That seems a little disorganised. I'd have thought the decisions would be in this order:
What hardware do you have, or can afford to buy? (old PC, HTPC build, Pi, etc)
What software platforms will run on it? Will they suit your requirements (eg 4K decode/output)
What TV receiving hardware do you need/they support?
How to set it up (installing it, configuring networking, etc) - will rather depend on the specific platform.
Going via an app on a NAS is possibly a bit advanced/niche for people who don't already have a NAS. I'd have thought one of the 'distros' (LibreElec, XBian, etc) would be a good starting point, although they are often oriented towards streaming and DVB hardware support isn't always so well integrated.
I installed XBian on a Pi 4. It was fine. It used my TV remote control for navigation, which was nice. It doesn't support DVB in its raw state, but there are apps for that. It didn't like my cheapo DVB-T2 stick out of the box so I had to fiddle around[*], but I got it working.
The DVB side is a separate server (TVHeadend) with its own web page to configure it, and the UI tripped me up a few times. It's not as well integrated as something with integral DVB support, but once set up it was all fine.
It's not the most reliable setup in the world ever, but that could be my cheapo DVB stick.
Theo
[*] the stick offers two tuners, TVHeadend connects to the first one, but it actually wants the second one. The /dev/dvb nodes need renaming to switch them around.
Off the shelf Receivers/PVR such as the Enigma2 boxes made by perhaps a dozen different manufacturers don't have the limitations that you suggest under the "The DIY PVR project" heading.
These boxes allow practically everything set out in your goals
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all boxes listed are Enigma2)
These boxes can run images (software) such as Openvix
ok I have included many of the comments and added a section on the decision process for choice of hardware.
I have added links to a new article:
formatting link
Where we can expand on systems that can do much of this out of the box (since they don't appear to be from the commonly promoted bigger brands).
I have shifted the section on static IP addresses to the existing Networking article:
formatting link
I have added a stub for a description of the Pi based setup that Theo described. Perhaps he could add some more description to the process of setting it up and what it can do etc?
Some of the "chinese" brands that make these linux receivers are now common UK big name brands.
It's the image/software that makes these boxes so versatile. Written by hobbyists it is often better supported than that available from the big brands which tend to drop support once a box is a year old.
Thanks - that fixed it. My usenet reader shows the first part as a blue link and the (PVR) black, but when I copied the whole thing I saw an underline filling the gap.
Indeed. When I was deciding what to put on my setup I decided against adding DVB-S at the time since it was less well supported in Plex then, and partly because I already had enough channels to play with on DVB-T. I might add it one day - I think the dish still works although I have not used it for years!
IME the smart TV recording capabilities I have tried so far have all been best described as "austere". I.e. it only has one tuner, so can record a program while you are not watching, but not a different one from one you are watching, and then you can't extract the recording to play it back anywhere else.
Not always the case... if you happen to have both a DVB-S2 AND a DVB-T2 tuner onboard, it is possible to record something on one tuner and watch something else on the other tuner.
This *may* also extend to watching a Streaming programme on Netflix or Disney or whatever and teh TV can record to a USB HDD the output from the DVB-nN tuner(s) on board.
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