The hobby of receiving C-band and Ku-band satellite television in North America
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Tags: receiving satellite television
I know it's been quite a while but you asked about a script for the open source drivers. I have two scripts that I use, but it's been so long that I do not remember what prerequisites I had to install prior to running these. I do know they must be run using sudo. The first one is when you need to actually get the drivers from the git repository and install them. I have only used this one two or three times: <pre>#! /bin/bash (( UID != 0 )) && { echo "Error: needs root (use sudo)"; exit 1; } #Use this to check for root cd /usr/src || { echo "Error changing to /usr/src directory"; exit 1; } read -p "Move existing /usr/src/media directory to /usr/src/oldmedia (destroys existing oldmedia directory) (y/N)? " [[ "$REPLY" == y ]] && rm -r oldmedia && mv media oldmedia || { echo "Unable to move media directory to oldmedia"; exit 1; } # Uncomment next three lines to re-get drivers from github (note that the first one deletes the current oldmedia_build directory!!!) rm -r oldmedia_build mv media_build oldmedia_build || { echo "Unable to move media_build directory to oldmedia_build"; exit 1; } git clone https://github.com/tbsdtv/media_build.git || { echo "Failed to clone new drivers from Github - may be a network failure?"; exit 1; } read -p "Check the directories! Continue (y/N)? " [[ "$REPLY" != y ]] && exit 1 git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/tbsdtv/linux_media.git -b latest ./media || { echo "Failed to extract drivers to ./media"; exit 1; } read -p "Finished git clone! Continue (y/N)? " [[ "$REPLY" != y ]] && exit 1 cd media_build || { echo "Error changing directory to media_build"; exit 1; } make dir DIR=../media || { echo "Failed to create ../media"; exit 1; } make remove || { echo "make remove operation failed"; exit 1; } make clean || { echo "make clean operation failed"; exit 1; } make dir DIR=../media make allyesconfig || { echo "make allyesconfig operation failed"; exit 1; } make -j4 || { echo "make -j4 operation failed"; exit 1; } make install || { echo "make install operation failed"; exit 1; } read -p "Reboot (y/N)? " [[ "$REPLY" == y ]] && reboot</pre> This is the one I usually use; it does not go out to git to download new drivers, but can only be run if the one above has been successfully run at least once, however you MUST change the tar.bz archive name to the one you have, otherwise it will fail. Also it makes a backup in the home directory of the new kernel's media directory because the driver install removes anything currently there. If you don't need that backup, and you probably won't, you can comment out or delete the indicated line (the one that starts with "mv"). If you do let it save the backups then every so often you'll want to delete some of the older ones from the home directory, but use sudo because otherwise you won't have permission to delete some items in those directories. <pre>#! /bin/bash (( UID != 0 )) && { echo "Error: needs root (use sudo)"; exit 1; } #Use this to check for root cd /home/satellite/drivers || { echo "Error changing to /home/satellite/driver directory"; exit 1; } rm -rf media_build || { echo "Error deleting old media_build directory"; exit 1; } # COMMENT OUT NEXT LINE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SAVE A BACKUP OF THE NEW KERNEL'S MEDIA DIRECTORY. mv "/lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/media" "/home/satellite/`uname -r` original media directory" || { echo "Unable to move /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/media directory to home directory"; exit 1; } # NOTE THE TAR ARCHIVE NAME IS HARDCODED IN THE NEXT LINE, MUST BE CHANGED IF YOU DOWNLOAD NEWER DRIVERS!!! tar jxvf media_build-2021-02-04.tar.bz2 || { echo "Unable to un-tar media_build-2021-02-04.tar.bz2"; exit 1; } cd media_build || { echo "Error changing directory to media_build"; exit 1; } ./install.sh || { echo "install.sh script failed"; exit 1; } read -p "Reboot (y/N)? " [[ "$REPLY" == y ]] && reboot</pre> Of course you can modify these to your needs, but at least they are something that might work for you, or form the basis of your own script. I run them under Ubuntu Server and don't know if they would need modification to work in any other Linux distro.
27.3.2022 21:55Comment on A bash script to rebuild the TBS tuner drivers after Linux kernel updates by DriverMeHomeOOOOOOOOOOO MYY GOOOODNESSSSSS.... puuu my DUDE i work with tbs since 2013 have so match problems bud this i never see samware big thanks for this share its fantastik kind regarts
27.10.2020 10:53Comment on A bash script to rebuild the TBS tuner drivers after Linux kernel updates by Yasar Maymakwawwww big thanks on this great artikel i hope you can update with open sourch drivers how to again big thx its so genial .... you are my star ///
27.10.2020 10:51Comment on A bash script to rebuild the TBS tuner drivers after Linux kernel updates by Yasar MaymakEvery so often I hear of a situation where a satellite dish has to be located fairly far away from the place where the signal is to be received in order to get a clear view of the desired satellites. The problem is that long runs of RG-6 coaxial cable tend to lose signal over […]
1.7.2020 22:38How to run fiber optic cable between your satellite dish(es) and your home for safety and to avoid signal lossThis is a case here. I've recently have asked HOA to allow sat dishes, and they did, but only on balconies, no roof, and my condo is facing strictly North. What a bummer. Is this something worth to fight for? About the roof?
7.2.2020 22:30Comment on You are in a HOA and they absolutely forbid you from putting up a satellite dish? You could try this approach… by VictorPersonally, I happen to think that buying a house that comes with a HOA (Home Owners Association) is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can ever make in life – it’s right up there with marrying the wrong person, or putting your life savings into a shady investment, or even with getting hooked on an […]
14.1.2020 21:08You are in a HOA and they absolutely forbid you from putting up a satellite dish? You could try this approach…For those of you trying to use a Raspberry Pi (especially a Raspberry Pi 4) as a low cost frontend system, this article just might help you achieve better results: [Guide] Kodi on Raspbian Buster It appears to be a work in progress so you may want to check back occasionally to see what has […]
15.9.2019 18:23[Guide] Kodi on Raspbian Buster (includes Raspberry Pi 4 information)If you have been using Linux kernel version 4.4.0-142-generic (or older) and then were upgraded to 4.4.0-143-generic (or newer), you will find that when you try to rebuild the proprietary TBS tuner drivers it fails during make (note this only affects the original TBS proprietary drivers, not the newer open source drivers that they have […]
1.4.2019 03:00Did a Linux or Ubuntu kernel update cause a make failure when rebuilding your TBS tuner drivers? This might be the solution…Quoting from the article of this title: If you are a Kodi user and have recently tried to upgrade your system to Ubuntu 18.04, and then tried to install and use LIRC to make your infrared remote control work the way it should, you may have discovered that it doesn’t work. Believe me, I searched […]
21.8.2018 08:18Make LIRC work in Ubuntu 18.04, so that you can use your infrared remote in KodiI found this article online and thought I’d post a link to it here. This shows the correct way to install Kodi an any Ubuntu-based system: Installing Kodi using Ubuntu based systems Just two comments: The article briefly mentions the existence of third-party addons. If I were you I’d avoid those like the plague, because […]
11.2.2018 18:18Installing Kodi using Ubuntu based systemsThe world is going digital, yet in many cases we still use LNB’s that send their signals down a coaxial cable to our satellite backends. The obvious problem with that is that coaxial cable is lossy, and it’s also prone to getting waterlogged if it’s buried underground and there are any breaks in the insulating […]
19.5.2017 19:56When you want to send data from a dish to a backend, but all you have available is some random type of wire…In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/small-patch-for-zap2xml2-pl-to-get-full-program-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-5326">Brad Burnett</a>. Huh? First of all there is only one version of the program now, called zap2xml and available at http://zap2xml.awardspace.info/, and it most certainly does NOT require a subscription to ChannelsDirect, whatever the heck that is. It gets its listings from either zap2it.com or (if you use the -z option) tvguide.com. Using zap2it.com, the season and episode numbers are only shown in the extra program details, and you can only get those by using the -D option which makes an additional separate http request for each and every program in the listings! This is not only rather unfriendly to the provider (after all, we are getting these listings for free and therefore should not be overburdening the servers), but also it adds very significantly to the amount of time required to download the listings (if you try it you will probably think the download has stalled, it is <em>that</em> slow). And even if you were to use the -D option, it's not a given that it would capture the season and episode numbers in the way you expect. tvguide.com does not appear to show season and episode numbers at all. I'm guessing that this information was more readily available in the original Zap2it listings format, but that was discontinued prior to the time this article was written.
9.5.2017 07:37Comment on Small patch for zap2xml2.pl to get full program descriptions by freetoairamericadoes this also allow capture of series info (season#, episode#)? I am using zap2xml2 and it doesn't have the -s (or -series) command line option available, like the newer one does - which requires a subscription to ChannelsDirect.
8.5.2017 20:04Comment on Small patch for zap2xml2.pl to get full program descriptions by Brad BurnettThe thing I have always hated most about installing a satellite dish is having to dig a trench for the cable. Digging is boring, plus it will probably be a couple years before the lawn looks right again. But you can overcome both those issues in many soil types with this tool (no, I do […]
28.3.2017 18:36Useful tool to make burying cable easierTo quote from an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) page, What is Dolby Digital (AC-3)? AC-3 is a compressed digital audio format like MP3. It made its public debut in 1992. AC-3 has become the most common format for audio in film and television. For digital television, AC-3 is a mandatory part of the ATSC standard […]
20.3.2017 08:46Electronic Frontier Foundation: The patent on Dolby Digital (AC-3) has just expiredI use that program often but what many users may not know is that if a particular video source isn't supported, and if you know Python, you can add your own extractor for any site. A very basic how-to can be found at https://is.gd/eWVIz6 and more is available in the official documentation at https://is.gd/jIjwUo
19.3.2017 00:22Comment on Linux users: Missed your favorite show? There may still be a way to view it, without annoyances by VVOne of the nice things about free-to-air satellite is that if you try to record the eastern time zone feed of a show and the recording is no good for some reason, you can often find a later time zone feed to watch or record. However, if a channel suddenly “goes dark” with no warning, […]
11.3.2017 20:47Linux users: Missed your favorite show? There may still be a way to view it, without annoyancesI’m not a big fan of using Windows for anything unless you absolutely need to, but for those who do, one of the more widely used Windows-based PVR backend and frontend software packages is MediaPortal 2. I ran the original MediaPortal briefly, early on in my attempts to set up a satellite backend, and had […]
6.3.2017 22:57Article points out several coding errors in MediaPortal 2If you have read some of my previous posts you may have discerned that I am no big fan of any of the free-to-air satellite forums out there. In my opinion most of those sites are run by people who make up arbitrary rules that do not apply equally to all users, and also at […]
18.1.2017 21:20Why did the 16APSK mux at 97°W 3980H disappear?I suspect that most readers of this blog install and maintain their own satellite dishes, either willingly or reluctantly. Just as some people like to tweak an automobile until it’s running perfectly and exceeding the manufacturer’s specifications, some people enjoy the challenge of setting up and maintaining a satellite dish system. But there are others […]
7.1.2017 17:57Here’s how to find a satellite dish installer, but should you?As far as I can determine, there are three very different things that are sometimes referred to as IPTV: 1. SAT>IP, as explained in my previous article. 2. Video that streams over the Internet, often in a container with the .m3u8 extension. Sometimes these are live channels, in which case Tvheadend can treat them as […]
3.1.2017 21:17What, exactly, is IPTV?In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/what-is-a-satip-server-and-can-you-use-one-in-north-america/comment-page-1/#comment-5221">guest</a>. As I mentioned above, the site at http://www.satip.info/products/sat%3Eip%20servers lists several SAT>IP servers, unfortunately I have not had hands-on experience with any of them. Amazon's US site doesn't even list any SAT>IP servers, but if you go to Amazon's UK site you can find SAT>IP servers such as these (prices do not include shipping, and are converted from British pounds to US dollars using exchange rate on December 24, 2016. Note that going to a different Amazon country site might result in a higher or lower price, depending on the prevailing exchange rate, but I was just trying to get a rough idea of the pricing on these): Megasat SAT to IP Server 3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Megasat-SAT-IP-Server-3/dp/B01DKP28O2 £149.19 = $183.18 Megasat SAT>IP Server https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Electronics-Photo/Megasat-Server-servers-Black-STi7108-DDR3-Elgato/B00DMQ4BMM £173.43 = $212.94 TRIAX TSS 400 SAT>IP server https://www.amazon.co.uk/Triax-310101-Converter-Server/dp/B00AAWI23K £153.93 = $189.00 It appears to me that at least some of the Megasat tuners may in fact be relabeled versions of equipment made by the Taiwanese company Good Mind Industries Co. Ltd. (http://www.goodmind.com.tw/). What typically happens with DVB-S2 satellite receivers that are imported into the USA is one of two things. One is that the importer will obtain the stock model made for the rest of the world, but either get the company to substitute a 110V power supply or they will do that themselves, probably using the absolutely cheapest "wall wart" they can buy in bulk that has the proper ratings, and then offer the thing in eBay pretty much "as is". If they are really lucky they may get some small customizations made to the receiver's firmware to better support North America, but often they just don't care and leave it to the buyer to figure out how to make the thing work. Or, an established satellite equipment dealer may actually work with the overseas manufacturer to produce a product designed (or at least adapted) for use in North America. This typically involves not only the power cord change, but also firmware revisions and sometimes even hardware changes to better support those of us in this part of the world. Unfortunately some of those dealers have been under the impression that by doing that they can take a $50 receiver and slap a $200 or $300 price tag on it. That may have worked a few years ago, but I doubt they are going to be able to do that going forward, and a few of the dealers that tried that are now out of business. But still, what would have to happen is for someone to actually contact one of the companies making these and ascertain the following: 1. Can the server be used with a single or dual output C-band LNB? If that's not possible now, can they add support to the firmware and/or hardware to enable it? 2. Can the server be used with a linear (NOT universal) Ku-band LNB? If that's not possible now, can they add support to the firmware and/or hardware to enable it? 3. Can the four inputs be "mixed and matched", for example could you connect a dual output C-band LNB to two tuner inputs and a dual output Ku Band LNB (not necessarily pointed at the same satellite) to the other two tuner inputs? What about if you have four single output LNB's or two single output LNB's and one dual output, each of which may or may not be pointed at different satellites? 4. And, last but not least, can they ship the unit with a USA/Canada compatible power supply? I suspect the big hurdle is going to be that the current firmware in the units probably knows nothing about C-band, or linear Ku-band LNBs. In some cases firmware tweaks may be all that is necessary to enable those, in other cases it may require a major firmware rewrite and there is even the possibility that hardware design changes might be required. And even if you can get the manufacturer to make the necessary changes for you, you still need to test them to make sure they actually work before you start selling the product here. I would like to have access to the web interface on one of those units for a short time, just to see what is actually configurable. Maybe it's possible that one or more of them would work well in North America with their stock firmware, but I really have my doubts.
24.12.2016 20:23Comment on What is a SAT>IP server, and can you use one in North America? by freetoairamericaJust found your site by accident (and glad to see that others recognize the need to research this topic.) I want to combine DVB-T, DVB-S and IPTV channels into one menu with a Kodi-based set top box. This concept is unquestionably the future of television, but it's certainly not easy to assemble such a system at the present time, especially in north america. It's hard to believe this is still such a challenge in the age of automation. As you know, the best open platforms are very euro-centric and most of the progress in video hardware and software is occurring there. When will the incumbent monopolies realize we dont want to be locked down to one provider where we pay some outrageous price for hundreds of channels when we only wanted a few? The north american TV market is so monolithic, technological progress has nearly ground to a halt in comparison to the euro market. And many european vendors dont even consider a north american power supply as an option for their equipment. I would be happy with a fixed-dish setup for the time being, if I could just realize the goal of combining terrestrial, FTA satellite and free IPTV channels in one set top receiver with a single remote control. Given the current pricing structure for subscription TV, many people just dont want anything more than what they could get for free, they just need a system which integrates all of that free stuff into one box. The market for this is vast, and vendors dont seem to realize that. Could you also recommend a small ATSC>IP server with 2 to 4 tuners geared towards the home user that would be Kodi compatible?
24.12.2016 17:15Comment on What is a SAT>IP server, and can you use one in North America? by guestI just want to introduce the censorship-loving developers on the Kodi project to the Streisand effect. Because of some stupid childish tiff they’ve had with certain third party addon developers and former Kodi developers, it seems they are banning even the mention of uRepo in their forums. Since just about everything the Kodi developers do […]
22.12.2016 22:07uRepo – a home for legal third party Kodi addons that have been censored by the childish Kodi developersTo begin, I suggest you watch this YouTube video. As someone familiar with free-to-air satellite in North America, you may not quite understand it all at first, in particular why there are four cables coming from a single satellite dish. The reason is that this was originally developed for the European market. I’ll try to […]
16.12.2016 16:55What is a SAT>IP server, and can you use one in North America?I entered a comment in this thread that explains how to (maybe) do video, based on your article. https://tvheadend.org/boards/4/topics/23907?r=23925
12.12.2016 19:36Comment on How to add NOAA weather radio (or another streaming radio station) as a radio channel in TVHeadEnd by K SheaIn reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/some-hints-for-getting-free-to-air-satellite-channels-into-the-electronic-program-guide-in-kodi-or-xbmc-or-another-frontend/comment-page-1/#comment-5024">freetoairamerica</a>. One small addendum to my previous comments. For those who insist on ignoring the good advice to avoid OpenElec and LibreElec, there is a thread at https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread-440.html that indicates that someone rewrote zap2xml in Python just so it could be used with those systems. It is packaged as a Kodi addon, probably because OpenElec and LibreElec don't allow running anything from a command prompt. This is in no way an endorsement of the addon or of OpenElec or LibreElec, and I strongly urge those who are trying to set up a backend system for the reception of free-to-air satellite to avoid the -Elec distributions, if for no other reason than that you my find it impossible to install the necessary drivers for your tuner cards.
25.11.2016 20:28Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by freetoairamericaTHE “WHY” BEHIND THIS ARTICLE I’ve wanted to write an article to help new users set up a working PVR backend system for our peculiar type of North American free-to-air satellite for quite some time, but have never felt as though I had the all the pieces to do it right. I finally decided that […]
25.11.2016 00:13The never final, always subject to revision article on how to build a Satellite TV PVR distribution system using TvheadendSometimes we overlook the obvious. If you have a large C-band dish that seems difficult to aim, or that seems to lose signal strength during or after a strong wind, it could be that the main support bolt and nut are not tight enough. On certain types of mounts (probably most of them), if this […]
2.11.2016 21:51The C-band Floppy Dish (not Disk) problem[…] found this post to be very handy. In a […]
18.9.2016 09:51Comment on How to move Tvheadend’s settings from one system to another, or preserve them during a full reinstallation by Install TVHeadend in a Proxmo...In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/bad-news-if-true-pbs-might-switch-off-the-satellite-feeds/comment-page-1/#comment-5093">Paul</a>. Not all of them yet, as far as I know only the OETA ones (Oklahoma PBS) are gone. However, the national feeds are still there, as of a couple of minutes ago.
4.9.2016 03:16Comment on Bad news, if true: PBS might switch off the satellite feeds by freetoairamericaThe PBS feeds are now gone :(
4.9.2016 00:41Comment on Bad news, if true: PBS might switch off the satellite feeds by PaulIf you have purchased a TBS tuner card and find that Tvheadend recognizes it, but it will not scan muxes that you have entered in Tvheadend, here is one thing to try. Go to the Configuration tab, then the DVB Inputs tab, and then the TV Adapters tab. Find the associated tuner (the one that […]
3.9.2016 13:32Tvheadend users, if your TBS card will not scan muxes to find channels, try thisUPDATE: There are now open source drivers that are recommended by TBS — see this Github page for details and installation instructions. What follows below was written prior to the availability of these officially supported drivers. If you are running Ubuntu Server on your system then this post in the TBS forum may also be helpful. […]
27.8.2016 19:18TBS DVB-S2 tuner users are now able to use open source driversEvery now and then you may see a report of a satellite transponder using 16APSK modulation, rather than more common and easier to receive formats such as QPSK or 8PSK, and you might wonder if you can receive it. If you use TVHeadEnd or similar backend software, you may have attempted to scan in a […]
16.8.2016 19:55Hints on receiving 16APSK signals using TVHeadEnd or similar PVR backend softwareAnyone tried to re-stream HD homerun channels to a remote location
16.7.2016 07:48Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by Carl James Oli...At the satbroadcasts site there was recently published an article entitled, Minimum carrier to noise ratio values (CNR, C/N) for DVB-S2 system. This handy article and chart explains why, on any given dish, you might have no problems receiving certain signals without problems, but much more difficulty receiving others. It also explains why some people […]
3.7.2016 17:45Two reasons a dish may pull in some available free-to-air signals but not others: The modulation and the FEC (Forward Error Correction) code rateEver since cable television came onto the scene over half a century ago, there have probably been millions of miles of coaxial cable installed inside homes. And in homes built in the pre-Internet era, you sometimes hear the lament that the owner or tenant wishes they had a network (Ethernet) cable, where only a coaxial […]
15.6.2016 08:26What is MoCA, and how can it solve networking problems in some older homes?Probably not if you live in an area where the temperatures drop below freezing, or if you have a 10 foot dish or larger. It seems that the new rage in C-band LNB’s are the PLL (phase-locked loop) models, which are made in China and imported into North America. They can typically be identified by […]
6.6.2016 19:50Are phase-locked loop (PLL) LNB’s a good idea?This is a warning about a Canadian seller on eBay that is selling Eagle Aspen dual output Ku-band LNB’s as pictured below: His eBay ad describes these as: Condition: Used : Seller Notes: “IN GOOD CONDITION” Because the shipping charges on these are somewhat high when you order from Canada, we ordered three of them […]
26.5.2016 00:49Beware of these used Eagle Aspen branded Ku-band LNB’s being sold on eBay!!!In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/some-hints-for-getting-free-to-air-satellite-channels-into-the-electronic-program-guide-in-kodi-or-xbmc-or-another-frontend/comment-page-1/#comment-5025">Mike</a>. Well all I will say is that for free-to-air satellite, I would recommend using a computer with at least a couple of PCIe card slots (or more) so you have the flexibility to add PCIe tuner cards as your budget permits, and as technology advances. And for the operating system, I would say that if you know Windows then run Windows 7 or 8 as long as you can (although it may not matter as much if you are only running a backend server), and if you know Linux then run Ubuntu Server or Debian. I run TVHeadEnd under Ubuntu Server, and there are advantages and disadvantages to doing that. You say, "The dream of a simple free/open TV box should just die and be buried in the vast bone yard of all the dead unsupported proprietary boxes." Actually it's been tried, sort of, with the Boxee box - the hardware wasn't free, of course, but the software was, and we saw how well that did. The real issue is that developers of complex projects like that tend to get fatigued - fixing bugs and making changes when an online service changes is not fun for them. Adding new features is fun for a developer, but if you ask a user, they often would much rather see existing bugs fixed than new features added. And, most developers absolutely hate having to work with another developer's code, particularly if they haven't been contributing to that code from the beginning. So what happens is that a developer gets tired and leaves, and no one else wants to take over their code (the recent problem with the YouTube addon in Kodi), or worse yet, they start thinking they are indispensable to the project and become a pain in the ass to all the other developers (again, this seems to be a problem in the Kodi project). There are parts of programs such as Kodi that work well and should be left alone - no reason to try and "improve" them when they work, but some developers can't leave well enough alone, apparently. But on the other hand, changing technology and hardware does necessitate making <em>some</em> changes, unless you want the code to only work on older devices. And then there is the problem of security updates, which are necessary but may break things. Everything becomes out of date eventually, even your TV. So if there is a decent "TV box" that you like, realize it's not going to work forever. But if you have built a computer using off-the-shelf hardware and free, (preferably) open source software then there is a much greater chance that you will be able to keep using that same hardware for years. The software may change, and you may even have to replace a tuner card if newer technology comes along, but at least such changes are possible. With someone's "closed" TV Box, once the manufacturer stops supporting it, you're through. But if that box was inexpensive to purchase, you may not care if you don't get decades of use out of it. If you are someone who doesn't enjoy messing with computers and trying to figure out how they work, then one of those closed boxes is probably your only viable option. But if you are willing to try to learn about the hardware and software involved, you have a better chance (and note it's still only a chance) of making your system work exactly the way you want it to work. As you have come to realize, if you "do it yourself" it can be a lot of work, depending on your expectations. Some people will consider the result well worth the effort, while others will prefer whatever off-the-shelf solution they can buy. I really struggle with some of this stuff, particularly because I can barely get around in Linux, but after a couple of years I'm pretty happy with the backend system I have now. Yeah, Kodi still leaves a lot to be desired, and honestly I wish there were a competing equivalent open source product, or even that something like MediaPortal (currently a Windows-only program) could be ported to other platforms. But keep in mind that this type of TV hardware is still in its relative infancy; it's only fairly recently that people have gotten used to the idea of watching TV delivered via IP networking. So there is at least an even chance that something better will emerge. Technology takes time - I remember in about 1996 or 1997 hearing the first live audio streams delivered over the Internet (anyone remember RealAudio?) and the first thing that occurred to me was that if they could do that, they could send telephone calls over the Internet and avoid expensive (at that time) long distance toll charges. But it took another five or ten years for phone calls over the Internet (VoIP) to actually become a thing that people used. Television delivered over IP networking, whether a local network or the Internet, is still in the relatively early stages, and we may all be surprised at what it looks like five or ten years from now.
14.5.2016 05:18Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by freetoairamericaIn reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/some-hints-for-getting-free-to-air-satellite-channels-into-the-electronic-program-guide-in-kodi-or-xbmc-or-another-frontend/comment-page-1/#comment-5024">freetoairamerica</a>. FTA, I hear you. Especially the "I would tell anyone who is contemplating setting up a TVHeadEnd backend to save yourself some grief and avoid OpenELEC like the plague.." I agree. I didn't feel up to getting ($$$) a new real mini (small, quiet and next to the TV) computer that runs standard GNU/Linux. I looked at the Pi2 and then stumbled onto the OpenElec WeTek box which also had an ATSC antenna input built in. Seemed a little slicker than a Pi at the time, all-in-one and so on. OpenElec seemed like a good idea as I was running Kodi on a Mac mini running Windows 7 but I had Kodi issues with that setup too. Especially memory/cache glitches with the legit add-ons. The tiny OpenElec system seemed to offer purpose built rock solid quality with a TV/media focus, but alas, what good is it when it is incomplete and will not let one fill in the gaps!? I used WMC to record TV (great guide and recording options and no major problems) and Kodi on my Windows/Mac to watch my ripped movies and some internet TV with the legit add-ons. I had hoped to get everything into one box-like system since Windows Media Center has no future. Whatever I did, it had to be an "open" setup so that *unlike* DirectTV DVRs--whatever I recorded and wished to save, I could! (My DirectTV DVR broke, and all my saved recordings went with it...because you can't open the sealed unit, no outputs or exports, etc. etc... I wanted my own stuff to remain my own stuff. Not to mention all the subscription fees paid.) Lately I have moved away from Kodi as well. Honestly, I cannot figure out what Kodi actually offers. There is always a bit too much missing, or rough, or not fully implemented. For ripped movies I've been using VLC as it is simple and fool proof. Pick the file and play. Does MKV and ISO without complaint. But I miss the "control" of Kodi with a handheld TV controller. However I do not miss all the fussing of putting art and info into Kodi for my movies only to have it go "poof" which has happened twice. I like many of the legit add-ons that Kodi offers, but more often than not, the ones I use break--sometimes for days--then they get updated and work again sort of. Lot of glitches lately. I have given up and mainly use WMC and Roku and VLC. My OpenElec WeTek box was a working experiment but it was too much work, and now that OpenElec development has split to Libre--somewhat due to the WeTek arrangement the lead developer had--I am not hopeful for good support. Also no sooner had I gotten the WeTek box and there was a newer one and many of the developers were already panting after it leaving my box and its unresolved issues behind. I think I researched every "box" there ever was or was promised, new and old. It is clear to me now that there will never be an open or free all-in-one TV "box" of any value. Only a hodgepodge of open source things hooked together to record (and save in an open format) Antenna TV--with a decent TV guide for North American TV--and to watch ripped/saved DVD movies. The dream of a simple free/open TV box should just die and be buried in the vast bone yard of all the dead unsupported proprietary boxes. Only harnessing a standard computer stands a chance in this hodgepodge soup. And even then, I don't know...it's so much work. Thanks again for your useful blog posts and take care. --Mike
14.5.2016 01:28Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by MikeIn reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/some-hints-for-getting-free-to-air-satellite-channels-into-the-electronic-program-guide-in-kodi-or-xbmc-or-another-frontend/comment-page-1/#comment-5023">Mike</a>. There is a thread at the OpenELEC site (at http://openelec.tv/forum/71-pvr-live-tv/40321-xmltv-adding-a-new-grabber) where someone installed Perl but I'm not sure how they did it given that OpenELEC tries so hard to keep you away from the command line (which is one reason I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with OpenELEC). The thread almost 4 years old as I write this but assuming you have a 64-bit system, and that you can somehow execute commands from a command prompt or a script, it appears this may work to install perl (specifically, ActivePerl): mkdir -p /storage/downloads/activeperl cd /storage/downloads/activeperl wget http://downloads.activestate.com/ActivePerl/releases/5.16.0.1600/ActivePerl-5.22.1.2201-x86_64-linux-glibc-2.15-299574.tar.gz tar xzf ActivePerl-5.22.1.2201-x86_64-linux-glibc-2.15-299574.tar.gz cd ActivePerl-5.22.1.2201-x86_64-linux-glibc-2.15-299574/ ./install.sh --prefix /storage/ActivePerl --license-accepted --no-install-html You may want to change the version number in the above lines to the latest, if there is a newer version of ActivePerl available. Here's an example of installing a perl module: /storage/ActivePerl/bin/ppm install Bundle-Compress-Zlib As far as I can tell, getting the required modules (listed near the top of the zap2xml program) may be the hardest part since ActivePerl doesn't seem to use standard naming conventions such as you would find using CPAN (the usual way to install Perl modules). You could always visit the ActivePerl user forums if you get stuck, I suppose. zap2xml does require several Perl modules (listed near the top of the program in the "use" statements) but some of these may be included in the ActivePerl package. You can always try running the program and see which missing modules it complains about. In any case, I agree with you that they don't make this easy. Creating the listings file on a different system and moving it to your backend system is a perfectly valid approach, and can same you some headaches. The trick will be figuring out how to do the move automatically after the script is created, without daily user intervention, which is quite possible but not always the easiest thing to explain. Personally, I would tell anyone who is contemplating setting up a TVHeadEnd backend to save yourself some grief and avoid OpenELEC like the plague (they REALLY don't want you doing anything from a command prompt), and unless you know your way around in Linux, avoid hardware devices that don't allow you to install standard versions of Linux such as Ubuntu (Ubuntu Server is preferred if you don't need a desktop) or Debian. The reason is that you get into exactly the kinds of problems that users are running into, where you may find a version of TVHeadEnd that runs but the minute you need to install something else to work with TVHeadEnd you run into all these minor headaches. OpenELEC is a particularly infuriating program because they basically act like they own your machine and that you really shouldn't ever need to do anything from a command prompt, which is ridiculous. And small devices may run special low-memory versions of Linux that don't include bash, or that don't give you an easy path to installing or upgrading software such as Perl. I really do get the desire to run a device that doesn't suck up electricity like a sponge but at some point you have to ask yourself, how many problems are you willing to work through in order to get this all working? And keep in mind that you can't install a PCIe satellite tuner card on most of these small devices, so there's also that.
13.5.2016 16:31Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by freetoairamericaWish to point out something for some who may be affected: In the OpenElec WeTek box (and OpenElec in general I believe) one cannot run the perl script (ZAP2XML) because perl is not installed. Apparently it can be, but that is yet another difficult bridge to cross. Often the zap2xml perl script is run elsewhere; the xml file is created there, and then it is collected/placed into the proper OpenElec directory by OpenElec for use. I think! It has been some time and I no longer clearly remember the details.
13.5.2016 15:13Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by MikeI was trying to help someone set this up and it became clear that they were having trouble understanding how to get tv-grab-file onto their system, as well as the difference between the tv-grab-file script and the tv_grab_file.xmltv listings file (the latter is what zap2xml should be creating), which are two totally different files. Assuming that the tv-grab-file script remains available in its current location, an easy way to get it onto the TVHeadEnd backend system is to do this from a Linux command prompt: cd /usr/bin sudo wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Rigolo/tv-grab-file/master/tv_grab_file (enter your password for sudo, then wait for the file to download, when it is finished...) sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/tv_grab_file The script assumes that the listings file produced by the zap2xml program will be named tv_grab_file.xmltv and will be located in the /home/hts/.xmltv directory, assuming that the TVHeadEnd user is hts (the default). So the full path to the file would be /home/hts/.xmltv/tv_grab_file.xmltv and when you are first setting it up you can do this to make things a bit easier: sudo touch /home/hts/.xmltv/tv_grab_file.xmltv sudo chmod a+rw /home/hts/.xmltv/tv_grab_file.xmltv The above creates a dummy listings file with nothing in it and makes it world readable and writeable. Then when you run zap2xml, you can use the -o argument to put the output file in the correct place (-o /home/hts/.xmltv/tv_grab_file.xmltv) and it will still retain the permissions you set. By doing this you do not need to edit the tv-grab-file script. If you have a reason to create the tv_grab_file.xmltv in some other location, then you can simply copy that file to /home/hts/.xmltv/tv_grab_file.xmltv when you are ready. Don't forget to schedule a time for the tv-grab-file script to run in the "Internal Grabber" section, as shown in the screenshot. You might want to add this bit of clarification to your instructions.
13.5.2016 07:31Comment on Some hints for getting free-to-air satellite channels into the Electronic Program Guide in Kodi (or another frontend) by KSIn reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/review-of-the-tbs-moi-dvb-ss2-satellite-tv-linux-server-a-bit-like-a-hdhomerun-but-for-free-to-air-satellite-signals-2/comment-page-1/#comment-4901">Chris</a>. My best suggestion to you at this point is to join the BusyBox mailing list at http://lists.busybox.net/mailman/listinfo/busybox and post your question there. Those folks should be able to tell you how to do it.
29.3.2016 21:32Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by freetoairameri...So many thanks for all just provide me all examples. I tried all solutions but non of this works just to mount network drive. I think that the only one way to map network drive is nfs, because cifs did't work and I cant install cifs-utils on this device [root@moi /]# mount rootfs on / type rootfs (rw) /dev/root on / type yaffs2 (rw,relatime) proc on /proc type proc (rw,relatime) devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,relatime,gid=5,mode=620) tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,relatime,mode=777) tmpfs on /tmp type tmpfs (rw,relatime) sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,relatime) I'm getting error mount: mounting //192.168.1.1/share/rec on /mnt/net failed: No such device I hope that anyone who is using this kind of device will share working solutions.
29.3.2016 20:35Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by ChrisIn reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/review-of-the-tbs-moi-dvb-ss2-satellite-tv-linux-server-a-bit-like-a-hdhomerun-but-for-free-to-air-satellite-signals-2/comment-page-1/#comment-4885">Chris</a>. One final thought, see this thread on mounting a CIFS share from the BusyBox mailing list: http://lists.busybox.net/pipermail/busybox/2009-April/068753.html (keep clicking "Next message:" to follow the thread) Unfortunately the conclusion of this thread is a broken link so the solution never appears. :( But you may want to temporarily join the mailing list yourself and post your question there if nothing else works: http://lists.busybox.net/mailman/listinfo/busybox
27.3.2016 17:05Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by freetoairameri...In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/review-of-the-tbs-moi-dvb-ss2-satellite-tv-linux-server-a-bit-like-a-hdhomerun-but-for-free-to-air-satellite-signals-2/comment-page-1/#comment-4885">Chris</a>. Also, something else to TRY, although I do not know if this applies to BusyBox or not, but I have seen it mentioned a few times. Try running "insmod cifs" followed by your mount command, but make sure you include the "-t cifs" option. For example on some systems (not necessarily BusyBox) it might look like this: insmod cifs mount -t cifs SomeName /cifs1 -o unc=\\\\IP.address.of.server\\ShareName,username=guest or instead of the above mount command, maybe something like this, seen on another site (I don't know if the initial "busybox" command is needed here): busybox mount -t cifs //192.168.1.10/share /mnt/cifs/share -o unc=\\\\192.168.1.10\\share,username=xxx,password=xxx This is just a shot in the dark but since no one else suggested it and since insmod is in the list of commands provided by BusyBox I thought I'd at least suggest looking into it.
27.3.2016 16:52Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by freetoairameri...In reply to <a href="https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/review-of-the-tbs-moi-dvb-ss2-satellite-tv-linux-server-a-bit-like-a-hdhomerun-but-for-free-to-air-satellite-signals-2/comment-page-1/#comment-4885">Chris</a>. I'm not a Linux expert but I suspect the issue is that the mount command on the MOI+ is part of BusyBox, and many BusyBox commands have different syntax or options than their counterparts in a desktop version of Linux such as Ubuntu. See the entry for mount on this page: https://busybox.net/downloads/BusyBox.html If you search on a phrase such as "how to mount a network share in BusyBox" (without the quotes) you will see that many people running Busybox-based systems have issues doing this, and it seems to be tied to a problem with the "mount" command in Busybox. For example OpenWRT users have a similar issue, and someone there suggested using the "smbclient" command instead of "mount": https://github.com/openwrt/packages/issues/795 On another list there is talk of using the cifs-utils package: http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=8487.0 Anyway I think that the fact that "mount" is handled by BusyBox and that it is maybe a bit buggy, or uses non-standard syntax is the root of your problem, so I would look to BusyBox help forums or include "BusyBox" in any searches you do to get more correct answers. If you do get it working I would appreciate it if you could come back and post the correct syntax, since I suspect that it would probably be helpful to others who would like to use external storage for recordings.
27.3.2016 16:31Comment on Review of the TBS MOI+ DVB S/S2 Satellite TV Linux Server – a bit like a HDHomeRun, but for Free-To-Air satellite signals by freetoairameri...