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Freesat interface: http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_novahds2.html

But does it run (with) linux?

There are currently no Freesat cards on the market, but I'll grab one when they become available.

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_novahds2.html

I bought one about 6 months ago but never got around to installing it (no dish).

Freesat is unencrypted so I don't have to worry about that.

I think the BBC is planning to encrypt their HD broadcasts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/29/bbc-hd-encryption

I use a MythTV box which was fairly hard to get working but is simple to use. It can change channels on my Sky Digibox so I can record shows automatically using the built in TV guide. I can archive recordings to DVD or play back DVD's on the same box. It cost around £400 (GBP) to build 2 years ago, with a lot of the money going on a Hauppauge PVR-350 card and a small form factor case.

I've also bought a Pioneer DVR for my father in law, the DVR-540HX-S with 160GB hard drive, this was much the same price and does almost as much as the MythTV box including controlling a Sky box. It's also quieter and lacks the initial setup complexity of the Myth box (meaning less support for me!).

If you want total simplicity go for the prebuilt DVR - for total control it has to be MythTV

What I've found to be the best option, is to get rid of the idea of a dedicated Media PC and instead just use my normal PC and a great little and cheap device called a MediaMVP which is both slim and tidy and connects to the network (wireless or wired) and can play pretty much any media located on the computer, which can be in a completely different room, and be used for other things.

Furthermore, you get all the benefit of a media center PC without actually needing one thanks to the software GB-PVR, which is free and runs on windows which provides an interface for the MediaMVP, which is skinnable and you can use plugins to add even more extensibility, from a TV internet browser, VNC, video library and many others.

From this, I get all the benefits of a media center PC and it works really well. The PVR searches the TV guide automatically and records my favourite programs as they come on, organises them into folders based on program and renames them based on episode, then converts them to small but good quality XVID AVI files.

I now have a nice library of all my favourite episodes on the extra 200gb hard drive in my system, I can watch live television, pause, rewind, view the TV guide and enjoy the various plugins, and all without needing an actual media center PC. It's simply another thing tacked on to my main PC, like any other background service. Not only that, but it's also very easy to both setup and use.

Just my opinion, but a slimline MediaMVP thin client, GBPVR server, and an extra hard drive for media works a lot better and comes out a lot cheaper than a media PC, and takes up a lot space too, good for keeping the people that dislike computers or wires in the lounge happy too.

Hauppauge also have a whole range of digital terrestrial receivers suitable for the UK. I have yet to see a board capable of receiving Topup-TV (the extra subscription channels).

I've seen Digital Satelite boards with a CAM slot. But for DVB-T, I'm still looking. Unless you know otherwise....

I'm guessing that the market for it would be so small it's not worth selling one.

You're in luck! Hauppauge has a great tuner card that supports HDTV over cable. For help getting their cards to work under linux, check out their Linux forums.

...such as this one . /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 outputs the raw 18Mb/s stream contain all the TV channels (on that band) which can then be split into the raw MPEG2 using the dvbstream program.

DIY for Mac, as an example

Otherwise, there are commercial choices from Philips, HP, Sony, Kenwood, Hauppauge ($100) and Turtle Beach ($300).

...read this for more...