2011-11-28, 06:25
I could use a little help. I wanted to set up a HTPC that would also act as a PVR to replace my TIVO. It looks like XBMC easily gets me 90% of the way there, but I am having a hard time with that last 10%.
I bought a Zotac ID40+ and installed OpenElec on it, I added the media files from my NAS to XBMC and it was able to play them. I started whipping them into shape with Media Companion and that worked as well, but adding television tuning and PVR functionality is stumping me.
There is a section on the menu that is labelled "TV Guide." I assume that is the front end of the tuner. (I'm quite possibly wrong on that.) I thought it showed some listings once, but those went away. Looking at settings, it appears as if it might be specific to Europe?
Since there is no way to fit a tuner card in the unit, I looked for a USB solution. Reading around, I found a list on Linuxtv.org that extolled the virtues of the ASUS U3100 Mini. I found one on the Internet and ordered it. What came was the ASUS U3100 Mini Plus, which I understand is a different and perhaps inferior tuner.
It did not work as a plug and play. I thought perhaps a full install of Ubuntu would have a wider range of support, so I reformated with Ubuntu and built XBMC on top then tried installing a few of the PVR solutions under the Ubuntu build and never got anywhere. In fact, I made a bigger and bigger mess as things failed. Dependencies were not met and generally, things stopped working as I dug myself into a deeper and deeper pit. Then I tested the tuner on my wife's XP machine and it didn't work there either. It was a lemon.
So at this point, I am willing to get a new tuner, reformat and start over. My questions are:
I may have more questions later on, but I thought I'd seek some friendly advice before trying to figure it all out on my own again. Thanks in advance for the help.
I bought a Zotac ID40+ and installed OpenElec on it, I added the media files from my NAS to XBMC and it was able to play them. I started whipping them into shape with Media Companion and that worked as well, but adding television tuning and PVR functionality is stumping me.
There is a section on the menu that is labelled "TV Guide." I assume that is the front end of the tuner. (I'm quite possibly wrong on that.) I thought it showed some listings once, but those went away. Looking at settings, it appears as if it might be specific to Europe?
Since there is no way to fit a tuner card in the unit, I looked for a USB solution. Reading around, I found a list on Linuxtv.org that extolled the virtues of the ASUS U3100 Mini. I found one on the Internet and ordered it. What came was the ASUS U3100 Mini Plus, which I understand is a different and perhaps inferior tuner.
It did not work as a plug and play. I thought perhaps a full install of Ubuntu would have a wider range of support, so I reformated with Ubuntu and built XBMC on top then tried installing a few of the PVR solutions under the Ubuntu build and never got anywhere. In fact, I made a bigger and bigger mess as things failed. Dependencies were not met and generally, things stopped working as I dug myself into a deeper and deeper pit. Then I tested the tuner on my wife's XP machine and it didn't work there either. It was a lemon.
So at this point, I am willing to get a new tuner, reformat and start over. My questions are:
- What USB tuner should I get? I'd love a dual-tuner PVR solution.
- Should I use OpenElec or install a stripped down version of Ubuntu and build from there? Advantages or disadvantages?
- What PVR solution is the best for my application? Any to avoid?
- Should I bother trying to extend functionality into gaming or Web browsing? Or is a "clean" HTPC smarter?
I may have more questions later on, but I thought I'd seek some friendly advice before trying to figure it all out on my own again. Thanks in advance for the help.
