TiVo Service ending on 31 October 2017

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45 posts

Geek

#1753571 3-Apr-2017 09:54

robfish:

MythTV would be more expensive but it does offer some more benefits such as central (and unlimited) storage and multiple "frontends" (I have frontends in my lounge, living room, study, computer, garage/gym, spa pool and my phone and tablet.)

Thanks Rob. This set up uses tvheadend, with both the client and server on the one box. So, I'm able to access live TV and TV recordings on other devices in my house similar to your description. But I'm certainly not claiming this setup to be superior to MythTV... I'm sure both products have their advantages and disadvantages. The reason I though LibreELEC was easier to set up, is the simplicity on the install - as the install includes a customised OS with the required applications, so there's really no need to know anything about Linux to get it running - and there appears to be an active community around it for development and support of the whole package. I think there is similar installation options for MythTV, but I'm unsure about how well they are supported - perhaps you can comment?

I am interested to know what people think are the advantages/disadvantages for the two proposed build it yourself options (LibreELEC and MythTV). There are so many advantages of the build it yourself options over the out of the box options (which seems to be limited to Panasonic), but some thread followers may find that an interesting discussion line as well.

robfish

683 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1753581 3-Apr-2017 10:13

I love LibreELEC (It's splash screen says "Just enough OS for Kodi")

Two of my frontends are LibreELEC, one on a NUC and one on an old computer.

It makes a great replacement for the TIVO as the Kodi interface is easy to learn no matter what you use it for.

I do wish the YouTube and NetFlix addons (for Kodi) worked better though.

Rob

robfish

683 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1753858 3-Apr-2017 15:16

I just got an email from Dove Electronics:-

"Get a free Logitech wireless kit with these Core-i5 Intel NUCs."

Rob

peng1nz

41 posts

Geek

#1753869 3-Apr-2017 15:38

lucasnz:

... I've included a cheaper alternative using a Raspberry Pi 3...

...USB Tuner about $10 NZD each (I've bought 2 this enables you to record one channel and watch another)

I like the sound of this as I already have a couple of Pi's.

However I'd want to use terrestrial receivers. Not sure where to start but I see a post from Tarlen on the HTPC forum that should help... 'TVHeadend Server on Raspberry Pi'

lucasnz

45 posts

Geek

#1756054 3-Apr-2017 23:20

peng1nz:

lucasnz:

... I've included a cheaper alternative using a Raspberry Pi 3...

...USB Tuner about $10 NZD each (I've bought 2 this enables you to record one channel and watch another)

I like the sound of this as I already have a couple of Pi's.

However I'd want to use terrestrial receivers. Not sure where to start but I see a post from Tarlen on the HTPC forum that should help... 'TVHeadend Server on Raspberry Pi'

What do you mean by terrestrial receivers? The "USB Tuners" I mention above are terrestrial receivers (although you could also get Satellite receivers if you wanted, and this setup would still work). There's a version of LibreELEC for raspberry Pi which would be far easier to set up than the raspbain method in the link you provided (drivers for the above USB tuners I used are included in LibreELEC).

You should be able to do everything with a single Pi... But it might not perform amazingly with more than one tuner??

Let us know how it works out for you!

Groucho

524 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1756421 4-Apr-2017 16:20

lucasnz:

peng1nz:

lucasnz:

... I've included a cheaper alternative using a Raspberry Pi 3...

...USB Tuner about $10 NZD each (I've bought 2 this enables you to record one channel and watch another)

I like the sound of this as I already have a couple of Pi's.

However I'd want to use terrestrial receivers. Not sure where to start but I see a post from Tarlen on the HTPC forum that should help... 'TVHeadend Server on Raspberry Pi'

What do you mean by terrestrial receivers? The "USB Tuners" I mention above are terrestrial receivers (although you could also get Satellite receivers if you wanted, and this setup would still work). There's a version of LibreELEC for raspberry Pi which would be far easier to set up than the raspbain method in the link you provided (drivers for the above USB tuners I used are included in LibreELEC).

You should be able to do everything with a single Pi... But it might not perform amazingly with more than one tuner??

Let us know how it works out for you!

Watching this with interest myself. Earlier while outlining how to set this up (Intel NUC vs Pi) you mentioned you would need an infrared receiver for a physical remote. I have an early model Pi kicking around and running Kodi I can use the TV remote which controls the Pi via HDMI. Does this no longer work?

It might be a dumb question but do these configurations also support Dolby 5.1 passed through HDMI?

lucasnz

45 posts

Geek

#1756471 4-Apr-2017 18:15

Groucho:

Watching this with interest myself. Earlier while outlining how to set this up (Intel NUC vs Pi) you mentioned you would need an infrared receiver for a physical remote. I have an early model Pi kicking around and running Kodi I can use the TV remote which controls the Pi via HDMI. Does this no longer work?

It might be a dumb question but do these configurations also support Dolby 5.1 passed through HDMI?

Good point about the HDMI-CEC, it looks like the Pi supports it but not the NUC (but it's also dependent on your screen and has limitations):

http://kodi.wiki/view/CEC

I'm using a projector, so it's not supported. Many modern TVs support it but not all (check the link above), but if you're using a computer monitor it probably won't. There are also limitations with this approach, e.g. guide, and info buttons probably won't work. The IR receiver looks pretty easy to add (a couple of jumpers and an IR sensor), and it probably the most flexible in conjunction with a universal remote. But you are right, HDMI-CEC is a possibility!

The NUC definitely supports 5.1 pass through, I suspect the Pi will but can't confirm this.

Luke

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DMCM

78 posts

Master Geek

#1756917 5-Apr-2017 11:57

kevwest:

So I took delivery of a new DU+ Solo SE V2 with a Dual Terrestrial Tuner last week and have finally got it up and running. I tried a few UI's but have finally settled on OPenvix. The biggest problem to overcome was that it only had EPG for the next hour. After considerable effort and some help from Rytec, I have managed to access 7 days of EPG using XMLTV. The UI is nowhere as good as the TiVo, this said however I have now found the web interface for it and my initial feeling is that this makes the VU+ so much more user friendly than the TiVo. I can access all 7 days of EPG from my PC and can set timers for recording, including duration and repeats, plus direct the recording to a particular file. (The recordings/files are stored on an attached 2tb Passport drive)

Currently we are using WD Media PLayers to access and play the recordings throughout the house, but I have been eying up the Amazon Fire TV (Box) which from what I have seen so far, looks pretty good and might just do the job.

May I ask where you got yours from? What was the cost etc?

Also would you be willing to share the details of setting up the EPG?

kevwest

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1757596 6-Apr-2017 14:46

DMCM:

kevwest:

So I took delivery of a new DU+ Solo SE V2 with a Dual Terrestrial Tuner last week and have finally got it up and running. I tried a few UI's but have finally settled on OPenvix. The biggest problem to overcome was that it only had EPG for the next hour. After considerable effort and some help from Rytec, I have managed to access 7 days of EPG using XMLTV. The UI is nowhere as good as the TiVo, this said however I have now found the web interface for it and my initial feeling is that this makes the VU+ so much more user friendly than the TiVo. I can access all 7 days of EPG from my PC and can set timers for recording, including duration and repeats, plus direct the recording to a particular file. (The recordings/files are stored on an attached 2tb Passport drive)

Currently we are using WD Media PLayers to access and play the recordings throughout the house, but I have been eying up the Amazon Fire TV (Box) which from what I have seen so far, looks pretty good and might just do the job.

May I ask where you got yours from? What was the cost etc?

Also would you be willing to share the details of setting up the EPG?

Sure. I purchased it from ebay from this seller:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VU-Solo-SE-V2-TWIN-DUAL-2xDVB-T2-T-C-LAN-IPTV-USB-PVR-Linux-Cable-Terr-Receiver-/331593152877?

It took 14 days total to arrive and cost $368.00 NZD It is important to purchase the "Twin Dual Tuner 2xDVB-T2/T/C" model. This is for terrestrial and so far has allowed for 3 x simultaneous recordings to occur.

I sourced all of the info required to set up the XMLTV EPG from this site/thread: https://forums.openpli.org/topic/31231-new-zealand-epg/

I would also be quite happy to supply a copy of my final XMLTV file which would save a lot of mucking around, but all information required to set it up is on the above site. As mentioned on the site however, if you take the time to learn how to edit and set up an XMLTV file, including using "gzip" then you will be able to handle any updating that might be required when Freeview change or update any channel information.

To give you an idea, I knew nothing about editing or writing XML files, plus never even knew that there was more than one kind of zip file and managed to stumble my way through from start to finish in around 5 hours and learnt a lot in the process. That said, now I know what I am doing, editing the EPG file and updating now takes no longer that 1 - 2 minutes at worst, so if your skill base is greater than mine, then it would be a breeze for you.

The Openvix firmware has the EPG Import Plugin (for XMLTV files) as standard, whereas the Blackhole requires it to be installed as a Plugin and can only be installed manually, rather than from within the UI which is actually quite tricky. Therefore my recommendation is still with the Openvix firmware.

Just an update, the Amazon Fire TV wont be any good as the VU+ records in "TS" format witch the Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV wont play, but I have managed to source an Android box which looks like it will do everything I am after. I will update after receive it and give it a test run. It also has a very simple remote that can be programmed to operate the TV (On/off - av - volume e.t.c.)

DMCM

78 posts

Master Geek

#1757961 7-Apr-2017 09:57

kevwest:

DMCM:

kevwest:

So I took delivery of a new DU+ Solo SE V2 with a Dual Terrestrial Tuner last week and have finally got it up and running. I tried a few UI's but have finally settled on OPenvix. The biggest problem to overcome was that it only had EPG for the next hour. After considerable effort and some help from Rytec, I have managed to access 7 days of EPG using XMLTV. The UI is nowhere as good as the TiVo, this said however I have now found the web interface for it and my initial feeling is that this makes the VU+ so much more user friendly than the TiVo. I can access all 7 days of EPG from my PC and can set timers for recording, including duration and repeats, plus direct the recording to a particular file. (The recordings/files are stored on an attached 2tb Passport drive)

Currently we are using WD Media PLayers to access and play the recordings throughout the house, but I have been eying up the Amazon Fire TV (Box) which from what I have seen so far, looks pretty good and might just do the job.

May I ask where you got yours from? What was the cost etc?

Also would you be willing to share the details of setting up the EPG?

Sure. I purchased it from ebay from this seller:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/VU-Solo-SE-V2-TWIN-DUAL-2xDVB-T2-T-C-LAN-IPTV-USB-PVR-Linux-Cable-Terr-Receiver-/331593152877?

It took 14 days total to arrive and cost $368.00 NZD It is important to purchase the "Twin Dual Tuner 2xDVB-T2/T/C" model. This is for terrestrial and so far has allowed for 3 x simultaneous recordings to occur.

I sourced all of the info required to set up the XMLTV EPG from this site/thread: https://forums.openpli.org/topic/31231-new-zealand-epg/

I would also be quite happy to supply a copy of my final XMLTV file which would save a lot of mucking around, but all information required to set it up is on the above site. As mentioned on the site however, if you take the time to learn how to edit and set up an XMLTV file, including using "gzip" then you will be able to handle any updating that might be required when Freeview change or update any channel information.

To give you an idea, I knew nothing about editing or writing XML files, plus never even knew that there was more than one kind of zip file and managed to stumble my way through from start to finish in around 5 hours and learnt a lot in the process. That said, now I know what I am doing, editing the EPG file and updating now takes no longer that 1 - 2 minutes at worst, so if your skill base is greater than mine, then it would be a breeze for you.

The Openvix firmware has the EPG Import Plugin (for XMLTV files) as standard, whereas the Blackhole requires it to be installed as a Plugin and can only be installed manually, rather than from within the UI which is actually quite tricky. Therefore my recommendation is still with the Openvix firmware.

Just an update, the Amazon Fire TV wont be any good as the VU+ records in "TS" format witch the Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV wont play, but I have managed to source an Android box which looks like it will do everything I am after. I will update after receive it and give it a test run. It also has a very simple remote that can be programmed to operate the TV (On/off - av - volume e.t.c.)

That's excellent, thank you. What are you storing your recordings on? I see it supports several options e.g. E-SATA or USB 2.

kevwest

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1758043 7-Apr-2017 11:32

I store the recordings on a 2TB Passport USB Drive.

sonyxperiageek

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#1759288 7-Apr-2017 23:05

I've just set up Plex DVR with the ancient (but works a charm) HD HomeRun HR3, and it's currently loading the EPG. At the moment there's no way to watch Live TV through Plex yet, only recording programs, and even that has to be done through the WEB app only. The Plex Server is on my new Synology DS216play too!

Sony

Hman

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1761824 11-Apr-2017 20:09

lucasnz:

I've been following this thread for some time. Going back to the orginal quesion, alternatives to TiVo... This is what I've set up as a TiVo replacement setup, a Home Theatre PC (HTPC). I settled on LibreELEC (rather than MythTV that @robfish suggests - primarily because it seemed easier to set up). All up it cost me less than $250 - but I had a few parts. I've included a cheaper alternative using a Raspberry Pi 3 which would cost under $200.

It's not as simple as a TiVo (just plug in and turn on), but it's not overly complicated either. For those interested in the EPG, here's a screenshot.

If you're interested in setting one up, here's a list of components:

HTPC:

Intel NUC $136.68 USD (inc shipping) (approx $200 NZD) - price appears to have gone up unfortunately:

Intel NUC NUC5CPYH

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XPVRR5M/
https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=3201954

RAM $28.75 NZD (not required for Raspberry Pi):

Crucial 2GB LAPTOP DDR3 1600Mhz SODIMM
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MEMCRU052049/Crucial-2GB-LAPTOP-DDR3-1600Mhz-SODIMM-135V15V-204
https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=1183825

OR

Rasberry Pi 3 (cheaper) $169 NZD for the combo - but you need to install an infrared receiver, get a remote that comes with a receiver OR use a smart phone as a remote (there a remote app for Andriod that connects via IP)

https://pishop.nz/RPI3-COMBO-1/
ir receiver setup:
https://learn.adafruit.com/using-an-ir-remote-with-a-raspberry-pi-media-center/hardware

Main benefits of the NUC over the (raspberry Pi):

1. Infrared receiver is built in
2. 4k video support
3. optical audio out
4. 2.5in HDD/SSD support

Other Components:

Storage (I already had a 50GB SSD - so I'm using this - it's not huge, so if I need long term storage I'll transfer recordings to my PC):

The NUC has an SD Card slot, a 2.5in (laptop size) hard drive slot, and USB ports (for removable hard drives).
The Raspberry Pi has an SD Card slot and USB ports (for removable hard drives).
Both systems could support an SD Card for the OS, and a removable hard drive for long term storage.

USB Tuner about $10 NZD each (I've bought 2 this enables you to record one channel and watch another):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Brand-New-RTL2832U-USB-DVB-T-RTL-SDR-Digital-TV-Stick-R820T-Tuner-Receptor-1pc/32744688856.html
OR
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/RTL-SDR-Realtek-RTL2832U-Tuner-USB-Receiver-Dongle-PAL-IEC-Input/32611469389.html

Remote control (I used my Logitec Harmony universal remote):

If you have a universal remote set it to: Device Type: Media Center PC, Manufacture: Microsoft, Model: Windows Media Center
Otherwise you can buy any MCE (Media Centre Edition) compliant remote (about $10) - NUC has a built-in infrared receiver (so don't need one with an ir receiver), but if you go the rasberry pi route, then you might want one with an ir receiver.
https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-mce-remote.html

Steps to get it running:

1. Assemble the components
2. Create installation media (using USB drive): https://wiki.libreelec.tv/index.php?title=LibreELEC_USB-SD_Creator
3. Boot using USB drive and follow on screen prompts to install
4. Basic Setup:

1. Set up live TV Server:

1. Inside Kodi go to: System >> Add-ons >> Install from repository >> LibreELEC Add-ons >> Services >> TVHeadend 4.2 >> Install
2. Configure tvheadend from a browser on another device: http://<HTPC-IP>:9981/
3. tvheadend config is mostly straight forward but unfortunately currently loads the wrong frequencies for NZ, so you need to manually set this up under: Configuration > DVB Inputs > Muxes

2. Set up live TV client:

1. Inside Kodi go to Settings >> Add-ons >> install from repository >> Kodi official >> PVR Clients >> TVheadend >> Install
2. The defaults are probably fine - if you set up a password on your server you'll need to enter this
3. If getting confused, see: http://nucblog.net/2014/04/enabling-live-tv-in-xbmcopenelec/

5. Bonus/Advanced setup

1. Access media on your computer:

1. Set up a windows Share on your computer
2. Add the share as a media source in Kodi

2. Other stuff you might want to do (That I've done):

1. EPG download - I found that not all the channels had 7 days EPG data - http://www.matthuisman.nz/2016/10/freeview-nz-xmltv-epg.html
2. Install TVNZ & Three Add-ons - http://www.matthuisman.nz/2017/02/kodi-tvnz-ondemand-add-on.html http://www.matthuisman.nz/2017/03/threenow-kodi-add-on.html
3. If you have a blank screen after rebooting when your monitor/tv/projector is off, ssh onto the htpc, and run the following command: getedid create
4. The remote mostly works fine out of the box, but you can tweak the buttons to work better for your particular remote - http://nucblog.net/2014/01/mapping-the-buttons-on-the-remote-control/

3. Access live TV and/or recordings from HTPC2 see step 2 above but when configuring but the HTPC1's IP address

Hope this helps someone.

Luke

Hi,

Im thinking of replicating this for myself and my parents.

Do you think it preforms as fast as tivo?
Is the interface as easy to use as tivo?

michaelmurfy

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#1761832 11-Apr-2017 20:23

Instead of the Raspberry Pi look at grabbing an Odroid C2: http://www.hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php?g_code=G145457216438

About the same price as the Pi, much faster, can do 4K and runs Kodi really really well. Also has a IR receiver built in and can learn the "crappy never used" buttons on your TV remote.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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lucasnz

45 posts

Geek

#1763440 12-Apr-2017 21:29

Hman:

Hi,

Im thinking of replicating this for myself and my parents.

Do you think it preforms as fast as tivo?
Is the interface as easy to use as tivo?

Speed is great on the NUC. I can't comment on the Pi as I haven't tried it, but I've read it works fine.

The interface is nice. Potentially better than the TiVo, although there are more options, which could confuse people. It's also worth noting you can hide the options you're not using.

I would say, there are things the TiVo is better with. In particular,

The TiVo was easier to set up season passes
If you'd set the TiVo to record and started watch a recording (say 15 mins delayed), when the recording finished it continued to play live TV. This works fine with this set up if you pause live TV, but not if you're watching a recording... I feel a feature request coming on for this.

Luke

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