How to use TBS 6984 DVB-S2 Quad Tuner card with MediaPortal TV Server

TBS Technology  has  been making TV tuner cards for about 5 years and  they’re starting to build a good reputation amongst HTPC enthusiasts, and for good reason – as you’ll see the 6984 Quad Tuner card is a solid performer. This review will focus on using the TBS 6984 with MediaPortal TV Server.

The TBS6984 really is the grand-daddy of DVB-S2 cards!  It’s a DVB-S/S2 PCI Express card with 4 tuners allowing you capture from 4 different satellite transponders simultaneously.  At $249USD the price is right. That’s about $62 per tuner – considerably cheaper than buying 4 separate DVB-S2 cards and much more convenient.
TBS list the following specifications:
Receiving Frequency: 925~2175 MHz Tuning Range
Input Level: -69~23dBm
4x Advanced DVB-S2/DVB-S 8PSK QPSK Demodulator
Symbol Rates:
DVB-S QPSK: 1-45 Msps
DVB-S2 8PSK/QPSK: 2-36 Msps
Code Rates:
DVB-S: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8
DVB-S2 QPSK: 1/2, 3/5, 2/3, 3/4. 4/5. 5/6, 8/9, 9/10
DVB-S2 8PSK: 3/5, 2/3. 3/4. 5/6. 8/9, 9/10
I’m not going to pretend that I could explain all the technical aspects of these specs, but suffice to say this card will handle pretty much anything you can throw at it.

What’s In The Box

• The PCIe Card
• A driver mini-CD
• Infrared Remote Control
• Infrared Receiver Cable
• Power Cable
• 

The build quality of the card is excellent – all the soldering looks clean and solid, and the components are well aligned.  The bracket has labels for the tuners ‘A’ through ‘D’ stamped on it – a nice touch.  The chipset consists of the following:

• 2x  Trident CX24132 Dual DVB-S2 Tuner

• 2x   Trident CX24117 Dual DVB-S2 Demodulator
• 2x   Intersil ISL6422B Dual Output LNB Supply and Control Voltage Regulator
• 1x   Trident SAA7160E PCI Express Audio/Video Capture Bridge

The remote is pretty basic;  but let’s be honest, if you’re looking for a quad tuner card you’re probably an HTPC enthusiast in which case you’ll already have an advanced remote.  If not you’ll need to get one!  It has TV and navigation buttons, but lacks buttons for the advanced features you’d typically find in media centre packages like MediaPortal. That said, it will do just fine to get you up and running with basic TV software.
As for the driver CD, I haven’t even put it in my PC.  Personally I never use the driver CDs which come with any hardware.  I prefer to go straight to the web and download the very latest version.  It would be nice if TBS released a white-box version of this product, which included just the card and the power cable.
TBS state that the additional power cable is only required when you need extra current for driving things like dish positioning motors and some LNBs.  In general, you shouldn’t require it which is good – the less cables floating around the better when it comes to an HTPC that you’re trying to keep cool with a minimum of fans.
Installation
I’d love to go into great detail about the installation but there really isn’t much to say. The hardware side is obvious – unplug your PC and install the card into a spare PCIe 1x slot.
As for the driver, TBS keeps it simple which I really appreciate.  You don’t have to run an installer (although there is one).  You can simply let Windows detect the card and then tell it where to find the latest driver files and the device installs without any fuss.  I wish more manufacturers would take this simple clean approach.  With an installer, you don’t really know what you’re getting and what’s being changed on your system.  I’m running Windows 7 x64.  Once the driver is installed, you’ll see a single “TBS 6984 Quad DVBS/S2 BDA Tuners”  device listed in device manager.  The driver is a BDA driver, which means it conforms to Microsoft’s broadcast driver architecture so the card will be compatible with any TV software which supports BDA devices.

MediaPortal
MediaPortal is a free and open source media centre package for Windows.


You can get a wealth of information and support at the Team-MediaPortal site, but these are the basic components that you’ll need to get TV up and running with the TBS 6984.  The remainder of this review will focus on the TV Server component of MediaPortal.

• MediaPortal – this is the main front-end application. You can have this installed on as many PCs around the house as you like
• TV Server – this is a Windows service which manages all TV streaming and recording.  It can be on the same or a different PC to the MediaPortal application
• TV Client Plug-in – this is a plug-in component to MediaPortal which connects it to the TV Server

Once you’ve got the driver installed TV Server will detect the card. You’ll have to restart the TV Service and TV Server configuration tool if they are already running.
One thing I really like about this card is the way it identifies itself.  In the Windows device manager it just shows a single device, but once you open up the TV Server configuration tool you’ll see all 4 tuners and they’re actually labelled A, B, C and D – unlike some other dual cards I’ve seen, which just show 2 identical tuners so you can’t tell which one is which.

Scanning speed is impressive – just over 6 minutes to scan 41 transponders.  Both DVB-S and DVB-S2 channels are found correctly.

Now the part you’ve been waiting for – recording 4 channels at once.  In fact, with MediaPortal TV Server you can record even more than that because it allows you to record all the channels on a given transponder at the same time.  The TBS 6984 can tune into 4 separate transponders, so if each of those transponders carries 6 channels that would mean you could record 24 channels simultaneously! Below you can see I’m receiving 12 channels quite happily and the 6984 doesn’t skip a beat!  “Just try that Windows 7 Media Center!”
The driver seems to report the signal quality and strength much more accurately than a lot of other cards I’ve seen, and also updates these quite frequently – which is great.

Channel Change Speed
The most common question I hear when discussing various TV cards with HTPC enthusiasts is “How fast can it change channels?”. There are a number of things that can affect this – system hardware, TV card, TV card driver, TV software, media codecs, etc.  It also depends on where you take the measurement. The following results are taken from the TV Server logs, and indicate the time it takes for the TV card to switch channels.


Very impressive, with all tests sub-second, except DVB-S to DVB-S2 switching which takes a little longer.
DiSEqC
The TBS 6984 supports DiSEqC 2.x.  MediaPortal TV Server doesn’t yet support DiSEqC for this card, but I’ve spoken to a member of the MediaPortal development team who has informed me that they will be adding it soon, and has asked me to be a tester when the time comes.
Conclusion
All-in-all, my only criticism is that such a high-end card should be matched with a high-end remote.  I think the best solution is a white box version of the product so the user can choose their own remote.
The channel change speed tests speak for themselves;  that, combined with the solid driver and excellent build quality, makes the 6984 an excellent choice for anyone looking to build or expand an HTPC.  In fact, unless you’re certain you won’t need more than 2 tuners, I would say just go straight for the 6984 because you’ll end up saving money in the long run.
As for TBS support – while I haven’t needed any technical support, from what I’ve read elsewhere they seem to have a reputation of being very responsive as well as being happy to interact with the MediaPortal development team. They also make their SDK (software development kit) freely available.
This review is contributed by Rhys Goodwin>>

TBS 6280-Freeview HD Twin Tuner Card

TBS 6280 DVB T2 PCIe Dual Tuner Card is the world’s premium multi-channel tuner, digital demodulator, intelligent remote PCI-express PCTV product. The DVB T2 TV card is capable of receiving standard and high definition digital broadcast program content, including the new UK Freeview SD and HD channels. It is designed to transform a personal computer into the ultimate audio video entertainment system, supporting external video streams and worldwide HD broadcast streams.

TBS 6280 supports dual tuners receiving with digital terrestrial television including both DVB-T and DVB-T2 standard, Giving 2 simultaneous HD terrestrial streaming from a single low profile card. All Freeview digital terrestrial (DVB-T & T2) TV and radio channels can be received by this Freeview HD tv card. Please ensure you can receive the Digital Terrestrial Television (DVB-T, DVB-T2, Freeview) service in your region. The TBS 6280 requires you use a high-gain roof aerial to enable and enjoy reliable Digital Television reception throughout the countries, such as UK, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand etc.

Hardware remote & IR remote receiver are included .This is an option if a system builder requires a remote control other than the normal Microsoft Media Center remote USB IR sensor used for most systems

A mini aerial is included for viewing broadcast television transmissions. For all transmissions indoor, loft-mounted, and external aerials are available. In regions of strong signal an indoor aerial may be adequate; in marginal areas a high-gain external aerial mounted high above the ground with an electronic amplifier at its top may be needed.

TBS 6280 is ideal for Windows 7 Media Center, MythTV Linux ubuntu and other high end PVR DVB applications.

Platform

1. 32 and 64 bit Broadcast Driver Architecture (BDA) WHQL drivers

2. Special Media Center support for tuning and scanning of DVB-T/T2 channels

3. MythTV Linux ubuntu support

TBS 6280 has been architected to allow simultaneous management of two broadcast program streaming. DVB T2 pcie tuner and demodulator technology supports the detection, receiving and processing of HD terrestrial streams (Especially for Freeview HD). The driver pack design allows operation with the broadest selection of PVR and Media Center applications; permitting the viewing, pausing and recording of multiple programs

Freeview in New Zealand

What is Freeview

Freeview is a non-profit service providing free-to-air digital television and digital radio to New Zealand. The organization is a joint venture between the country's major broadcasters - Television New Zealand, TVWorks (owners of TV3, FOUR and C4), Māori Television, and Radio New Zealand. The Freeview service consists of a high definition digital terrestrial television service, branded Freeview|HD, to around 86% of the population in the major urban and provincial centres of New Zealand, and a standard definition digital satellite television service covering the whole of mainland New Zealand and the major offshore islands. Freeview uses the DVB-S/S2 and DVB-T/T2 standards on government provided spectrum.

The Freeview service started in 2002 UK, introduced New Zealand in 2007. Since May 2011, it was estimated that 77% of New Zealand households have at least one digitally-equipped televevision set (including Freeview, Sky and TelstraClear), with Freeview making up approximately 45% of the digital television share.It was announced on 15 June 2006 that Freeview's free-to-air digital TV service would be available via satellite (DVB-S) from mid-2007 and terrestrial transmissions (DVB-T) from mid-2008. Freeview's marketing campaign began on 23 April 2007 through a website and four TV advertisements shown on Freeview's shareholders' TV channels, using the slogan "Make bad reception a thing of the past", showing people using proverbial substitutes for rabbit ears for receiving TV reception.

Freeview's satellite( DVB S/S2 ) service began on 2 May 2007. Initially, there were five television channels: TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, and Maori Television. Freeview's first digital-only channel, TVNZ Sport Extra temporary channel from TVNZ, began on 18 May 2007, providing coverage of the V8 Supercar racing. The channel has since ceased broadcasting.The Freeview terrestrial service(DVB T2), named Freeview HD, officially launched on 14 April 2008.

What you need

Freeview Receiver

To receive Freeview channels, either a television with an integrated digital tuner, or an existing standard analogue television receiver plus a set-top box or digital Freeview PVR is required. It costs among $15-20, affordable with everyone.

Aerial

An aerial (antenna) is required for viewing any broadcast television transmissions. For all transmissions indoor, loft-mounted, and external aerials are available. In regions of strong signal an indoor aerial may be adequate; in marginal areas a high-gain external aerial mounted high above the ground with an electronic amplifier at its top may be needed.

 Freeview Channels in New Zealand

The Freeview platform currently has 18 television channels and 4 radio stations. TVNZ, MediaWorks (formerly CanWest), the Maori Television Service, Stratos Television Ltd, Parliament TV, CUE (Southland TV) and Radio New Zealand currently provide content.Up to 18 channels will be available, with six each assigned to TVNZ and MediaWorks, and the balance to other networks. Given that TVNZ's and MediaWorks's current free-to-air channels will be available on Freeview, there will be eight extra channels in total.Freeview also has its own eight-day electronic programme guide, named Freeview EPG; TVNZ's Teletext service is also available.[5] On Freeview the EPG is transmitted in both EIT and MHEG5 formats. On Freeview HD only EIT Now and Next are transmitted but a full MHEG5 EPG is transmitted television channelsIt is said that there is space for approximately only 20 channels on the two satellite transponders that Freeview lease currently so fewer channels may be available on satellite than terrestrial in the future.All transmitters are horizontal polarisation unless otherwise stated. Frequencies of channels can be found at Television channel frequencies in near future.

Freeview HD Tuner

Another possible way to watch Freeview HD channels is use a DVB T2 or S2 digital Tv card. Freeview is transmitted by DVB T2 /S2 standared. DVB tuner card allow you watch and record Freeview SD and HD channels on PC.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What Is Freeview

What is Freeview

Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK. The service is jointly run by its five equal shareholders, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva. DTV Services is designed to market changes to the platform. DTV Services is responsible for marketing services such as Freeview+, the PVR brand and Freeview HD.

Freeview officially launched on 30 October 2002 when the BBC and Crown Castle (now Arqiva) officially took over the digital terrestrial television (DTT) licences to broadcast on the three multiplexes from the defunct ITV Digital (originally called ONdigital). The founding members of DTV Services, who trade as Freeview, were the BBC, Crown Castle UK (now part of Arqiva) and British Sky Broadcasting. On 11 October 2006, ITV plc and Channel 4 became equal shareholders. Since then, the Freeview model has been copied in Australia and New Zealand. Some of Eureapen countries, such as Sweden, Italy, France can receive Freeview as well. It has gained a great popularity among the whole UK.

What you need

Freeview Receiver

To receive Freeview channels, either a television with an integrated digital tuner, or an existing standard analogue television receiver plus a set-top box or digital Freeview PVR is required. It costs among $15-20, affordable with everyone.

Aerial

An aerial (antenna) is required for viewing any broadcast television transmissions. For all transmissions indoor, loft-mounted, and external aerials are available. In regions of strong signal an indoor aerial may be adequate; in marginal areas a high-gain external aerial mounted high above the ground with an electronic amplifier at its top may be needed.

Service costs

Different from ITV Digital, cable and satellite digital TV services, Freeview channels can be received at no charge. Freeview is paid by the government as a public expense. All the subscribers can enjoy a total free-charge service. Now the Digital TV Group the industry association for digital television in the UK, is responsible for co-ordination between Freeview,  and other digital services. More service will be in the near future.

Freeview channels

The Freeview service broadcasts free-to-air television channels, radio stations and interactive services from the existing public service broadcasters. Channels on the service include the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 terrestrial channels, as well as their digital services. In addition, channels from Sky and UKTV, text services from Teletext and radio stations from BBC and Bauer amongst others are available.

The full range of channels broadcast via digital terrestrial television includes pay television services from operators such as Top Up TV and ESPN. These channels, although available only to subscribers with appropriate equipment, are listed in the on-screen electronic programme guides displayed by many Freeview receivers but may not be viewed. Only paid, you can receive the channels.

Freeview+

Freeview+, originally entitled "Freeview Playback", is a consumer brand for the specification of Digital Terrestrial Recorders which is published and maintained by the Digital TV Group. It is designed to "raise consumer awareness and promote sales" of Freeview-capable digital video recorders. Only approved digital terrestrial recorders (PVRs, DVRs and DTRs) which meet specified quality and functionality criteria are permitted to carry the Freeview+ logo. An advantage of the scheme is the benefit of joint marketing and consumer confidence.

Freeview HD

With two channels (BBC HD and ITV1 HD) Freeview HD completed a "technical launch" on 2 December 2009 from Crystal Palace and Winter Hill and operates on multiplex BBC B (aka Multiplex B or PSB3) from that date in regions that switched-over on or after that date, with the service coming to all regions by the end of 2012. Channel 4 HD commenced test broadcasts on 25 March 2010 with an animated caption, ahead of its full launch on 30 March 2010, coinciding with the commercial launch of Freeview HD. S4C Clirlun launched on 30 April 2010 in Wales, where Channel 4 HD will not broadcast. STV HD launched in Scotland, where ITV1 HD does not broadcast, on 6 June 2010.

Five HD was due to launch during 2010 but was unable to reach 'key criteria' to keep its slot. Spare allocation on multiplex B was handed over to the BBC, two years from the date when it was anticipated that further capacity on multiplex B would revert to the control of the BBC Trust. On 3 November 2010, BBC One HD launched on Freeview HD. It is available in addition to the existing BBC HD channel, which continues to show the "best of the rest" of the BBC in HD. The BBC Trust recognised that technical and financial constraints as of 2010prevent additional variations.[18]

During 2011, Ofcom intends to give the Commercial Public Service Broadcasters another opportunity to apply to provide an additional Freeview HD service from 2012. On 30 March 2010 Isle Howling said “I think we know it won’t be coming from Channel 4, if you ask Five when they think they’ll be on, they’ll say the end of 2012

Freeview HD Tuner

Another possible way to watch Freeview HD channels is use a DVB T2 digital Tv card. DVB T2 might be a little strange for somebody. But it’s easy to understand. DTB T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting –Terrestrial; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television. That’s to say, Freeview is transmitted by DVB T2 format. DVB t2 tuner card allow you watch and record Freeview SD and HD channels on PC.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What is DVB T2

DVB-T2 is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial; it is the extension of the television standard DVB-T, issued by the consortium DVB, devised for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television.This system transmits compressed digital audio, video, and other data in "physical layer pipes" (PLPs), using OFDM modulation with concatenated channel coding and interleaving. The higher offered bit rate, with respect to its predecessor DVB-T, makes it a suited system for carrying HDTV signals on the terrestrial TV channel.It is currently broadcasting in UK (Freeview HD, four channels), Italy (Europa 7 HD, twelve channels) and in Sweden (five channels).
Differences between DVB-T and DVB T2
The following table reports a comparison of available modes in DVB-T and DVB-T2

For instance, a UK MFN DVB-T profile (64-QAM, 2k mode, coding rate 2/3, guard interval 1/32) and a DVB-T2 equivalent (256-QAM, 32k, coding rate 3/5, guard interval 1/128) allows for an increase in bit rate from 24.13 Mbit/s to 35.4 Mbit/s (+46.5%). Another example, for an Italian SFN DVB-T profile (64-QAM, 8k, coding rate 2/3, guard interval 1/4) and a DVB-T2 equivalent (256-QAM, 32k, coding rate 3/5, guard interval 1/16), achieves an increase in bit rate from 19.91 Mbit/s to 33.3 Mbit/s (+67%
When the digital terrestrial HDTV service Freeview HD was launched in December 2009, it was the first DVB-T2 service intended for the general public. As of November 2010, DVB-T2 broadcasts were available in a couple of European countries.
Countries where DVB-T2 is in use
The earliest introductions of T2 have usually been tied with a launch of high-definition television. There are some countries where HDTV is broadcast using the old DVB-T standard with no immediate plans to switch those broadcasts to DVB-T2. Among countries using DVB-T for nationwide broadcasts of HDTV are France, Italy, Norway and Denmark.
Countries where DVB-T2 is in use include:
* United Kingdom: one multiplex, soft launch in December 2009, full launch in April 2010
* Italy: one multiplex, soft launch in October 2010
* Sweden: two multiplexes, full launch in November 2010
* Finland: five multiplexes, soft launch in January 2011, full launch in February 2011
* Ukraine: four multiplexes, soft launch in September 2011, full launch in November 2011
The Southern African Development Community announced in November 2010 that DVB-T2 would be the preferred standard for the region.[19] In Serbia, both SD and HD broadcasts will air in DVB-T2It has been trialled in Spainand Germany. Austria and New Zealand have succeeded copies DVB T2 standard.
Besides, Currently Malaysia, which has yet to officially launch it's DVB-T transmission, is running tests on DVB-T2. Whether the system will be adopted only for HD channels or will replace it's existing trial DVB-T system, if adopted at all, remains unannounced.
UK
Freeview HD started its "technical launch" on December 2, 2009, hosting BBC HD, and ITV1 HD. On March 30, 2010, Freeview HD had its official launch, and added Channel 4 HD to its broadcasts. The fourth channel hosted is BBC One HD, while as of March 2010 the remaining fifth slot is still to be assigned.Now Freeview covers 77% of UK population and plans to finally reach 98.5% in 2012, following the region by region digital switchover all over the country
Italy
In Italy, Europa 7, after a ten years long legal battle, has finally been an assigned in Spring 2010 a national multiplex (the slot corresponging to one channel in analog broadcasting and to many channels in digital broadcasting), and decided to use it in DVB-T2, rebranding itself as Europa 7 HD. Europa 7 HD, having a full multiplex for itself, will host twelve alternating channels, of which eight in HD.
Europa 7 HD is the first Italian broadcaster to adopt the DVB-T2 technology and is doing so as an unilateral initialive, as there is not a general plan in Italy to adopt DVB-T2 for the other broadcasters. The two dominating broadcasters Rai (public) and Mediaset (private) still use DVB-T for their HDTV channels. Rai has planned some tests with DVB-T2, but has not a short-term plan for the general public to switch to DVB-T2, and the country is not yet fully switched from analog to DVB-T. Europa7 HD owner Francesco Di Stefano declared that all broadcasters will eventually have to move from T1 to T2, because of the higher quality.
Sweden
On June 17, 2010, the Swedish Radio and TV Authority and the Swedish Government granted a total of nine licenses to broadcast channels in HDTV spread over two multiplexes using DVB-T2.
Broadcasts started on November 1, 2010, with five channels available initially: SVT1 HD, SVT2 HD, MTVN HD, National Geographic HD and Canal+ Sport HD.[1][2] From this date a coverage of 70% of the population is achieved, with 90% expected by mid 2011 and nationwide coverage by 2012.

DVB T2 PCIe TV card

TBS 6220 PCI-E DVB-T2/T TV Tuner Card is a digital terrestrial tuner card, which allows you watch free-to-air digital Terrestrial TV and digital Stereo radio on PC. t’s ideal for watching UK Freeview SD and HD channels on your PC.TBS 6220 can be used as a digital video recorder for recording digital terrestrial TV programs with full HDTV support. It also enables you to pause a live broadcast and continue from where you left with the Time-shifting function. It would be a good way to watch DVB T/T2 channels（especially Freeview HD in UK.

Related Articles:
What Is Freeview
How to watch Freeview HD TV on windows media center
How to Watch Freeview Channels on Your PC

What is differenct between Quatro LNB and Quad LNB

With TBS6984 DVB-S2 PCI-E Quad tuner card gaining more popularity, many users focus on how equip the appropriate LNA with it. Usually you’ve seen two different types of four output LNB device to fit on your satellite dish, one called a Quad LNB and the other called a Quattro LNB. Confused? This brief article aims to outline the difference between a quad LNB and a quattro LNB, plus give a few practical examples of why you may choose one over another. Then you can decide which one is the most suitable with TBS 6984.

What is an LNB?

First we need to cover a bit of background on what an LNB actually does. LNB stands for Low Noise Block Downconvertor and sometimes they are just called Downconvertors. The word downconvertor conveys what an LNB actually does - it converts high frequencies down to lower frequencies. This 'downconversion' is required to enable a satellite receiver to decode the signal into video and audio. The frequencies transmitted by a satellite are too high to be decoded by a set-top box.

Satellite receivers are capable of receiving a number of different signal bands and a 'universal' LNB has the ability to receive all of these. It is normal for a universal LNB to receive the following bands:
Low Band - Horizontal Polarization
High Band - Horizontal Polarization
Low Band - Vertical Polarization
High Band - Vertical Polarization
The LNB is not able to downconvert all of these simultaneously - it needs to be sent commands from the satellite receiver that switch the LNB output to the desired band/polarization. The satellite receiver switches the universal LNB to receive either High or Low Band with a 22Hz tone and either Horizontal or Vertical Polarization with a switching voltage between 12.5v - 18v. These tones and voltages are sent up the coaxial cable from the back of the receiver to the output of the LNB.

Quad LNB

The quad LNB provides four outputs, each capable of providing each of the four frequency bands and polarizations. The LNB outputs are switched by the satellite receiver, as explained above, with a 22Hz tone and a switching voltage. This is like a universal LNB with four outputs.
In a simple residential satellite TV installation it is normal to install a quad LNB. In a Sky installation, often two of the outputs from a quad LNB will be used to feed a Sky+ receiver (it has two feeds so you can record while watching live TV), with either the other two feeding a second Sky+ receiver or just a single output feeding a regular Sky box.
A quad LNB is ideal where a maximum of four satellite feeds is required and there is not much possibility of expansion. Quad LNB is also ideal for TBS 6894 satellite quad tuner card building.
Quattro LNB

The quattro LNB provides four outputs, each with a single band/polarization specific to that output. The band/polarization available at each output is fixed at the time of manufacture. It is not possible to switch the band/polarization with a tone or switching voltage.
A quattro LNB is normally used to feed a large distribution system. A single dish with a quattro LNB fitted and a multiswitch (or IRS) is able to feed anything between 4 and 100 locations. The multiswitch (or IRS) is able to provide any of the input signals at each output, depending on a tone/voltage sent up the cable by the receiver at each location. It's as though the receiver at each location has it's own dedicated LNB.

The outputs on a multiswitch (or IRS) are able to be controlled with a 22Hz tone and switching voltages in the same way that the outputs from normal universal LNB can be, i.e. to change band and polarisation. The satellite receivers in each of the locations behave as though they are connected to their own dedicated dish and LNB, but in reality are just connected to a multiswitch (or IRS) output.Quattro LNBs are considered to have a better lifetime than quad LNBs as they are not being continually switched.

Although a quattro LNB typically looks similar to a quad LNB, it cannot (sensibly) be connected to receivers directly. Note again the difference between a quad and a quattro LNB: A quad LNB can drive four tuners directly, with each output providing signals from the entire Ku band. A quattro LNB is for connection to a multiswitch in a shared dish distribution system and each output provides only a quarter of the Ku band signals.