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#31
(2013-10-28, 18:23)photon2000 Wrote: Hi gauche,

I'm interested in your findings. Did you get OpenElec+HDHomeRun+MythTV running properly?
I have this scenario running, except as a rule I use a *buntu/xbmc mix rather than openelec. I also chop and change between watching TV on mythfrontend and xbmc. Up until recently I haven't been impressed by xbmc's PVR frontend, but it is certainly getting very usable now. Not as nice to look at as mythfrontend, and certainly I wouldn't use XBMC to set up a recording, it just doesn't give you the options that myth does. Mind you, you can use the web interface to set up recordings and never use mythfrontend at all.

Mythtv is far more flexible and powerful than tvhe. The recording rules are very powerful.
Quote:Could you integrate the 24/7 NAS approach (Synology) in your scenario?
mythtv can record to a nas, but IMHO the better scenario is a server with all your storage and mythbackend running. Less network traffic between the backend and the NAS, keep it all local. Put it under the stairs - it doesn't have to be super power hungry, but it is ideally a proper PC rather than some NAS hardware that you can't run mythbackend on. I don't like to have NAS manufacturers dictate to me what software I can run.
Quote:Since I decided to use Openelec/XBMC+HDHomerun+TVHeadend in a similar environment it is interesting to compare the pros and cons.

@documentation of tvh
I am not a developer but experienced in linux. Maybe the documentation of the code is not state of the art (for sure it isn't). But there are other facts: Tvheadend is the most active thread in the XBMC PVR section. Example: there is a sticky thread for tvheadend+hdhomerun on Synology (ARM). The tvheadend forum itself is active as well (try IRC; so you can instantly chat with the developers). A hudge source of knowlege around tvheadend. Or have a look at https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/activity . Last code changes Yesterday. From my point of view thats the nature of open source projects.

If you are not such experienced in linux, please try the standard way first: Take a standard pc, put a natively supported tv-card in, install ubuntu 12.10 lts, install the tvheadend package (as described), log (from your windows pc) into the tvh webui, scan the channels and you will watch the first tv channel in less than one hour. All fancy details: Tvheadend on RaspberryPi or Synology, HDHomerun support, channel descrambling, etc.will take more time...

Just my two cents...
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#32
nickr,

looking at your user icon and your reputations I have no doubts that you are able to install tvh and mythtv on every system you want.
I'm linux experienced too an have installed tvheadend couple of times on different systems, e.g on a 6 watt system with tvheadend on a RaspberryPi...

Regarding the OP of gauche and the following posts of him I asked him whether he was successful or not. If not we both may help him.
Regardless of mythtv or tvheadend. Both are active and supported projects.

@feature comparison
I'm use case focussed. The system has to be robust and less complex. The frontend has the same look'n'feel on every system (1 HTPC, 2 AppleTV, 1 RaspberryPi, Windows Desktops/Notebooks). I use the bello skin and the fancy Apple Remote for all front ends, except the Desktop/Notebook ones. The remote has only 7(!) buttons, simplicity at its best. The backend is a HP Proliant with Ubuntu 12.10 LTS and TVHeadend. Each member of the family is able to program recordings. The best way is EPG-Timeline in LiveTV section. Only series recordings are (still) not supported (or too complex). I manage them by the webui of TVHeadend (very simple). One often used use case is: When we are late coming from a trip, we progam a recording from our smartphone (thanks tvhguide app) and when we are at home we can watch the desired movie (while recording). There is one drawback: during the recording process one cannot ff and rew fluently (only in few seconds steps).
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#33
Thanks for the continued interest in this thread - I appreciate the follow-ups. Sorry for the slow reply.

I have indeed successfully been running the OpenElec + HDHR + MythTV combination for a couple of weeks now. I currently have MythTV running on a Linux Mint 15 laptop, but am just today moving it into a Mythbuntu virtual machine running on my desktop computer (so my laptop can be freed up from having to be always on and wired connection). Both of these are short-term fixes. I completely agree that running MythTV on my 24/7 NAS server is the way to go, and that's where I am attempting to get.

I have been trying to get an answer to the question: will MythTV run on an x86 Synology? See my posts here and here. So far, I haven't had any confirmation.

What do you guys think? If the syno is x86 then should MythTV just work? I, too, am not a linux guru, but I am most familiar with Debian based distros, which Syno is not. Might it just be a case of compiling it myself? Do you foresee any problems? Obviously, I'm hesitant to spend over $AUD600 on something that might not work...

One other plan I have is to look into whether I can run syno's DSM in a VM. If so, I could try all this out before committing to the hardware. Something tells me I won't be able to do so, however, since it's proprietary.

Thanks again
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#34
What operating system does the synology run (and don't just say linux! - does it have a repository of software? Does it have build tools built in so you can build your own?)

What CPU/RAM combination? Is the OS 32 or 64 bit?

Id there a publicly available build system? EG on openelec you can use git to get the entire OS source code, change it, and compile your own version of openelec. Can the same be done with synology's OS?

Yeah if it is linux and x86 you _should_ be able to build mythbackend and have it run, but how easy or hard synology make it to do so is another matter.
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#35
@nickr: as I understand it, DSM is a proprietary flavor of linux built directly on top of the linux kernel. uname -a gives me:

Quote:Linux XXX 2.6.32.12 #3810 Wed Nov 6 05:14:05 CST 2013 ppc GNU/Linux synology_ppc853x_410

Out of the box, it seems one cannot simply install software. However, ipkg support can be enabled. From there, one can install gcc and make, and presumably whatever else is needed. However, there is no way of modifying DSM itself, as far as I know, since it's closed source.

As to the hardware, Syno provide many options, but the model I was thinking of getting is the DS412+. It's a 64 bit, dual core CPU. Details here.
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#36
I wouldn't be concerned if it can run mythtv, I'd be concerned that you're even thinking of spending 600aud+ on a what is essentially a really low specced PC with limited expandability and a restrictive os. Instead of trying to work out how to install something on the proprietary os (and what you described above sounds like a royal PITA) use that time to setup your own DIY nas that does everything you want, not what synology wants.
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#37
Gauge, I advice you a HP Proliant, standard Linux with mythtv or tvhe. By design a 24x7 device and expandable to a NAS.
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#38
Appreciate the advice, and I'll look into other options. However, I do run a business too, primarily off the syno NAS, so the $600 also incorporates support.
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#39
For mythtv I support what has been said by the last couple of posters. Cook your own linux box. A nas is just a computer to share files, so go open and don't be tied down by synology.
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#40
Yep, have already started looking into it. Any thoughts/suggestions as to what to base my NAS on? Basically, I need:

- rock solid and fast file sharing (to Windows, Mac, and Linux)
- automated backups to Amazon S3
- torrenting
- encryption, preferably configurable so I can encrypt the important business stuff and not, for example, recorded TV
- MythTV
- nice web interface for configuration and monitoring

I began looking into FreeNAS yesterday, but it doesn't run under Hyper-V. I'm planning on running it under VirtualBox later today/tomorrow. It looks promising, but am not sure whether there is a linux-based (preferably debian-based) distro out there that does all this "out of the box". I realize I could use, for example, a base Ubuntu install and pull in bits and pieces to achieve each of my requirements, but am just hoping for something more targeted specifically to NAS scenarios.
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#41
I looked at a few of the 'nas' distros a while ago and found them to be to restrictive for my liking (ie installing something like virtualbox wasnt a easy task). I recommend what I use - mythbuntu - its a light weight distro aimed at nas type usage, but has access to the Ubuntu repositories and can be used as a full desktop if wanted. Doesn't do everything you want out of the box, but most things are just a apt-get away.

Rtorrent/rutorrent for torrents
Samba for file sharing
Webmin for web interface.
Encrypting specific partitions is possible.
The only thing I'm not sure about is the backups to Amazon, how do you perform these now?

As for hardware I've read good things about the HP micro servers, or if you want to build your own look at a fractal design mini case with a intel cpu and a mobo with lots of sata ports.
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#42
(2013-11-11, 05:04)teeedubb Wrote: The only thing I'm not sure about is the backups to Amazon, how do you perform these now?

Syno have this built into their backup functionality.
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#43
A quick google and it looks like you have a few options with different methods

http://askubuntu.com/questions/202072/wh...-s3-client
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#44
Well IMHO the best distro for myth is ubuntu, because they keep their repo up to date http://www.mythbuntu.org/repos

My own approach to this would be to

1. Install mythbuntu 12.04 (LTS release). Install the mythbuntu repo and get myth 0.27 installed.

2. mythbuntu will also install samba, so there is your file serving installed too.

3. Choose a user to house all the sensitive stuff and encrypt their home directory.

4. install s3cmd to get access to amazon s3. It works very like rsync. Write a simple script to back up the data you want backed up and put it in /etc/cron.daily (or /etc/cron.hourly if you prefer)

5. There are web things like webmin for configuring most stuff, and myth comes with mythweb.

There are freenas and similar distros which are very nice if all you want to do is run their nas software. But for a mythbackend I (after quite a few years of using myth) prefer mythbuntu.

Actually I would probably have one server for my office stuff, and another for media and mythtv. But then again I have far too many computers (and my office isn't at home) ...
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