Kodi Community Forum

Full Version: Why must I use a TV Backend/Server for Live TV?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Hi,

I was just wondering, if I want to watch live TV via a DVB stick only on one machine, why is it that there seems to be no way to do that directly via an add-on that works just like any DVB software like ProgDVB? I have not found anything that does not require to set up a TV Server and then connect to it via HTTP/HTSP/RTSP to stream from there even if it is installed on the same system. It might bring many advantages to use a TV server but if I don't want to stream from other machines in the network I would prefer to have a simple viewer add-on. Why? For me, it's mostly the switching delay when changing channels. With a DVB software it takes around 0.5 to 1 second. With a server it's at least 3 seconds. And there is a service in running in the background which drains resources (however little) and blocks the card while running which just seems unneccessary.

Have I overlooked something? Is there such a "simple" DVB viewer add-on?

Greetings!
No, not really. The reason you need a backend or other type of software for LiveTV is because Kodi is not a LiveTV client. It is a media player, originally and primarily for playback of local content, such as ripped movies and music.

By not directly supporting the myriad TV playback hardware, the Kodi developers can focus on media playback and interface, while letting other developers deal with getting LiveTV content into a form that you can consume with media playback software such as Kodi.

If you'd prefer to have an all-in-one approach, then your best bet is to look into software that includes DVR functionality, such as MediaPortal, WMC or MythTV.

Also, the delay you experience when using a backend DVR is often because it is setting up its own buffering system for playback and/or timeshifting, so where is essentially an additional layer of indirection.
TVHeadend on a libreelec system takes virtually no resources and changes channel in around or less than a second. As a bonus any other kodi machines you have can use the same dvb tuner. What's not to like?
Didn't think about the buffering. That could indeed be it. @rpcameron: You have a point in that Kodi isn't a TV client but a media playback software. @tredman, you're also certainly right that It's convenient to set it up once and being able to use it with every machien which can run Kodi.

I'll keep trying out the available add-ons and tweaking the configs a little more.

Thanks for your replies so far!
(2016-08-13, 19:07)wurstcase Wrote: [ -> ]It might bring many advantages to use a TV server but if I don't want to stream from other machines in the network I would prefer to have a simple viewer add-on. Why? For me, it's mostly the switching delay when changing channels.
That is not the fault of a server/client structure. The 'X Window System' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System) uses a comparable approach without any drawbacks. Even single seat installations profit from a seperated PVR backend (e.g. clean process separation). This is the Unix design philosophy (which is quite nice).
Mythtv uses a client server model, so does mce. Tvheadend is JUST a server.

Kodi simply doesn't have a video recording infrastructure. That's why it leverages the systems already out there.