Posts: 524
Joined: Dec 2012
Reputation:
10
You will need a tuner of some kind - if you are in the USA or Canada a good choice might be a HDHomeRun Dual - and an antenna to connect to it, and how good an antenna you need depends on how strong the signals are in your area. Also, you would need some kind of backend software, such as MythTV or TVHeadEnd (MythTV works better with HDHomeRun devices, in my experience). Or if you are running under Windows, MediaPortal may be what you need for the backend. And you would need to install a PVR addon in Kodi that works with your chosen backend software.
The backend software can run on an entirely separate computer than Kodi, or it can run on the same computer that Kodi is running on. And you only need one backend server to feed multiple Kodi installations on your local network.
This assumes that you want to receive Live TV from over-the-air channels. It's also possible to receive from free-to-air satellite channels, which is a much more viable option for people in certain parts of the world where free-to-air is a supported service. In North America it's more of a hobby thing and there is both a learning curve and a cost to setting up the equipment. But in NA if you have room for a C-band (large) dish then there is still quite a bit up there. People will tell you that there is nothing left to watch on satellite TV in North America but they either don't know what they are talking about, or because of zoning laws or HOA covenant restrictions (only stupid people buy a home with a HOA, IMHO) they are not allowed to put up anything larger than a 1 meter (Ku-band) dish. And in that case they are right, there is not all that much left to watch on Ku-band, unless you're trying to receive foreign language or religious programming, or PBS. Anyway, for free-to-air you'd need a satellite tuner card, or a USB satellite tuner, and you'd still need backend software such as TVHeadEnd or MediaPortal, and you'd need a dish, LNB, and coaxial cable at a minimum.
