Digital TV on Linux? Easy!

Not too long ago, getting a DVB-T Terrestrial Digital Television card to work with the Linux operating system was a time consuming, technically involved and frustrating task.

Thanks to a team of dedicated developers and enthusiasts, all of whom donate their time and efforts to the Linux community, getting Digital TV to work with Linux is becoming mainstream.

Most Digital TV cards and USB receivers for the PC are designed to work with Windows and the manufacturers and their software developers care little about the relatively small market of Linux users.
This is changing, as each successive Linux distribution is an improvement on the last.
More users are reaping the benefits of an amazing pool of free software applications, many of which offering better performance and functionality than their commercial Windows based counterparts.

MythTV is a free Linux based Digital TV and Media Center application that can be added to an existing Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu, or as a distribution in its own right. The popular Ubuntu based derivative is MythBuntu.

There are also basic Digital TV Viewer add-ons like MeTV that can be installed using Ubuntus software manager.

So, how to get a digital TV device up and running in Ubuntu/Mythbuntu?

Here's how.

Probably one of the easiest device of all is the Leadtek Winfast Dongle Gold.

These can be sourced from specialist online digital TV sites like DPandA

Get the latest version of Ubuntu (version 9.10 - Karmic Koala) from here :-
http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download

If trying Ubuntu for the first time, you can install to spare hard drive. It is recommended you disconnect any other drives in the PC so that you can be sure you are installing to the correct drive and that other drives are unaffected by the installation.

Once the installation is finished, plug your Winfast Dongle Gold into a spare USB 2.0 port and boot into Ubuntu 9.10.

In the menu system go to System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers

The system will connect to the internet to check for drivers and then display a list of those that it finds.

Look for an entry that says "Firmware for DVB Cards"

Select the entry by clicking on it the "Activate" button.

You could also install the recommended restricted video drivers for your Video Adaptor at this stage, if they are listed under hardware drivers.

Once activated, the drivers will be available to any viewer application that supports DVB-T, such as MythTV, MeTV, Xine, Mplayer and more.

Choosing and configuring a player is something we'll cover in another post.

A Strong Digital TV Tuner for a Weak Signal

The STRONG Technologies range of High Definition Digital Set Top Boxes are aptly named.

Since the advent of Digital Television in Australia they have become the professional installers favourite, based on their performance in low strength signal areas.

This is particularly notable at the fringe of the broadcast signal area where viewers have integrated digital tuners in their new HDTV.
The sensitivity of these tuners varies from model to model and although they may perform quite well in metro areas of high signal strength, fringe viewers can be left frustrated by very patchy results.

The latest edition to the STRONG range is the Strong SRT-5409 High Defintion Digital Set Top Box.

It is a low cost solution that can allow any new or older (non Digital) TV to receive the new HD programs.

It is highly recommended for those in fringe reception areas or who are experiencing poor results from an existing Digital TV tuner.

Designed for the professional installer trade, the SRT 5409 is not available through the big city retail stores but can be bought from specialist Digital TV online suppliers like DPandA.

A Digital TV Card can Turn Your PC into a High Definition Media Centre HTPC

A digital TV Tuner Card can turn your Laptop or Desktop PC into a Media Center or Digital TV recorder for a reasonably small investment.

They can all receive the High Definition (HD) broadcasts as well as the Standard Definition (SD)broadcasts. Most of them come with a remote control and are very easy to set up.

Some are cards that need to be installed in the PC, while others are USB devices that simply plug in to a spare USB 2.0 port without the need to opeen the PC.

Both the internal and external types are available in dual tuner devices meaning you can record a digital TV channel while watching or recording a second channel. If you are recording two channels you can watch either programs that are in the process of recording from the beginning or from any point up to the current time.
You can also be watching a pre-recorded program while the two new recordings are in progress

We browsed the products available from http://dpanda.com.au who specialise in DVB-T digital tv for PC, MAC and Linux.

They start at around $39 for a basic USB single tuner.

However, we were very surprised to see an internal dual tuner card for under $90. These card cost hundreds of dollars only a couple of years ago.

With the shutdown of the analogue TV system in some areas of Australia in mid 2010, these devices are certain to represent an attractive digital TV solution for many Australians.

New Twenty Four Hour News Channel for ABC Australia on Digital TV

Announced yesterday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will launch a 24 hour news channel, along the lines of (and in competition with) Sky News Australia.

They will be using part of their Digital TV spectrum for the new service.

The ABC currently broadcasts four national Terrestrial Digital TV channels: ABC HD, ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3

It also broadcasts two DVB-T based digital radio stations.