Trying NextPVR...Windows or Unraid?

[ctviggen]

I have one (home theater, HT) computer we use to watch all our TV (one TV, too).  That computer ran Windows 7, and I'm upgrading to Windows 10.  I have an Unraid server that stores all our recorded TV.  I use HD Homerun Prime (3 tuners), with a cable card. 

I would like to add Next PVR to this system.  Next PVR (client) will of course be on the HT computer, but should I consider making the back end/server part be on my unraid server?  In the past, both the unraid server and the HT computer have run 24/365.  So, it's possible for me to put Next PVR solely on the HT computer, though this means copying recorded TV to the unraid server periodically.

So, should I attempt an installation on my unraid server? Or just keep everything on Windows?

Thank you.

[mvallevand]

If you want to use the NextPVR Windows client on the HT computer, you will also need to install the server on the same PC, it is not network aware.

In general if you are using direct play clients like Kodi you shouldn't have to much trouble on the Unraid server. Transcoding for other clients and comksip might have issues if your unraid server has a weak or throttled processing power.

Once you install NextPVR on one server you should be able to install NextPVR on the other fairly easily. You can always just try.

One question though why move files to the unraid server when you can just directly record there from Windows?

Martin

[ctviggen]

Thank you. I do plan on using Kodi (as we currently use this for purposes other than TV).

Sorry, I was thinking Next PVR had a client/server structure where each was independent.

What I might do then, is install everything on my HT computer. (Basically, I tried to do a Win7 -> Win10 upgrade on my old HT computer, and that failed after a while; no longer booted. So, I had a partially complete computer that I then bought all the parts for, and will be starting from scratch.) This is just because we have to be able to watch the Super Bowl. I can later decide to move to the unraid server. The server may or may not have the power it needs (it's "old"); the new computer definitely has the power.

Sorry about the copying files remark. I'm used to Windows Media Center, where I recorded locally and then copied the files from the HT computer to the unraid server. (At one time, I had an automatic process to do this, but during my last computer change, that got lost.)

[sub]

Sorry, I was thinking Next PVR had a client/server structure where each was independent. 

That is largely the case. All installs of NextPVR include the server. They also all include a web app client (that can be used from any machine on the network).

The Windows install also includes nextpvr.exe, which is a Windows-specific client. This uses a lot of technologies that are Windows specific, and hasn't been ported to other platforms (like directshow etc). For now the nextpvr.exe client can only connect to the server on the same machine it is running on. Some time this year, it'll be replaced by a new type of client.

You can use other types of clients though, like Kodi, or the iOS/Android apps, or nlite (which gives you the same UI as nextpvr.exe). These can be used from machines on the network.

[vintdiesel]

Just some FYI. I have a very similar situation but I took a different approach and here's why:

I have been running NextPVR since the days of running its predecessor GBPVR on a 7 year old? sandy bridge i5 based windows server, bought especially for the task. This has done sterling service although the PC now does crash on average once a month with a BSOD. It also transcodes all new recordings every morning except the News to save disk space (3TB). There is a few hundred recordings on there, so yes I am a hoarder!

I built an Unraid box about 3 years ago using an i7 sandy mobo/processor which was displaced when I upgraded my wife's PC. I wanted NAS based storage for backups, and store my DVD's, Bluerays, file serving etc. The problem is, I have 2 servers running pretty much 24/7 and using the power accordingly as well as relying on both machines for every day living. The release of V5 answered my prayers, in that I can run NextPVR (and Plex) in docker containers on the NAS server and be able to expand my protected disk array just by adding any size hard drives. The PVR requires very little CPU resource, but I do transcodes, so in my case I do flex the i7's muscles to do that. New recordings are being done on the new server and eventually I may transfer the recording from the Windows machine or just retire it (good time for a clean out).

The TV that the Windows server is presently connected to, has just been upgraded to Sony Android, so I can run Kodi, NextPVR and Martin's add on knewc (and Plex, Netflix, Lightbox) so I may not need a PC there at all, or I may chose to go with a low powered PC or laptop as a client as TV apps have been known to lapse after a few years whereas PC don't suffer that problem.

[snagglewest]

V5 is not cpu intensive if all you're doing is recording and watching live TV from a client like nextpvr.exe in windows or Kodi either directly or via the knewc add-on.  Those clients just play the stream directly which uses little cpu power.  When you start to transcode streams the cpu usage goes up, but the only time you would have transcoding running is if you're watching live TV from the web UI or if you're post-processing videos.  Heck, folks are running the recording service on RaspberryPi's with success which just reinforces the low cpu load as far as recording goes.

I have zero experience with Unraid, but I know it's capable of running docker or even VMs natively.  Even if your Unraid server is a bit under powered, you may very well be able to run V5 in a docker container or even a linux distro VM successfully.  It might struggle with transcoding, but you'd just have to try it to find out for sure.  The up side is you would be recording directly to your NAS  saving the extra step.  And. if you're goal is to reduce the number of machines running and power consumption, you could also use a small single board computer like a RaspberryPI3 for you're Kodi appliance to hook to your TV.

Bottom line - just try it, you might be pleasantly surprised!