can then control the satellite receiver directly. Units with remote control codes MCE can't identify must be matched up with the system through a process similar to how a remote is "taught" to recognize and control an unidentified device.

The TV tuner card in the PC usually connects to a set-top box or receiver with a coax, S-Video, or composite video cable.

If the TV tuner card sports a composite or, better still, an S-Video jack, use it to hook things up. Installation is easier and picture quality better than if you use the antenna input from the TV tuner card. In most ways, the combination of a set-top box and a Media Center PC works pretty well. But first, channel assignments for both units must be synchronized, which is a time-consuming chore.