Linux OS for watching TV and a Linux TV card?

MarcLister

MarcLister

MarcLister

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Hi all. Very rarely venture in 'ere. :)

I've got some spare components that I will be turning into a spare PC and I'd like to run Linux on that. I was thinking of Ubuntu. However I've now moved home after finishing Uni and I'd like to be able to watch TV in my room as Mum has the TV a lot of the time. :p

So we'd be getting a 2nd Virgin Media box. What I would like to know from you lot is what Linux build could you recommend to run on a spare PC to enable me to watch TV through a TV card?

Also can anyone suggest any fairly cheap TV cards with good Linux drivers/support. I don't need anything fancy, just something to allow me to connect the VM box to the TV card and then output the display onto my LG 17 inch VGA screen.

If it helps this is the thread from the Hi-fi forum. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17883083
 
Mythbuntu!

I fancy the Hauppauge PVR-150 analog MPEG-2 encoder. I use one in my box with great success. Others might be able to recommend other cards.
 
The interwebs tell me that £40 is a common price. There are a couple of different models. All have pretty much the same guts, but differ in some details. Some have built-in remotes, radio tuners, etc. Choose one based on the extras you want and price.

Mythbuntu is an Ubuntu derivative designed to make it (more) easy to get a MythTV system. MythTV is very powerful but is rather complex. Their hardware documentation, and documentation in general, is excellent. Check out their wiki for all sorts of good stuff.
 
I installed hardy heron. A few days later I plugged in my saa7134 card and booted. Apt-get install tvtime. Worked first time.


Have used a PVR150 very successfully before, but not on this install.
 
BillytheImpaler said:
The interwebs tell me that £40 is a common price. There are a couple of different models. All have pretty much the same guts, but differ in some details. Some have built-in remotes, radio tuners, etc. Choose one based on the extras you want and price.

Mythbuntu is an Ubuntu derivative designed to make it (more) easy to get a MythTV system. MythTV is very powerful but is rather complex. Their hardware documentation, and documentation in general, is excellent. Check out their wiki for all sorts of good stuff.
Click to expand...
£40 is what I found as well. :)

Also found a site called IVTV which offers Linux drivers and firmware for a range of TV cards including the PVR-150. :)

http://ivtvdriver.org/index.php/Main_Page

I checked out Mythbuntu's page and quickly realised it is based on Ubuntu which is good. :) I might dual-boot between Mythbuntu for TV and Ubuntu for normal Linux stuff. :D

whitecrook said:
I installed hardy heron. A few days later I plugged in my saa7134 card and booted. Apt-get install tvtime. Worked first time.


Have used a PVR150 very successfully before, but not on this install.
Click to expand...
Ah so you just installed your TV card and got the drivers through Ubuntu itself?
 
MarcLister said:
£40 is what I found as well. :)

Also found a site called IVTV which offers Linux drivers and firmware for a range of TV cards including the PVR-150. :)

http://ivtvdriver.org/index.php/Main_Page

I checked out Mythbuntu's page and quickly realised it is based on Ubuntu which is good. :) I might dual-boot between Mythbuntu for TV and Ubuntu for normal Linux stuff. :D

Ah so you just installed your TV card and got the drivers through Ubuntu itself?
Click to expand...

the driver is just a module that get's inserted into the kernel at runtime, (or maybe compiled in), I guess ubuntu just autdetected it and inserted it. I remember not to long ago fiddling endlessly with bttv.conf files and sthings just to get a picture on the screen, never mind a tuned picture...

bttv, saa7134, ivtv are the names of the modules i htink, but as mentioned you probably want to go for a pvr 150 which uses ivtv but I think I had to set a few conf files up by hand last time I did that card on ubuntu (about 2 years ago i think)
 
Mythbuntu offers a drop-down silly-easy installer for the drivers. You tell it you have a PVR150 and it configures IVTV. If you already had a working Ubuntu installation you can just install the Mythbuntu control centre and get the same benefits.
 
MarcLister said:
Ah. So kind of the Ubuntu version of Windows MCE then?

And was there a ninja edit there? Could have sworn I saw something about a cable card? :confused:
Click to expand...

I did yeah...but in the context of what you wrote in the original post, what I said was completely irrelevant.

To use your VM box, you are going to have to connect it to the computer via RF cable (an analogue card). I was thinking of if you weren't using your VM box, hense why i edited it out.
 
MarcLister said:
Ah. So kind of the Ubuntu version of Windows MCE then?
Click to expand...
Yeah, but without the licensing costs, or the insecurity implications, and with the additional freedom that Linux offers, plus the ease of installation, the multitude of free (as in speech) software, the freedom to use your PC as you see fit rather than someone else calling the shots, the better performance, etc... :D

Sorry, I couldn't resist :p
 
GarethDW said:
Yeah, but without the licensing costs, or the insecurity implications, and with the additional freedom that Linux offers, plus the ease of installation, the multitude of free (as in speech) software, the freedom to use your PC as you see fit rather than someone else calling the shots, the better performance, etc... :D

Sorry, I couldn't resist :p
Click to expand...
:D I'm sure you couldn't. :p
 
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