DSTV Drifta

McCrazieGoalz said:
Guys. I have just bought a Nokia N8.

Has anyone with an N8 tried using it to catch DSTV DVB-H (Mobile) because it says the N8 can be used without a drifter on their website. See below.

"What do I need in order to use DVB-H?

- A DVB-H enabled cellphone (e.g Nokia 5330, N96, N8, ZTE F900)
- A data activated SIM card
- A Drifta and/or a device approved to work with a Drifta"

Link: http://www.dstvmobile.com/dstvmobile/content/en/south-africa-plus/south-africa-plus-faqs (click on read more under 'General Enquiries').
Click to expand...

I vaguely recall reading activation instructions for the N8 in the FAQ's. Have a dig through there. One of my friends activated it on a different cellphone. Didn't sound too complex.
 
Okay, back at home and my Christmas present is unboxed! :)

Packaging looks pretty cool. The decoder itself is tiny at 9cm x 5cm x 9mm. It has a reset button, an on/off button, mini-usb port (for connectivity and charging) and an extendable antenna which looks like it could snap off pretty easily. Apart from the antenna it looks and feels really solid. The software installation is a breeze.

You need to phone Multichoice to get it activated. Their call-centre is pretty busy but I waited no longer than 5 or 6 minutes before I spoke to someone. Took about another 7 minutes to get it activated.

No feedback on picture quality yet! It's still charging. If all goes well and the coverage maps are accurate I'll post a few screenshots in an hour or two.
 
Okay, battery charged.

First attempt at picking up signal did not go so well. The decoder could not pick up any signal so I took it for a quick stroll outside. I must admit a few harsh words were spoken. It locked onto signal a few seconds later, I walked back inside and voila! Mobile DSTV on my PC!

As Pumpkin King already mentioned, the channel selection is crap but the Supersport channels are very watchable at this resolution and beat most sport streams out there (and I've used quite a few).

Apologies for my sucky MS Paint cropping!

Normal size:
driftanormal.png


Double size:
driftadouble.png
 
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xrapidx said:
If you have more than device, e.g. laptop, pc and cellphone - can you watch different channels on each?
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Tried to test this with the device plugged (via USB) into my desktop and connecting my laptop via wifi. Unfortunately the wifi signal shuts off as soon as the device is plugged into USB in order to save battery. As others have stated, I doubt it's possible anyway as I suspect the decoder locks onto one channel at one frequency while viewing.

Wifi work really well by the way. The viewer software is a little buggy though and fails to properly shutdown on occasion meaning you have kill it in task manager. Minor annoyance. Channel guide is surprisingly decent!
 
martin said:
First attempt at picking up signal did not go so well. The decoder could not pick up any signal so I took it for a quick stroll outside. I must admit a few harsh words were spoken.
Click to expand...

It is frustating at times to get the decoder to pair with my iPhone or laptop ("no signal") and a few harsh words were spoken here too ... but once it locks on it's solid. The battery on the decoder doesn't last long, but it is on its first charge so it will get better.
 
Can anyone tell me if their PS3 can pick up the Drifta SSID? If I can get this at this price, as long as I can see the ball on a 4:3 then I don't mind.
 
@martin: Many thanks for the pics. What software comes with the Drifta? Do you think that it could stream using something like VLC?
 
BeVonk! said:
It is frustating at times to get the decoder to pair with my iPhone or laptop ("no signal") and a few harsh words were spoken here too ... but once it locks on it's solid. The battery on the decoder doesn't last long, but it is on its first charge so it will get better.
Click to expand...
Yeah, also got the No Signal message earlier. Speaking to it seems to help though! :D

grav80 said:
Can anyone tell me if their PS3 can pick up the Drifta SSID? If I can get this at this price, as long as I can see the ball on a 4:3 then I don't mind.
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It probably will pick up the SSID as it's a normal Wifi signal but you need the DSTV player to actually display the video stream. Doubt you'll be able to get the player onto the PS3. Also see my answer below.

Yotch said:
@martin: Many thanks for the pics. What software comes with the Drifta? Do you think that it could stream using something like VLC?
Click to expand...
It *might*. If this is a simple unencrypted IP broadcast that uses standard audio and video codecs. Otherwise it might be a bit more work.

Khanya said:
Martin can't you actually make it full screen. And then take a screenshot.
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Nope. The DSTV player only allows two sizes: Original and Large. If we can get VLC to pick it up we'll be in business.
 
martin said:
It probably will pick up the SSID as it's a normal Wifi signal but you need the DSTV player to actually display the video stream. Doubt you'll be able to get the player onto the PS3. Also see my answer below.


It *might*. If this is a simple unencrypted IP broadcast that uses standard audio and video codecs. Otherwise it might be a bit more work.
.
Click to expand...
OK, so we basically need something to decrypt the wifi signal as well. All we need to know is if it supports DLNA :(
 
The iPod Touch is the ideal companion to the Drifta ... thin and light.
 
iPod Touch = R2200
Drifta = R600

= R2800 to watch sport anywhere anytime in areas with coverage. Not bad.
 
How do you know the Drifta is a DSTV offering? It also bears the DSTV trademark bug - the video and sound does not sync properly at times :)
 
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