This post is to ask the MC community, if they feel able and willing, to “sanity check” my ideas for a significant change to my HTPC system. I apologize in advance for the length of this posting.
This system has been in use and evolving for over 20 years – I started it in March 2003. It comprises a Windows PC with an attached AV receiver and TV screen. All control of all media uses a remote device – nowadays my phone (as a web app), but originally a custom program on a “Pocket PC”. No screen displays or requires any UI from any player apps. Instead, it has its own UI and relies on rich APIs in the players. There has always been more than one player, each providing the functionality that it does best (or did best in 2003!). So MC is used for music, Zoom Player for watching video, and DVBViewer for TV recording and live watching. And the TV comes in via a BlackGold card which still (just about) has available Windows drivers.
But I have been more and more annoyed by the intrusiveness of Windows 10 (and more so with 11). And I am concerned about what happens when the BlackGold card dies. So, I am thinking about moving the server (and my extensive ASP.Net custom software) onto Linux.
This has several significant implications. Firstly, as neither Zoom Player nor DVBViewer are available for Windows, I would have to pull the TV and video functionality into MC. So far, I have found no issues with that – there are some good MCWS APIs around those areas. And I know I need a "master license" upgrade. Secondly, as there are no Linux drivers for the BlackGold card, then that needs to be replaced. And I have two cards – one for the live domestic system and another for my dev/test machine.
So my thinking is to put a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex networked tuner onto the LAN. I assume that this can be used as a multi-tuner by MC, while possibly being accessed elsewhere in the home. And, as far as I can see, this has no platform implications.
So, my questions are:
1) Is a move to Linux sensible? Is the MC functionality and quality the same across platforms?
2) Is the video quality up there with the best software players?
3) Does the HDHomeRun work well as a tuner for watching live and for recording?
4) Am I right in thinking that MC should be used for scheduling and performing recordings with the HDHomeRun as a “simple” tuner?
5) Do I need a separate XMLTV service?
6) Are there any limitations of MC that I may not have thought of?
7) What else should I be concerned about?
Thanks in advance,
Brian