[Jimbo213Mo]

Hi - newbie here - Below is the hardware/software on my setup:
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hardware
I have a RPi 2, 8gb SD card, mounted onto the official 7" touch screen set to 800x480i, Connected to my home network using Cat-6
Home network is connected to internet by Charter Cable Internet [so is my TV and DVR and ROKU & PCs and Wireless Router]
I used NOOBS to install Jesse
The on-screen matchbox-keyboard is working
The device will be in the kitchen - embedded into my 35 year old Nutone intercom like this fellow did LINK
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software
I installed Kodi 15.2 [I think --- I can't figure out how to determine the Kodi version from the Skin = re-Touched]
I can successfully listen to music stored on my NAS, streaming radio, and connect to Pandora radio using Pandoki [great app by the way]
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I really would like some help to enable LiveTV so my Wife and I could watch/listen to the morning news & weather.
When I try to enable LiveTV I get an error pop-up saying I need a "tuner, backend software, and an add-on for the backend"
Then it says to visit "kodi.wiki/view/PVR" which is essentially a bland screen or index - so it didn't help.
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I have fully read the thread that Kodi 15 does not support LiveTV and got more and more confused.
Would some nice person please suggest the method [apt-get?] for a backend and frontend so I can get the live TV working?
Oh and I'm linux-challenged, so please be kind and simplify your answer.
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Thanks - quite grateful for the help.
Jim [near] St. Louis, MO.

[rpcameron]

Before you can have a backend to provide LiveTV to Kodi, you need a service to provide LiveTV to your backend.

[Jimbo213Mo]

Before you can have a backend to provide LiveTV to Kodi, you need a service to provide LiveTV to your backend.

Ok - what exactly does that mean to a Noobie and how do I do that?
Home network is connected to internet by Charter Cable Internet [so is my TV and DVR and ROKU] >I'll add this to my original post<
Or do you mean the RPi2 needs some other "chip" attached?
Thanks for the quick response. Jim

[rpcameron]

How are you planning on getting TV? Over-the-air broadcast? Via Charter Cable? Something else?

Kodi is merely software for presenting video. You have to provide the files. In the case of TV, you have to provide both the TV signals, and a way for Kodi to present them.

How do you presently receive your TV signal? Use that as the basis for determining your next step.

[Jimbo213Mo]

Home network is connected to internet by Charter Cable Internet [so is my TV and DVR and ROKU]
So I purchase internet + cableTV from charter on the same cable, split to the cable box and the internet modem.
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The RaspberryPi is 192.168.1.56
My Desktop PC [192.168.1.67] has PLEX media server installed which my ROKU & PC [using Chrome] displays quite nicely
So YES - I'm presenting a TV signal on my home network

I have been doing extensive digging and found something called NEXTPVR is something I need to add-in to the KODI
but on http://forums.nextpvr.com/ I've been looking at articles on PLEX channel for NextPVR ... and hit a roadblock because I looked at my PLEX channels and cannot find the NEXTPVR channel ... as that forum had screen shots for [I've also posted to that forum].

Am I heading in the right / wrong direction? Kodi installed so easily - I wouldn't think adding LiveTV would be this difficult.
Thanks rpcameron for sticking with me on this.
Jim.

[rpcameron]

Can I assume you're in the US? If you are, and you are purchasing your tv service through Charter, you need a CableCard receiver. It's a special type of TV tuner for US cable broadcasts that you insert a CableCard into to decrypt the channels. You have to purchase the tuner, but you rent the CableCard from Charter. I personally use a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime network tuner, which I use in place of any set top box or receiver from the cable company.

There are also other options, but because you are using US cable, your options are far more limited than they would be otherwise. Once you settle on the hardware CableCard tuner you are going to use, then you can determine which backend software you are going to choose.

[Jimbo213Mo]

Thanks - Yes, US and from your question and time-profile I assume you are in the east of Canada ... Hi Neighbor !!

I have a few more questions for clarification:

A) does this "card" go into [1] my Win7PC that is running the Plex or [2] is it an ad-on device for the RaspberryPi?
B) if [1] then do I need to split the Charter Cable into a lead to my PC then? [it already splits into my modem and the charter cable TV/DVR box]

Regards, Jim

[rpcameron]

No, I'm in Southern California. And how you connect your tuner depends upon what type of tuner you choose. It will take the place of your DVR box (or in parallel to it).

Also, if you are using Plex, and have settled on Nextpvr, and Plex can see Nexpvr, where is Kodi in this, and why are you going that route?

I recommend reading through the PVR pages on the Kodi wiki to familiarize yourself with what all of the disparate pieces are, and how they fit together.

[Jimbo213Mo]

Ah nuts - saw 2 hr difference and went the wrong direction from St. Louis. My mistake. Another ID-ten-T error =

Plex is the media server that finds the cover-art and artist info for music and movies on my home network NAS drive.
My main TV setup uses Roku [can see PLEX] with the CableTV DVR. That is on the lower level of the house [think Man-Cave].

My Pi+Display+Kodi device will be in the kitchen - embedded into my 35 year old Nutone intercom like this fellow did: see ---> http://imgur.com/a/ycO2q

So the uses and location are independent and unrelated. I only want the Pi to play, NOT record. I've got the CableTV DVR for that.
The intercom tuner & amp are shot, and I just want to use the Pi to listen to Streaming Radio [pandora, streaming NPR, and from my home networked NAS drive]
The nice-to-have would be streaming local channel 4 TV so my wife and I can watch/listen to the morning news, weather & traffic report.

I have probably spent 6 hours [I'm retired - best "job" I ever had !!!] reading up on PVR and have concluded that I really don't have a LiveTV signal available via the internet modem / ethernet that the PLEX server could access: thus I'd need a "card" to unscramble the CableTV signal for the Pi.

If that is the case, then I can certainly scratch "nice-to-have" idea of LiveTV on that 7" screen.
Sorry for the rambling - thanks for listening.

I would just like you to confirm that I'd need some sort of a "box" to unscramble the cable feed to enable my nice-to-have idea.

Thanks, Jim

[rpcameron]

If you only wish to view LiveTV in Kodi from your cable tv subscription, I would recommend SiliconDust's HDHomeRun Prime. It is a network tuner, and therefore does not require a computer. The cable is fed to the device, then it streams the tv signal across the network. They provide a video addon for Kodi for viewing of LiveTV, but it is not through Kodi's PVR system.

In your situation that is probably the easiest and simplest solution. The device is ~$120, and the CableCard rental for the device is ~$5/mo.

[Jimbo213Mo]

Excellent answer.
Just what I was wanting confirmation of.
Thanks so much rpcameron for sticking with me.
Jim

[Jimbo213Mo]