Want to build a Linux based HTPC

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The Great American Southwest
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Jul 19, 2007
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Hi guys. I've been thinking about building a MythBuntu or MythTV setup for my living room. I'd like to have a digital tuner card for OTA and a DVB card for satellite. Both must have HD capability and the satellite card need to do DVB-S2. If you were to build a system like this which tuner cards would you choose? I see that there are a few more choices now then there was 5 years ago when I first looked into this.

Also, what are the benefits of a split front-end / back-end setup vs a box that does both? I'd really like to have something small and silent in the viewing area. I'm thinking about one of the newer Mini ITX boards with a fan-less ZOTAC/DualCore Atom set-up for that. A clunky, noisy workhorse back-end in another room would be OK. I'm open for suggestions

I know that the question of cost will be raised so I'll answer it up front. I'd like to budget no more than $1,000. I have some computer parts here that I can reuse so hopefully it will be much less than that.

Thanks in advance,

Tom
 
Use to have a mythtv setup a few years ago for OTA. I think the problem for FTA is getting the guide information... For OTA, there's Schedules Direct and there have been requests for the ability to get build FTA guide information also (back when they started Schedules Direct).

Here is a UK guide for MythTv and Freesat that's a few years old:
About This Guide

The advantage of having a front/backend system is that don't have the fan noise in your tv room, and can have multiple frontend systems connected to the backend.
 
Im using a Prof 7500 and so far im really impressed. The driver still needs a little work but its turning out to be my favorite tuner out of everything I have.

when tuning it uses blind_search() this basically looks +/-5mhz to find the center of the tp, this helps alot on low SR signals where your lnb may have slight drift up or down, when your looking at 1000SR thats aprox +/- 1.5mhz and youve gone from great signal to zero. it also looks +/- 10000 on the SR, which basically means even if you didnt know the SR you could try two different SR and get it to lock. My skywalker can be super fussy and lower the SR by even 2 and it wont lock. This is a really nice feature. It also does autofec which is pretty standard. also does auto system (dvb-s or dvb-s2 it'll figure it out for you) and auto modulation qpsk/8psk along with the auto inversion (pretty standard) and auto pilot and auto rolloff.

basically it makes tuning a signal incredibly simple, enter a freq/pol/SR and your done.

the tuner is incredibly sensitive and will hold a lock at much lower signal strength and lower signal quality then my skywalker. which is impressive because the skywalker usually holds it own just fine, better then many of my stb.

Ive hacked the drivers so they report back the tuned params, if thats important to you, I can post it if anyone wants it.
 
I will try and help.
This is the only thing as far as DBS that seams to support linux, has HD and DVB-S
$220
TerraTec - Products - TV - Satellite (DVB-S / S2) - TerraTec

Here is a wonderful mini-ITX build. This is an exact build I used the other day.


  • CPU: Core i3 530 2.93GHz LGA1156, $113.
  • CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
  • Motherboard: ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi H55ITX-A-E LGA1156 Intel H55 chipset Mini-ATX, $145.
  • Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 1GB Kit, $65.
  • Graphics Card: Intel HD Graphics (integrated in the chipset), $0.
  • HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $65.
  • PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
  • Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40.
  • Total Cost: $428
 
sundrop said:
I will try and help.
This is the only thing as far as DBS that seams to support linux, has HD and DVB-S
$220
TerraTec - Products - TV - Satellite (DVB-S / S2) - TerraTec

Here is a wonderful mini-ITX build. This is an exact build I used the other day.


  • CPU: Core i3 530 2.93GHz LGA1156, $113.
  • CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
  • Motherboard: ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi H55ITX-A-E LGA1156 Intel H55 chipset Mini-ATX, $145.
  • Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 1GB Kit, $65.
  • Graphics Card: Intel HD Graphics (integrated in the chipset), $0.
  • HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $65.
  • PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
  • Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40.
  • Total Cost: $428
Click to expand...
The prof 7500 is $65usd, cost me $85cdn inc shipping and duty/tax's delivered to my door.
 
PCIe non-graphic card on PCIe 16x slot

Hi guys, I'm building my HTPC also and it's on top of a Zotac IONITX-L-E motherboard. This board has a free PCI Express 16X slot (PCIE x16 Generation 2.0 compatible) and my idea is to use it to hold a DVB-S / DVB-S2 tuner once I got a Silverstone case (LC09B-ITV) that has a rear space for a TV tuner.

This is from my Zotac IONITX-L-E manual:

PCIE x16 Interface

  • PCIE x16 Generation 2.0 compatible
  • 5 GHz support, for a total bandwidth of 5 Gbps per direction per lane
  • Wake up function is supported
  • Clock spread spectrum capability.
Click to expand...
And here they say, it's reserved for a graphics or video cards...

PCI Express x16 Slot-PCIE1

There is one PCI Express x16 slot reserved for graphics or video cards. The bandwidth
of the x16 slot is up to 5GB/Sec complianting with PCIE 2.0 specification.
When installing a PCI Express x16 card, be sure the retention clip snaps and locks
the card into place. If the card is not seated properly, it could cause a short across the
pins. Secure the card’s metal bracket to the chassis back panel with the screw used
to hold the blank cover.
Click to expand...
However, I've been reading on the net that this is a hot/dicussed topic once some people says that are using a PCIe 1X tuner on Zotact PCIe 16X slot with some BIOS adjustments and some others are experiencing issues. (I have the thread links, from Zotac oficial forum but I don't know if I can link them here...)

So my first question here is:

Who is using a non-graphic board PCIe 1X into Zotac's mobo PCIe 16x slot? Besides that, are you guys experiencing any issues? What did you guys had to do to get it working?

The second would be:

What is the best DVB-S / DVB-S2 tuner for a Linux based HTPC? My setup will be Mythbuntu 10.04 + XBMC, and I was interesting about the DVBWorld 2006 PCIe board. I've seen it's supported on Linux but I would like to hear from owners of this board running it on Linux how it is and if it is a good purchase for my setup.

I've make a huge mistake buying a PCI card (not express) for my HTPC setup... :-( I bought a Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-S-Plus card and it doesn't fit my PCI Express 16X slot... I just figured it out when I got the parts on my hands... Now I need to sell this one.

I'm waiting forward your VALUABLE feedback on this, so that I can go ahead and purchase my tuner with no mistakes this time.

Thx!
 
gpborges said:
Hi guys, I'm building my HTPC also and it's on top of a Zotac IONITX-L-E motherboard. This board has a free PCI Express 16X slot (PCIE x16 Generation 2.0 compatible) and my idea is to use it to hold a DVB-S / DVB-S2 tuner once I got a Silverstone case (LC09B-ITV) that has a rear space for a TV tuner.

This is from my Zotac IONITX-L-E manual:

And here they say, it's reserved for a graphics or video cards...

However, I've been reading on the net that this is a hot/dicussed topic once some people says that are using a PCIe 1X tuner on Zotact PCIe 16X slot with some BIOS adjustments and some others are experiencing issues. (I have the thread links, from Zotac oficial forum but I don't know if I can link them here...)

So my first question here is:

Who is using a non-graphic board PCIe 1X into Zotac's mobo PCIe 16x slot? Besides that, are you guys experiencing any issues? What did you guys had to do to get it working?
Click to expand...

not hardware specific but a 1x's pciex card will work in a 16x's slot. same with a 4x's or 8x's card. as long as the slot has more lanes than the card requires. if zotac has in some way put a lock on the 16x's slot it wouldnt make much sense to me.

gpborges said:
The second would be:

What is the best DVB-S / DVB-S2 tuner for a Linux based HTPC? My setup will be Mythbuntu 10.04 + XBMC, and I was interesting about the DVBWorld 2006 PCIe board. I've seen it's supported on Linux but I would like to hear from owners of this board running it on Linux how it is and if it is a good purchase for my setup.

I've make a huge mistake buying a PCI card (not express) for my HTPC setup... :-( I bought a Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-S-Plus card and it doesn't fit my PCI Express 16X slot... I just figured it out when I got the parts on my hands... Now I need to sell this one.

I'm waiting forward your VALUABLE feedback on this, so that I can go ahead and purchase my tuner with no mistakes this time.

Thx!
Click to expand...

well pc tuners are always glitchy. the pcie dvbworld is a nice tuner but lacks some 3rd party software support (not many applications support diseqc with this tuner yet). under linux i find that 1 out of 10 tuners have some real software / driver support and the others that advertise the penguin dont quite work as desired. i havent tested any linux drivers in a short while but the state i left them in, espeacially the drivers for the newer gen cards, was somewhat broken. i havent had diseqc working with any of the newer tuners i have on linux. ill get on trying out the fresh code.

crackt out,.
 
crackt, thx for your reply.

I will not use diseq. So it's not a deal-breaker for me. What I need is a reliable tuner for DVB-S, DVB-S2 for live TV watching.

The other concern is if a PCIe 1x card would work on PCIe 16x or if it would be best to turn to a USB tuner.

What would you recommend most? DVBWorld 2006 or Prof Revolution? Do you know if any of those works fine on MythTV?
 
crackt said:
not hardware specific but a 1x's pciex card will work in a 16x's slot. same with a 4x's or 8x's card. as long as the slot has more lanes than the card requires. if zotac has in some way put a lock on the 16x's slot it wouldnt make much sense to me.



well pc tuners are always glitchy. the pcie dvbworld is a nice tuner but lacks some 3rd party software support (not many applications support diseqc with this tuner yet). under linux i find that 1 out of 10 tuners have some real software / driver support and the others that advertise the penguin dont quite work as desired. i havent tested any linux drivers in a short while but the state i left them in, espeacially the drivers for the newer gen cards, was somewhat broken. i havent had diseqc working with any of the newer tuners i have on linux. ill get on trying out the fresh code.

crackt out,.
Click to expand...
Prof 7500 diseqc works fine under linux
 
And do you guys know if it would work on a PCI Express 16X slot? The motherboard is Zotac IONITX-L-E? Furthermore, I will need to use a flexible PCI raiser (PCIe 16x to PCIe 16x) just to be able to put that board right on the rear of my case (Silverstone LC09B-ITV).

Thx in advance for the provided help!
 
unless the zotac board has some non standard issue a 1x's card will work in a 16x's slot. as long as the slot has a higher number (more lanes) than the card your golden.

updatelee... yes diseqc works under linux. i could not get the 7500 tuning last night with mythbuntu 10.04. i didnt get to far into it but with other apps it seems to lock fine. im going to revert back to my old working setup and test it again when i get some time. crazy flooding here tonight. 4 ft of water on main street kinda mayhem.

crackt out,.
 
I haven't tried myth in years and years so I can't help you out there. All I can say is the prof defaults to blind search where it only uses the freq/pol and searches for the sr, system, modulation, fec, inversion, and pilot. Which can sometimes take almost 20sec so maybe myth is timing out on the tune cmd. Look for that in the debug logs, maybe you just need to extended it abit
 
Which one to pick?

Thanks a lot guys for the replies...

I'm still trying to decide which tuner to get. Yesterday I was reading about the TBS 6890 tuner and it seams to be really good. Its specs read very good and it's also a dual tuner. So what do you guys recommend me for the DVB-S / S2 tuner? I don't use Diseq and motors, so I'm not focusing on this kind of support.

Which one to get to put into my Zotac IONITX-L-E (has a PCI Express 16X slot)


  • Prof 8000 PCIe
  • DVBWorld 2006 PCIe
  • TBS 6890 (DUAL TUNER)
If there is another tuner that is not listed there and is better than those, please let me know. I'm really needing an expert comment on those tuners so that I can buy one of those for my HTPC system.

Thx in advance...
 
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