Potential DVR alternatives to Argus TV
#1
Hi,

I am a long time user of Argus TV and although it performs really well for me, it seems to have ground to a halt a little in terms of its development - just to confirm, this is not at all a criticism (you cannot criticise the generosity of putting together such great free software).

However, two things have me slightly worried:

1. Are there lots of great developments being developed for other backends that I might be missing out on.
2. (More importantly) if Argus suddenly becomes unusable due to a Windows update, will there be anyone available to fix it quickly enough?

I was just wondering whether there is anything else out there that I might at least bear in mind.

I used to use Mediaportal some years ago before switching to Argus - I am I correct in thinking that I can use Mediaportal backend with Kodi on a Raspberry Pi?
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#2
I Cannot comment on Mediaportal since I never used it.

In my opinion you should have a look at Tvheadend, runs under Linux, FreeBSD and Android.

I have been using it for some time and cannot praise it enough. It works very well as a backend for Kodi.
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#3
I don't believe MediaPortal runs on the RPi; I believe it's Windows only, but feel free to correct me.

TVHeadend is a good lightweight option. My only problems with it are its overly complex configuration (especially for my tuners) and its guide. The guide is list-based rather than grid-based, and if you use a service for retrieving guide data there are quite a few hoops to get it right. Hopefully it'll improve once 4.2 is actually ready.

MythTV is pretty good, but its requirements are a bit heavy since it employs a kitchen-sink philosophy and tries to do everything. Its configuration is complex, too, but not as much so as Tvheadend's. It also has better support for getting guide data into its database.

In all cases though, it has been my experience that documentation is mediocre, and often out of date, regardless of which backend you choose. Check support for your hardware first, then check the docs to see which backend offers the features you need.
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#4
(2016-03-31, 14:50)elsmandino Wrote: I used to use Mediaportal some years ago before switching to Argus - I am I correct in thinking that I can use Mediaportal backend with Kodi on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes, you should be able to use Mediaportal.

NextPVR is another good option on Windows backend. It's easy to setup and get running.
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#5
Thanks for your replies.

Apologies for any confusion, I should have clarified that I have a dedicated Windows server that is used soley for DVR backends and I connect to this with a number of RPi client's running Openelec.

I have a few windows-only bits of software on the server, so I shall have to discount any Linux options, unfortunately.

I have to say that NextPVR does appear to have some good reviews but I have never tried it - how similar is it to Mediaportal?
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#6
Yes, you can run a MediaPortal backend on your Windows server, and then run the Kodi client on a Raspberry Pi.

As I understand, the Argus TV server is a follow-on from the MediaPortal one.

Development on the MediaPortal TV server is also more or less at a halt. However, it still works fine, so unless there are features that you really need, there shouldn't be much to choose between Argus and MediaPortal.
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#7
(2016-04-01, 10:20)elsmandino Wrote: I have to say that NextPVR does appear to have some good reviews but I have never tried it - how similar is it to Mediaportal?
Similiar in a sense that they're both Windows PVR applications, and both record tv, but other than they're entirely different applications. Different user interfaces, different settings screens, different approaches to do things, etc.
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