How to watch and record TV with a PC Ubuntu linux

Mon, Jun 16, 2008

Catalan speakers see: "Com veure la TV amb Ubuntu"

There are many alternatives when we speak of media centers, but I can't figure out anything other than a computer. It offers all the functionallity you could want in a well-known interface. That's why I have a PC in the living room, I browse the Internet using my TV (using an HDMI cable) and now I record stuff when I am not at home. This is how I did it

If you want to have a complete media center solution with Ubuntu, you should take a deep look at MythTV. A true PVR with a lot of features, but it's not easy to have it up and running. You need to spend a little bit of time with the configuration, so if you want to watch digital television (DVB) in a few minutes I propose installing Me TV. At least to see if your TV card is working ;)

Me TV it's available via apt-get if you add the launchpad repository. To do so:

• Execute (ALT+F2):sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
• Then add this two lines and save:
  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/michael-lamothe/ubuntu gutsy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/michael-lamothe/ubuntu gutsy main

After that, you only need to update the sources and install the program:

• sudo apt-get update
• sudo apt-get install me-tv

Now, you have Me TV under the menu Applications -> Image and Sound -> Me TV

Requirements:

• If you want your tv card working on a Linux box, ensure you are using the latest kernel. Ubuntu 8 is a good choice, or you can try also Linux MCE.
• Not all the hardware is supported. Check yours. I bought a Pinnacle PC DVB-T that I had to refund back because didn't work. Now I have a Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-T that works like a charm
• Install lirc (sudo apt-get install lirc) for remote control support