Freecom DVB-T Stick

Multimedia Programmes - GBPVR, Arcsoft Total Media or Linux systems?

I've recently spent a HUGE amount of time setting up a PC-based distributed Multimedia system throughout my house. In the processs I've gathered some useful knowledge of various software available for such a task - hopefully the following may be of some use to you if you are planning a similar task.

First - just to be clear on what I mean by a "PC-based distributed Multimedia system", here's my interpretation. I have a server PC (located in my workshop/study) which has a digital TV input (the Freecom USB DVB-T stick), around 500GB of hard disk storage, two DVD drives (one a Writer) a modest graphics card (Radeon 9200), networked via Cat5 (100mb) ethernet to various other "Client" PCs throughout the house. The Server PC receives Freeview TV channels (around 40 TV channels and a further 20 radio channels) from a roof top aerial and distributes these channels, live on demand, over the network to the client PCs. The server also provides "time-shifting" TV (ie - the ability to pause a programme, then resume it without missing any of the action) and a full programme recording function, operated via a programme schedule, which is updated daily (via the Freeview signal) and provides detailed programme listings for the following week. The Server also holds some of my music collection, but the vast majority (some 8000 tracks, mainly in mp3 format) are held elsewhere on the network (on a Freecom 35 Player). My video files (mainly "rips" of my DVD collection, and some analogue TV recordings from an earlier system I had) are contained on a Freecom 350 Player, also on the network. My photographs collection is contained partly (for backup reasons) on one DVD (which sits permanently in a shared, networked DVD drive on one of my Client PCs) and partly on the aforementioned Freecom 350 Player. The server and all client PCs are connected to TV displays. All the machines are good spec - all P4 and at least 2.6Ghz, with RAM ranging from 500mb to 1GB and all (except the Linux version) had a fresh install of Win XP Pro SP2 before starting installation. .

So, what does that lot allow me to do? Well, in (almost) any room in the house, I can play live or recorded TV (to HD quality if required, although I have only one HD TV), can schedule recordings up to a week in advance from the programme schedule, can play individual tracks, or playlists of my entire music collection (randomly if required), can simultaneously display any of my photographs collection, and can play any of my video/DVD collection. In addition, I can surf the internet, access Internet Radio Stations and, if I got keen enough, view RSS feeds and dedicated information pages (eg the weather, stocks and share, footie results, etc). I can automatically rip DVDs and CDs, inserting the files created in the appropriate networked folders. File security is handled by standard Win XP processes which prevents unauthorised access to non-media files I don't want to appear on client PCs (with the exception of the files stored on the Freecom Players, which I have not yet been able to hide/protect.).

All sounds impressive? Well, yes it is.....to an extent. The drawback with all this "leading-edge" stuff (to be honest, there are lots of enthusiasts out there who would regard all this as "old-hat", they having done it all years ago!) - as I say, the drawback is, as ever - software. There's a considerable number of "Multimedia Programmes" available, some freeware, some donationware, some shareware and some simply pay for it and I've found - having tested quite a number of them - a fairly large variation in their effectiveness. More frustratingly, I've found that quite a few are "fussy" about the hardware they will work with and in a number of cases, the Freecom DVB-T stick proved completely incompatible (graphics cards can also be a problem area).

So - where do you start? Well, here's three particular programmes I thought stood out from the rest of the crowd although, as you'll see, there were problems! In no particular order:

MythTV - a Linux version. In my case I used Knoppmyth, which is specifically built to make the installation of the core MythTV programme as painless as possible. Regrettably, I suffered pain - much pain! The programme installed with relative ease but, try as I did, I could not get the TV function to operate satisfactorily - best I managed was a couple of 5 minute periods (over the course of more or less a fortnight's work) where playing live TV proved possible without serious picture degradation/pixellation. Recording, streaming and time shifting TVcould not be made to work at all. I spent countless hours on the MythTV forums, from which I gleaned the likliehood that probably the DVB-T stick or possibly the graphics cards (I tried a number of them) were not supported in Linux, or had problems. I eventually - with much disappointment - abandoned it - one of my few total failures in the PC world (I'm a very stubborn sort!). But - the good news is - I did get most of the bits of the programme working, which allows me to offer a high recommendation for "useability" and for it's potential for personal development/tweaking to suit your own needs. The programme interface was particularly attractive and easy to use. It handled all sorts of unusual video and music formats without a whimper. The Linux OS seemed to indicate a lower level of demand on system resources than the XP systems so I suspect the programme should run well on less-well specified hardware than I used. I hope to get time to go back to it someday and try again but, for the moment, I'm sorry to say the objective of a live-TV recorder/streamer/shifter defeated me. But, if you're keen to give it a go, it costs nothing to try it out....and you might be luckier than I was.

Arcsoft Total Media - those nice people at Arcsoft responded positively to a request I made for an evaluation copy of their latest programme - Version 3.0.0.113. Curiously, the Freecom-supplied Total Media version (which I have upgraded a couple of times, free of charge, since I got it with my DVB-T stick) is version 3.4! Odd that the 3.0.0.113 version supplied by Arcsoft should be more up to date? I could not find a changelog, or a detailed explanation of variations between versions, but the Arcsoft people advised their version is much the same as the Freecom version, but with some added modules. Did it work? Perfectly......except....the programme does not offer streaming functionality (which was what I was primarily looking for). But, that aside, the programme installed immediately, without any fuss, on a variety of PCs, and worked almost perfectly across all of it's functions. The only area it failed on was in handling some quite common video formats but, as anyone with a knowledge of such formats will know, it can sometimes be notoriously difficult to sort those types of problems. I did fix them eventually! The programme interface was clear, sharp, attractive, simple to configure and operate, and the whole system buzzed along with no annoying delays. The DVB-T stick and graphics cards (I tried a few) were all immediately recognised and installed and no setup problems were encountered. Downsides? Well, although the programme is well-specified, it lacks the "personal development/tweaking" possibilities of MythTV and GBPVR. And of course, the biggest downside for me was the lack of a streaming function. I could certainly "stream" recorded TV and other media over the network but it was not really "streaming", merely a form of file sharing - but, it has to be said, entirely satisfactory nonetheless. So, to summarise, if you want a system which is simple to setup, seems very robust in operation and is easy to operate, but don't intend trying to make it do things the way you want, I can certainly highly recommend it. As always, check the detail of the programme's hardware/software requirements and, for added peace of mind, have a look at the forums also. Maybe wait for a month until the promised new version (3.5) appears? Only snag - I imagine you'll have to pay for it.......so check it offers better functionality than your current programme and that you want/need those extra functions.

GBPVR - A personal favourite of mine, this is a "donationware" programme - free to use, offer a donation if you like it (your donation apparently helps the continued development of the programme). Why is it my favourite? Well, it was a pig to install, I encountered endless problems with firstly the DVB-T stick, then with the video codecs, then the programme schedules would not work, manual configuration proved problematic - and even now it tends to be a wee bit "flakey" in operation! Hardly a glowing recommendation, then. And, fundamentally, Total Media does pretty much all the same stuff as the core GBPVR programme (except the all-important streaming to a client) and without any fuss! But I like the interface, I like the ease of operation and I particualrly like the "exapandability" of the system, with a variety of plugins available (both supported and unsupported) which enhance the programme's functionality. I also particularly like the relative ease with which I can "develop/tweak" the programme to work the way I prefer to work, rather than the way the original programmers insist I work. But it's not for everyone. There are numerous reports on the well-supported Forum of users who just installed it and everything worked - not my experience but you might be luckier than me....... and if it does not work for you, being donationware, you have lost nothing. I recommend at least giving it a try!

Conclusion.

There's a big variety of Multimedia programmes available, all doing much the same. It might seem odd that I've restricted my recommendations to the above 3 programmes, when only one of them actually worked perfectly, and one I failed to get to work satisfactorily at all! But, of all the programmes I've tested, I did find these to be "better" than the others in terms of actual useability - none of them perfectly meets my requirements but they generally offer a better "fit" with my wishes than the alternatives. But bear in mind, much of this evalation is purely subjective - what appeals to me may not appeal to you!

As usual, if you want to raise a query about anything I've written, or point out some error you think I've made, post a message on the Freecom Forum with "Techie" in the title and I'll try to respond.

The Techie from Sneckie

2 December 2007