Depending on how far you wish to dig into it, there are plenty of areas to tighten and tweak a mythtv setup. My first introduction was an offshoot of Fedora, called mythdora. Soon, was able to get unsupported hardware functioning by building my own blend, creating a headless server and customizing a wireless connection…oh that Atheros driver took some time.
What is most important (imo) is the actual feed going into the TV tuner. And for assistance, antennaweb has always provided some great information if you are considering OTA antenna. Obviously, the best signals are produced by either tower or rooftop antennas, positioned in the right way (depending on your product/area).
How’s the picture now (with the in house antenna)? Not bad to excellent.
Hello internets. Forgive me for sounding a little too excited, but I’ve been having many (good) flashbacks of some great times in open source development and projects I used to work on.
Even though this was something I absolutely was not going to do, it just looked too damn good to pass up. A centralized location for an antenna, program guides, scheduled recordings, and a trip to Dinosaur World (Clifford reference) to pick up hardware… Micro Center, “the only place where a boy like me can be happy”. Umm. Yes.
So the project was a networked TV source, frontends/backend server/clients, just like yesterday. The difference is, I am not using a satellite/cable feed this time, but a mere household antenna. Very similar to rabbit ears. 50+ Channels with info, guides, like a good old cable receiver…plus the “dvr” option.
We are not trying to reinvent the wheel here, actually we’re using the updated software of yesteryear. Did someone say xbmc is still around (kodi)? And mythtv? Say whhaaaattt? And they play together nicely, fluently? Sign me up!
Can’t believe I’m saying this in August of 2026, but if you’re looking for a DIY PVR or simply looking for a way to network an OTA antenna feed, give kodi + mythtv a shot.
Allow me to start with something very important. This processor/setup DOES NOT support the AV1 codec. Furthermore, hardware cannot be upgraded to support the AV1 codec. Software decoding must be used to handle the “heavy lifting” with such files. The best (micro/card sized), and most budget friendly set up, to handle this file type is the Radxa X4, equipped with an N100 cpu. Good luck finding one. If you do, good luck getting it at the original $60 price tag.
A few options on the 2017 Dell OptiPlex 5050 Micro (mini)
Budget Buys?
-No OS, No HDD, No Power Cord, i5-7500T = $60-$70 w/ 8GB RAM (eBay) (Option 1)
-No OS, No HDD, No Power Cord, i7-7700T = $99 w/ 8GB RAM (eBay) (Option 2)
Whatever choice you made above, you are going to AT LEAST need two additional items.
A hard drive (m.2 SATA, SATA, or both).
Power cord
Because RAM is getting very expensive, Option 1and 2 seem much more attractive.
Why is this worth it? First, form factor. Approximately 7 x 7″ and very capable of running Linux systems, as well as performing as a frontend htpc. Second, price (especially in current economy). It is not a gaming pc, nor a graphics designing/video editing juggernaut. It is what it is, doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
Where to begin (assuming you went option 1, go to next step for option 2).
Use your favorite disk imaging tool to create a bootable USB. Boot, install system as directed by your chosen OS. All should run fairly well, without unreasonable expectations.
Have Fun! I know I will.
Updated 07/21/26: Added pictures and clarified a few statements.Do not want to jinx it, but this little (outdated) PC is running wonderfully right now. Small, cool, quiet, efficient.
As I was doing further testing, realized this OS is probably not ready for the masses. Testing is looking good, and very promising. However, I was doing my initial testing over cat5, a keyboard, and mouse. No adapters or awkward components were tested yet. Video played fine through a few streaming services (add ons) while checking things out.
And that’s what stage this OS is in. Testing.
Looks promising and hopefully some snags will be fixed soon. Again, to the developers, thank you for your dedication. You guys are awesome!
As previously noted/anticipated, switched to a “dumb” computer monitor for the majority of my TV viewing time. The challenge was local news, and without a tuner card, seemed nearly impossible. XBMC (now kodi) offers several add-on’s, one named “Local Now” (you may be familiar with it).
Local Now, offers local newscasts from ocean to ocean in the US, plus more. And it’s great that it runs on xbmc/kodi, because it removes the need to set up a networked antenna, utilizing a networked tuner card. Or to be logged into an account.
Great commercial/advertising skipping, at times, also.
So what are we dealing with here (from an old backup, custom built computer)?
Doing a little distro sampling. Currently on CachyOS, and let me just say… it just “feels” nice. Very fast boot time and seems light and responsive.
My vpn client (app) is supported “out of the box”. Network config was no issue, and automatically detected at boot. Both wired and wireless network are working flawlessly.
Bluetooth speakers picked up and paired quickly, listening to some music while writing.
The whole system just seems solid, efficient, and easy to use.
ArchLinux always seemed like a steep hill to climb. And to get to this sampling of the OS, went through several downloads of another distro…opening the physical shell of my pc…swapping SATA boot drives…and lots of wiping internal and external disks.
Also involved going into the bios and changing quite a few settings.
The CachyOS made the whole iso preparation/installation process simple. It’s light and very easy to use if you are familiar with basic terminal (CLI) commands and also have a basic understanding of linux systems.
A few (personal) requirements, as previously mentioned, on my media centers/devices. 1) As thin of a (base) system as possible. 2) Primary and ONLY function as a media frontend. 3) Hard wired (wireless is always an option with adapter). 4) Absolutely no signups OR sign ins required.
The SBC presented some major challenges. A media frontend was possible, but with lots of bloat…lots of load time, and very heavy OS (for this purpose). The only option was to load the (media center) software on top of one of two quite heavy (full) operating systems (tying accounts to other accounts, and doing too much unnecessary “external” networking).
Remember those two PCs I mentioned earlier? Both seeing little use? Well, I decided the best option was to go with a trusty x86_generic image, and throw it on my old custom build. And although it’s a behemoth in physical size, it’ running a very light system and is extremely fast/efficient. The moment xbmc (frontend) was transferred from game console to PC was awesome! Who would have thought the tech would be around and be relevant, still useful?
So if you have an old PC, laptop, or netbook with an HDMI out on it. It may be a better option than spending money on a smaller form factor SBC. They are getting very pricey, and support is beginning to become very limited.
Remote control worked at boot, and I was watching euronews in no time! (Along with other shows/movies I missed)
So I’m still working on that little circuit board (SBC), that I mentioned earlier. It’s monotonous, tedious, frustrating, rewarding. The fact that you can take such a small piece of equipment, and turn it into a fully functional computer still amazes me. And I’ve been doing this for quite a while.
In between this hobby and life’s daily (necessary) routine…mowing, groceries, appointments, medication (diabetic), I often yearn for laughter. Comedy. And this absolutely had me in tears. (Granted I’m not a big muscle bound man, so apparently it’s quite easy to make the rivers flow… but this had me laughing my ass off).
Wow. Tonight I began writing an Abby Martin appreciation post. This woman has been around the world, challenging western media sources (and biases). She has not been shy about engaging in topics regarding war, genocide, politics, socio-economic issues…well the topics which drive news cycles today. Independent, and absolutely fierce. No apologies, no regrets.
One badass b*tch. Educated, well read, and certainly a formidable opponent to everything unjust. As she sees it, as I see it. As we all see it, if we are decent human beings.
Abby was involved in political reporting back when the 99% were protesting on Wall St. And unlike others, she continues to fight for a (THE) common cause.
And as I was writing this post, received some spam comments to some of my past posts (they have to be approved). Would love to recommend proton, to address email spam, and other security concerns. They are awesome. (Abby also played a huge role in warning people about new tech, and her voice was marginalized).
