Serving up Saorview HD

john_doe.

The tanix looks decent .

Was also looking at Mibox .
Only thing that puts me off is that there is no Ethernet port on the boxes that I can see.
Do you run yours via wireless or do you use a USB to Ethernet adapter.

Johnboy1951

john_doe. wrote: »

The tanix looks decent .

Was also looking at Mibox .
Only thing that puts me off is that there is no Ethernet port on the boxes that I can see.
Do you run yours via wireless or do you use a USB to Ethernet adapter.

The Tanix Tx3-mini that I have has both ethernet and wifi. I use ethernet.

This is a low end device and costs about €40.
It can be configured, with some work, to run a specific version of LibreElec, but not the official release.
The Android OS have a version of Kodi included.

I haven't used a MiBox so cannot compare the devices.

PabloAndRoy

john_doe. wrote: »

The tanix looks decent .

Was also looking at Mibox .
Only thing that puts me off is that there is no Ethernet port on the boxes that I can see.
Do you run yours via wireless or do you use a USB to Ethernet adapter.

I have both the Tanix and the Mibox ... I am busy working today .. but tonight I will give you my views on these boxes. To be honest, neither are a great solution for tvheadend clients.

Johnboy1951

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

I have both the Tanix and the Mibox ... I am busy working today .. but tonight I will give you my views on these boxes. To be honest, neither are a great solution for tvheadend clients.

You might add some info on what you have found with regard to HD channels.


Regarding some HD channels on the Tanix ..... it seems that going from one channel to another causes problems.
All HD channels I have tested have played ok if they are the first channel selected.
This is using the Android OS.

***

The Tanix does seem to be happy when running LibreElec as a backend server.
At least I have not met with any problems so far.

***

It is also, for me on one TV, sufficient to run Sat SD channels and all Saorview, as a client device.

The fact that there are problems with HD channels should dissuade anyone from relying on this as a sufficient client device. It seems it is not.

john_doe.

I was reading about running TV headend client on Apple TV while also using Mr MC.

Wondering does anyone do this .

There's a good thread on boxes at below link:


https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916

From what I've read last few days these type of boxes work ok but there are niggles with each.

The shield seems to be reliable .
Apple TV is an interesting one for me if it gives me Plex , Netflix and TV Headend Client

Johnboy1951

So that I am clear about my limited experience .....

using low end hardware as the backend server showed no problems here.

Using such hardware as a client which must be well capable of displaying HD/UHD live streams will be problematic.

john_doe.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

So that I am clear about my limited experience .....

using low end hardware as the backend server showed no problems here.

Using such hardware as a client which must be well capable of displaying HD/UHD live streams will be problematic.

Thanks that's from what I can see from user experience , android boxes seem a bit of a minefield.

The server side from what I can tell is low end as you say.

I thought for my end the Apple TV may be an option now, which may give me bunch of things , looks like timeshift recording does not work in TV Headend client app on Apple TV.

For your side just enough hardware it would be way Overkill.

The WeTek play 2 is quite interesting but different to the OP's needs.

PabloAndRoy

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

I have both the Tanix and the Mibox ... I am busy working today .. but tonight I will give you my views on these boxes. To be honest, neither are a great solution for tvheadend clients.

I bought the Mi box hoping to get where you want to get with everything in one box, but the tvheadend app lets it down. Its not awful, the streams look very good, but there is no access to the recordings. Probably I could share out the recordings using DLNA, but I still could not set recordings up from this box. If recording is not of interest to you, then this (as a one box solution) could certainly work for you. The Netflix on this is super and supports 4K content.

I also have the Tanix and I refactored it with LibreELEC. Now, there is an issue with this box with "some" hd streams, including BBC HD streams on Astra 28.2. The Saorview HD streams are perfect .. as is the HD stream from Channel 4. I have other S905X boxes running LibreELEC and these BBC streams are fine.... so this issue seems to lie with the S905W chip which is in the Tanix. If you want a cheap Amlogic client that runs LibreELEC well, then make sure to go with one that has S905X chips. In short, avoid the S905W chip for HD Live streams.

PabloAndRoy

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

So that I am clear about my limited experience .....

using low end hardware as the backend server showed no problems here.

Using such hardware as a client which must be well capable of displaying HD/UHD live streams will be problematic.

As I have said above and in other threads, I have Amlogic S905X clients running LIbreELEC & tvheadend and there is no issue. My cheap S905X box even displays the Astra UHD demo channel, in all its glory, perfectly.

I have even repurposed an S805 Amlogic box to run LibreELEC for Live TV and it runs perfectly with all these HD streams (No 4K though).

The issue you are seeing seems to be with the S905W chip. Its cheap .. and it does not do the job we need it to do.

S905X is the chipset to pick. Sometimes the WiFi will not be supported (it usually is though), but you can get around this with USB wifi dongles for about 10€.

Johnboy1951

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

As I have said above and in other threads, I have Amlogic S905X clients running LIbreELEC & tvheadend and there is no issue. My cheap S905X box even displays the Astra UHD demo channel, in all its glory, perfectly.

I have even repurposed an S805 Amlogic box to run LibreELEC for Live TV and it runs perfectly with all these HD streams (No 4K though).

The issue you are seeing seems to be with the S905W chip. Its cheap .. and it does not do the job we need it to do.

S905X is the chipset to pick. Sometimes the WiFi will not be supported (it usually is though), but you can get around this with USB wifi dongles for about 10€.

So something like a Tanix Tx7 would seem to be capable ...... but from a brief look it does not have the Kodi fork included
https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_484034.html?wid=21

If it had (or is capable of installing) Kodi or a fork, then it would seem to hit most requirements ....... Kodi, Netflix, (and other doubtful apps) ... without the requirement to boot a different OS.

Am I reading this correctly?

EDIT: I meant using Kodi in conjunction with a backend server for Live TV.

john_doe.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

So something like a Tanix Tx7 would seem to be capable ...... but from a brief look it does not have the Kodi fork included
https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_484034.html?wid=21

If it had (or is capable of installing) Kodi or a fork, then it would seem to hit most requirements ....... Kodi, Netflix, (and other doubtful apps) ... without the requirement to boot a different OS.

Am I reading this correctly?

That looks interesting . It also had built in Ethernet port .

john_doe.

john_doe. wrote: »

That looks interesting . It also had built in Ethernet port .

Also have ye folks seen this thread:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916

PabloAndRoy

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

So something like a Tanix Tx7 would seem to be capable ...... but from a brief look it does not have the Kodi fork included
https://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_484034.html?wid=21

If it had (or is capable of installing) Kodi or a fork, then it would seem to hit most requirements ....... Kodi, Netflix, (and other doubtful apps) ... without the requirement to boot a different OS.

Am I reading this correctly?

EDIT: I meant using Kodi in conjunction with a backend server for Live TV.

I am not sure what you mean. If you mean running Kodi on top of android, I am sure you can get that running, but usually that is not optimum for HD PVR streams.

Normally (aka always) I would just install LibreELEC. That box has S905X chip .. you can install the Amlogic LibreELEC community build. There is not a different build for each box... you just need to select the correct device tree.

If it says S905X, you can almost certainly get LibreELEC working.

PabloAndRoy

john_doe. wrote: »

Also have ye folks seen this thread:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916

At first I thought that post is a little bit inconsistent on the topic

Dirt Cheap, Firmware unsupported, buggy Android Kodi Boxes from China (usually AMLogic). Really are a waste of time as you will constantly be upgrading trying to find something that works reliably with Android Kodi Krypton. Those are Strictly DIY devices.

but later...

Q. Best 1080p/4K Bang for the Buck - Kodi only, HD Audio (bitstreaming) device ?
(All running LibreELEC Kodi Krypton, unless noted. Easiest to hardest to setup, Wireless remote purchase recommended)
Vero 4K (OSMC)
ODROID C2 / WeTek Hub & Play2
MINIX U1
Various cheap AMLogic S9xx devices.

At first I though this was inconsistent, but now I see that the first quote is in relation to running Kodi on top of some sh1tty Android and the second one is in relation to LibreELEC.

I have installed LibreELEC on approximately 6 of these "dirt cheap" Amlogic boxes with no issues whatsoever. The only issue I have had was with that S905W box from Tanix.

Johnboy1951

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

I am not sure what you mean. If you mean running Kodi on top of android, I am sure you can get that running, but usually that is not optimum for HD PVR streams.

Normally (aka always) I would just install LibreELEC. That box has S905X chip .. you can install the Amlogic LibreELEC community build. There is not a different build for each box... you just need to select the correct device tree.

If it says S905X, you can almost certainly get LibreELEC working.

What I meant was that if Kodi or fork (like TV Centre) is on the Android OS along with the other apps then there would be no need to run LE, as Kodi could still use the backend tuner/server for Live TV, recordings and EPG etc etc

It would be beneficial not to have to reboot (short as it is) to change from Live TV to Netflix or such.

PabloAndRoy

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

What I meant was that if Kodi or fork (like TV Centre) is on the Android OS along with the other apps then there would be no need to run LE, as Kodi could still use the backend tuner/server for Live TV, recordings and EPG etc etc

It would be beneficial not to have to reboot (short as it is) to change from Live TV to Netflix or such.

Except that this doesn't really work very well. See post above about sh1tty android. Almost all of these boxes have a crappy android and Kodi on top of it is not good enough for PVR HD channels. The exception is the Xiaomi mi box which is a s905x. This had a decent version of android tv but even then Kodi running PVR HD runs like a dog. Trust me, I've tried this... It doesn't work.

Johnboy1951

PabloAndRoy wrote: »

Except that this doesn't really work very well. See post above about sh1tty android. Almost all of these boxes have a crappy android and Kodi on top of it is not good enough for PVR HD channels. The exception is the Xiaomi mi box which is a s905x. This had a decent version of android tv but even then Kodi running PVR HD runs like a dog. Trust me, I've tried this... It doesn't work.

Maybe I am being a little dense here, but I am not following.
I am unsure whether you refer to the client or the backend server.

The 905x as a client does well, if I understand correctly. Its version of Kodi displays HD video, including LiveTV without problems if I understood your previous post.

The PVR functions would be handled by the backend tuner/server device and could be a 905w running LibreElec and tvheadend.

EDIT: It seems I had misunderstood. You are saying that even on the 905x, displaying HD will not work well using the Android OS, but needs LE.
That is disappointing

PabloAndRoy

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Maybe I am being a little dense here, but I am not following.
I am unsure whether you refer to the client or the backend server.

The 905x as a client does well, if I understand correctly. Its version of Kodi displays HD video, including LiveTV without problems if I understood your previous post.

The PVR functions would be handled by the backend tuner/server device and could be a 905w running LibreElec and tvheadend.

EDIT: It seems I had misunderstood. You are saying that even on the 905x, displaying HD will not work well using the Android OS, but needs LE.
That is disappointing

Yes .. in short:
Kodi on Android/Amlogic - Bad :mad:
Kodi on LibreELEC/Amlogic - Good

Johnboy1951

@PabloAndRoy

Regarding the colour bleed on HD Sat channels from the Tx3, I uninstalled the preinstalled Kodi (17.4) and installed Kodi from the play store and the output is much improved.
I dunno what might have made the difference, just that there is one.

EDIT:

That didn't last long
Showing the bleed again ..... and on LibreElec too.

I am beginning to suspect a heat issue .....

EDIT: Took it apart but see no signs of over heating

I am giving up on it and will use it solely for a backend.

I get indications that its output is 1280x720 and not 1920x1080 .... but cannot ties that down.

john_doe.

Guys think I've settled on the minix u9-h with a dual boot ROM where

Libre elec Krypton is used for live TV and PVR on Kodi

Kodi is used for stored media playback

Android on the dual boot is used for Netflix .

I was wondering do ye know how the dual boot works in practice , like how do you switch between libre elec and android - can't seem to find examples on YouTube or other

Johnboy1951

john_doe. wrote: »

Guys think I've settled on the minix u9-h with a dual boot ROM where

Libre elec Krypton is used for live TV and PVR on Kodi

Kodi is used for stored media playback

Android on the dual boot is used for Netflix .

I was wondering do ye know how the dual boot works in practice , like how do you switch between libre elec and android - can't seem to find examples on YouTube or other

There is an app for LE that provides a Reboot Option to boot the internal OS.
LE should boot by default.

At least that is what I have here on the Tx3.

john_doe.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

There is an app for LE that provides a Reboot Option to boot the internal OS.
LE should boot by default.

At least that is what I have here on the Tx3.

Thanks for that .
What USB tuners would you recommend for dvb-t and dvb-s ?

Johnboy1951

john_doe. wrote: »

Thanks for that .
What USB tuners would you recommend for dvb-t and dvb-s ?

What set up have you decided upon?
If using a PC for backend then maybe PCI-e tuner cards would be best.
Cheap DVB-T USB tuners might be sufficient for some situations.
They might need a powered hub depending on the device they are plugged into.
Sat>IP DVB-S tuners might suit also.

You do need to decide what type of set up you are going for.

Tuner suggestions and links were provided earlier in this thread.

john_doe.

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

What set up have you decided upon?
If using a PC for backend then maybe PCI-e tuner cards would be best.
Cheap DVB-T USB tuners might be sufficient for some situations.
They might need a powered hub depending on the device they are plugged into.
Sat>IP DVB-S tuners might suit also.

You do need to decide what type of set up you are going for.

Tuner suggestions and links were provided earlier in this thread.

Going start off on my current HP nl40 and test it with one dvb-s or dvb-t USB tuner with a minix u9-h dual boot with libre elec and android ROM.

If I find it stable and good I will get pci-e tuners for server.

If it's not stable I'll just use the minix for Android and Netflix etc and dump the cheap USB tuner.

Johnboy1951

john_doe. wrote: »

Going start off on my current HP nl40 and test it with one dvb-s or dvb-t USB tuner with a minix u9-h dual boot with libre elec and android ROM.

If I find it stable and good I will get pci-e tuners for server.

If it's not stable I'll just use the minix for Android and Netflix etc and dump the cheap USB tuner.

The DVB-T USB cheap tuner I linked earlier in the thread has been stable for me.
About €8 each I think.

USB DVB-S tuners are not cheap, so maybe you want to test out with DVB-T first.
Else TBS PCI-e tuners are well made and have drivers for Windows as well as Linux.

kazoo106

Anyone got an EPG Grabber for TV Headend that runs properly with Saorview which displays the subtitle (programme information) field - works perfectly on freeview but not on saorview channels

Johnboy1951

kazoo106 wrote: »

Anyone got an EPG Grabber for TV Headend that runs properly with Saorview which displays the subtitle (programme information) field - works perfectly on freeview but not on saorview channels

Does the built in Over the Air: EIT: DVB Grabber not do it for you?

Dr4gul4

If i might Bump in here for a moment, and hopefully a touch of clarity. Been researching how to push out freeview sat > ip and include Saorview along with it.

To the best of my ability it seems the best option is to run a Pi3 with two usb dongles one for saorview one for Sat. and configure libre elec with tvheadend on top of it ?


Would i be correct in this assumption ?

Johnboy1951

Dr4gul4 wrote: »

If i might Bump in here for a moment, and hopefully a touch of clarity. Been researching how to push out freeview sat > ip and include Saorview along with it.

To the best of my ability it seems the best option is to run a Pi3 with two usb dongles one for saorview one for Sat. and configure libre elec with tvheadend on top of it ?


Would i be correct in this assumption ?

That certainly works.

Dr4gul4

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

That certainly works.

Finaly follow up there, Two Dongles required for SV as it's two streams ?