Hi Guys,

Kinda speculative but...
In my linux box I have two types of usb tuner. The signal is considerably weaker than if I boot into windows. e.g. snr reports as ~20db and signal strength as >60% in windows compared to ~1.7db and ~10% in linux. This is despite being fed off the same aerial using the same hardware. The only variable is the OS.
The consequence is dvb is unwatchable for two muxes in linux but virtually 100% glitch free in windows. This kind of difference doesn't seem right to me.
As far as I can tell this is independent of the dvb hardware as the same issue exists with both of my tuners which do not share common components to my knowledge.

I'm running Ubuntu Karmic, the tuners are a Nebula electronics DigiTV USB and a Freecom DVB-T stick. I've been aware of this for some time (several distros and versions so I think the problem is driver related) but it has never been an issue for me until lately.

Does anyone know of a fix for this, or if this issue exists with other hardware? Specifically I've been eyeing up the Hauppauge HVR 4000. I've been unable to find even the mention of this type of issue.

The reception depends on the device and not the module or driver. Try comparing the firmware between what Linux uses and what Windows uses. If the firmware version in Windows is more recent than the what Linux uses, upgrade the Linux modules to make sure it can use the next latest firmware version that is compatible.

Every firmware release includes something that fixes the issues. Unfortunately, the latest firmware have to be uploaded to the device or else it will fall back on the device's own firmware which might be buggy.

USB in Linux is poor and may not work correctly. If the firmware in Linux for your device is the latest or is equal to the same version that Windows uses, I suggest use a powered USB hub. The powered hub should work in Linux and make your USB tuners work better by given them more power. Reason why is Linux might have put USB in power saving mode or shut off one hub in USB that is using too much current or Linux could have cut the power in half that made the device to not work properly.