SmartDVB

Name: SmartDVB
Availability: Discontinued
Author: SmartWARE

SmartDVB was TV viewing software for DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) tuner cards on Windows. It received digital satellite (DVB-S), terrestrial (DVB-T), and cable (DVB-C) television through compatible hardware, displaying channels on your computer monitor with electronic program guide support.

What it did

With a DVB tuner card installed, SmartDVB scanned for available channels and presented them in a channel list. You switched between channels, viewed the electronic program guide (EPG) for scheduling information, and recorded programs to disk. Teletext decoding displayed text information services broadcast alongside TV channels.

The program supported multiple tuner cards simultaneously for picture-in-picture viewing or recording one channel while watching another.

Advantages

Supported all DVB standards (satellite, terrestrial, cable)
EPG and teletext support
Recording to disk
Free to use

Drawbacks

No longer maintained
Requires DVB tuner hardware
Interface outdated
ProgDVB, DVBViewer, or MediaPortal are maintained alternatives

Who it was for

SmartDVB was for users with DVB tuner cards who wanted free TV viewing software. For current DVB reception, ProgDVB and DVBViewer are maintained alternatives. Most users have switched to streaming services, which do not require tuner hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was SmartDVB?

Free TV viewing software for Windows that received digital satellite, terrestrial, and cable television through DVB tuner cards, with EPG and recording support.

Do I need a TV tuner card to watch TV on PC?

For broadcast TV (over the air, satellite, cable), yes. For internet-based TV, streaming services and apps like Pluto TV work without hardware.

What DVB software is still maintained?

ProgDVB and DVBViewer are actively maintained. MediaPortal is a free open source media center with TV tuner support.

Features & How-To Guide

#	Feature	How to use
1	DVB-S/S2 satellite TV reception	Settings › Tuner › LNB and DiSEqC configuration. Connect a satellite card and configure the antenna.
2	Channel scanning and BlindScanner	Scan › Full Scan or Scan › Blind Scan. BlindScanner detects all frequencies automatically without transponder data.
3	Electronic program guide (EPG) 2	OSD menu or dedicated EPG button. Displays the current and upcoming program for all channels.
4	DVB-T/T2 and DVB-C/C2 support	Support for terrestrial and cable digital television in addition to satellite. Settings › Tuner › Signal Type.
5	Timeshift TV pausing	Timeshift button in OSD. Pause/rewind/fast-forward live TV with a graphical progress bar.
6	Favorite channels list	Right-click on a channel › Add to Favorites. Organize channels into groups with logos and search/filtering.
7	TV program recording (PVR)	EPG › Select a program › Record. Or Schedule › Add Timer for manual scheduling. Saves in MPEG PS or Transport Stream.
8	DVB subtitle support	OSD › Audio/Subtitle › Select a subtitle track from the list of available languages.
9	Teletext	Teletext button in OSD. Displays full teletext pages with support for teletext subtitles.
10	Simultaneous recording to 64 channels	Multi-Recorder records multiple channels from the same transponder simultaneously. Requires a compatible multi-tuner card.
11	Plugin support	Settings › Plugins. Functional extensions (e.g. H.264 and DVB-S2 decoding). Install into the plugins folder.
12	Remote control	Settings › Remote Control › Mapping HID or MCE remote buttons to program functions.