[mythtv-users] What DVB-T2 TV tuner cards are supported by MythTV?

[Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming]

On Fri, 12 Aug 2022 at 13:56, Stephen Worthington
<stephen_agent at jsw.gen.nz> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 12 Aug 2022 11:17:25 +0800, you wrote:
>
> >Subject: What DVB-T2 TV tuner cards are supported by MythTV?
> >
> >Good day from Singapore,
> >
> >In Singapore, we have switched from coaxial analog TV to DVB-T2 Digital TV.
> >
> >May I know what DVB-T2 TV tuner cards are supported by MythTV?
> >
> >Thank you.
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Mr. Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming
> >Targeted Individual in Singapore
> >12 Aug 2022 Friday
> >Blogs:
> >https://tdtemcerts.blogspot.com
> >https://tdtemcerts.wordpress.com
>
> MythTV supports all DVB-T2 tuners that Linux supports.  Unfortunately,
> there is no central web site that will tell you for sure whether a
> tuner has Linux support or not.  The best we have is here:
>
> https://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hardware_device_information
>
> If those wiki pages tell you that a tuner has Linux support, then it
> should work, but be sure to check the minimum kernel version.  If they
> do not mention the tuner, or say it is unsupported, it is still
> possible that the wiki has simply not been updated and the tuner might
> still work.  But unless you can find a web page that definitely tells
> you it will work, do not buy such tuners.
>
> You still need to read the wiki pages carefully - they can be quite
> out of date.  For example, the wiki page may say that you have to
> compile a driver for the tuner to work, when in fact that driver is
> now included in recent kernels.  Where the wiki tells you that one or
> more firmware files need to be installed, check if they are already on
> your system and are the right version - if not, then install the
> recommended file.  PCIe tuners (or PCI if your PC still supports that)
> are generally more reliable than USB tuners, due usually to USB cable
> problems.  But USB tuners are generally cheaper and do work if you are
> careful with them (do not bump them!).
>
> There are also quite a few tuners mentioned that are no longer
> available (except perhaps second hand).  Second hand tuners
> (especially USB ones) may only have a limited lifetime left.  Tuners
> do seem to die when they get too old.
>
> Apart from tuner cards, network tuners such as HDHomerun devices are
> an option as MythTV directly supports HDHR tuners.
>
> As you live in Singapore, Hauppauge sells DVB-T2 tuners from their
> Singapore site, so you may be able to find those tuners in local
> shops.  Hauppauge tells you which of their tuners has Linux support on
> each tuner's web page.  I have not ever used one of their current
> tuners, but they have a good reputation and are used quite a lot with
> MythTV.  As I understand it, most of their drivers are now included in
> recent kernels, even if the information on the web page suggests that
> you may need to compile the drivers.  If you are using Ubuntu 20.04,
> you may need to update to the later kernels (HWE kernels) to get one
> with those drivers.  Or upgrade to Ubuntu 22.04.1 - I just got a popup
> message today saying that 22.04.1 has been released and the upgrade
> path from 20.04 LTS to 22.04 LTS is now available.
>
> I personally use an 8 tuner TBS 6209 PCIe card:
>
> https://www.tbsdtv.com/products/tbs6209-dvb-t2-c2-tc-isdbt-octatv-tuner.html
>
> TBS cards are very good, but generally require compiling and
> installing their drivers each time there is a kernel update, which is
> beyond the skill level of some MythTV users, and is a pain.
>
> If you find a tuner that you might like to buy, you should ask on this
> mailing list to see if anyone is using it and what their experiences
> are.

Hi Stephen,

I can easily buy Hauppauge DVB-T2 tuners in Singapore. I will check
them out first.

Thank you for your reply.

Regards,

Mr. Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming
Targeted Individual in Singapore