Suggestion for backend (Nas/Plex/MythTV)

kdceddj

I'm planning to build an energy efficient home server which should act as a NAS, plex backend server and MythTV server/transcoder. The server should be up 24/7 and it should be having enough CPU to handle 2 concurrent 1080p transcodings in case it's needed.
The plex forum seems to suggest that you need a beefed up CPU as the intel core i5. However, as it needs to be up 24x7 I'd like it to be a bit energy efficient so I was thinking about the low power "S" series ("T" series seems to be not easily findable).
I've put together a the following from hardwareversand.de:
Case: Special item: Xigmatek Asgard, ATX, ohne Netzteil, schwarz 30,62 €
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX650G 650W ATX 2.3 80+Gold 91,21 €
Motherboad: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP, Sockel 1155, ATX 77,69 €
Processor: Intel Core i5-3470S Box, LGA1155 172,88 €
Memory: 8GB-Kit (2 x 4 GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 41,57 €
Hard Disks: 2 x WD Red RD1000S 3TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB 138,59 € each
DVD: Samsung SH-118AB schwarz 13,96 €

The total comes down to 700€, which seems a bit above the budget. Any suggestions to reduce the price?

On the top of that I'll need the video cards to process the below feeds:
- 4 dvbs2 feeds from Astra (uk Freesat)
- 2 dvbs2 feeds from Hotbird
- dvbt from Aerial (Saorview)
Any suggestion on the receiver cards for the feeds above? BlackGold?

Thanks!

Glenagoolie

I've a Pinnacle 7010ix which will handle 2 x DVB-T and 2 x DVB-S (Doesn't handle S2 which BBC HD are on)
I wouldn't be familiar what's needed for transcoding 1080p streams. Why do you need 2 1080p streams decoding, can your end clients not handle play mp4/mkv natively?

kdceddj

Initially, I'll be using plex to serve the files to 3 clients:
- a 2 years old mac mini
- an iPad 1
- a 4 years old laptop
They all have the plex client and usually do not require transcoding. However, there are also situations where transcoding is required even if the media is compatible with the playback device. This can be the case when:
Using subtitles - these are added on the server side so need to be “burnt into” the video stream, meaning it needs to be re-encoded
Accessing the media remotely (over 3G for example) and the connection does not have the bandwidth to streaming the movie at its native bit-rate or resolution. Transcoding is used here to make "the stream" smaller so it can fit over the bandwidth available.

I must admit I probably have only 3 1080p videos so it doesn't make sense at this point but I'm not planning to upgrade the server in the next 3/4 years so it should be future proof.

The other task that would probably require transcoding is the live TV. I've been reading that the iPad 1 does not handle the stream from the capture cards. The solution I have at the moment is to use EyeTv on the mac mini which is re-encoding the saorview signal on the mac mini before sending it to the ipad. I will need to have a similar solution when using myth.

Those are the 2 main reasons for choosing a powerful CPU

Any suggestions on the video cards?

Antigrav

I use transcoding branch of tvheadend by John Tornblom for Live TV.

I prefer tvheadend to MythTv as it is easier to set up.

You can use the PVR option of XBMC on Openelec or Windows or Linux to set up clients for watching TV. Not sure about transcoding other video sources though.

I use a TBS 6981 for 2x DVB-S/S2 and a Hauppaugge Nova-T stick for DVB-T

kdceddj

Thanks Antigrav, I'll have a look at tvheadend.

In terms of DVB-S/S2 cards, how's your TBS 6981? would you recommend it?

The price of a quad DVB-S/S2 card seems a bit prohibitive, so I was thinking that initially I could get just 2 TBS 6981 or similar (2 for astra and 2 for hotbird) and expand later. I will need a replacement for my DVB-T as well, as the elgato usb is not compatible with tvheadend or mythtv as far as I know.

Is the transcoding branch of tvheadend using much CPU? what's your CPU?

Knasher

You should consider getting Diseqc switches. They aren't that expensive and you will get a bit more flexibility with them, rather than having to dedicate a tuner to a single satellite. Also your DVB-T tuner may be compatible, http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/DVB-T_USB_Devices Linux TV lists a number of Elgato devices that are supported under Linux, yours might be one of them.

Johnboy1951

I am using a TBS 6981 and an Afatech 9015 DTT dongle with TVHeandend and XBMC in Openelec.

I found a community image of Openelec with the TBS driver included, and the dongle is supported by default in Openelec.

I don't yet have the EPG working correctly (partially OK) ..... so some work to do with that.

kdceddj

I've an Elgato EyeTV hybrid
It doesn't seem to be in the DVB-T compatibilty list for Linux.
Actually the easiest solution could be to buy a DVB-T pci express card and sell the Elgato stick.

Re: diseqc switches, I have a dish with a quad lnb for Astra and a dual lnb for Hotbird. The 6 cables from the sat (+ the aerial but that's another story) are going through the attic to the spot where I'll be installing the home server with the DVB-S/S2 cards.
From there, I've a gigabit switch and cat5e going to every room.
So the diseqc switch would only be needed to share the tuners, as the cabling is done already.