Client Recommendations on Linux

[devarionarias]

Hello!

I've been using Next PVR (client and server) for about a year on a single Windows Mediatop box that I set up. It was running Windows 10 and I got sick of all the ads Microsoft kept pushing for me to go buy a new computer and so I have setup the same machine using Ubuntu 24.04 instead. Backend server is all set up and working beautifully now. I was using the Windows NextPVR client app on that machine, but not spotting a client app for Linux. It's possible I've missed it - for sure.

Would anyone happen to have any recommendations for what client they like to use on Ubuntu? Thanks!

[mvallevand]

The only true Linux client would be Kodi and even then it is now a flatpak distribution not a native app. You have the choice of running Kodi pvr.nextpvr or the KNEWC add which is a UI client with the NextPVR.exe look and feel.

I did write a dedicated Debian/Ubuntu UI client based on the Windows yauiclient but managing an open source for a handful of users releasing something is not high on my list so I doubt I will release it. It is not just the code, unlike Windows Linux is not as good with h/w decoding etc to run generic code so it takes some skill to optimize install remote controls, audio, video cards etc. I might try a flatpak release if I get bored, but right now I am more focused on clients that run on a 10' interface using clients that can be installed in a SmartTV or dedicated players and not desktop mouse based clients

Martin

[devarionarias]

Thanks, Martin. I did notice that Kodi has an add-on for NextPVR. Maybe I'll just get rolling with that, but let me know if you release your flatpack. I would be interested in trying it!

[satforall]

Unfortunately the maintainer of the Kodi PPA for Ubuntu walked away and nobody stepped in to take over the package maintenance for Ubuntu. You can still install the last known working stable version of Kodi Nexus via the usual channel

sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:team-xbmc/ppa
sudo apt install kodi

You can if you choose install Kodi Omega using nightly builds using this channel but you are frozen at RC1

sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:team-xbmc/xbmc-nightly
sudo apt install kodi

Binary files are not included in a Ubuntu install of Kodi so you need to execute the following command from the Terminal In Ubuntu

sudo apt install kodi-pvr-nextpvr

Once you do this go to the Kodi PVR section and you should see the NPVR add on available to install.

Personally I’d just compile my own version of Kodi on the machine I’m using. It’s actually quite straightforward once you follow the instructions supplied in the Kodi wiki.

I personally prefer the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS server edition. Ubuntu 24.04 is quite new and still throwing up quite a few surprises at this stage.

[devarionarias]

Thanks for the recommendation, Statforall. I found out firsthand when I ran into wall after wall of issues with Ubuntu 24.04. I installed Kodi - no special configuration or anything, just via terminal. The next time I rebooted, it went right into Kodi with no way to return to the desktop.

I've used Mint for other applications and just decided to go format and start fresh with Mint for now. I will try using a frontend software to open a web browser in Kiosk mode with the client web URL set to the home page. After messing with Kodi, I wasn't terribly fond of it either - a bit overkill as all I typically do is PVR. No media library, no song library or anything like that. So far everything is running beautifully in Mint with WAAAY less setup headaches.

I'll post again if my "web browser Kiosk mode" setup works well enough for anyone else looking for a solution.

[mvallevand]

If you are using IPTV then the browser might be OK since you don't have to transcode. However with tuner note that I did post that KNEWC in Kodi will give you the same UI you had with NextPVR.exe with better native performance.

It is unlikely I will ever build yauiclient for Mint, I do build and run it on Ubuntu so I might package it up.

Martin

[devarionarias]

Update: In case anyone is following and interested... This setup of just using the web browser as a client works fine for me. I had to make one small tweak to it. Using the frontend client URL seemed to be a bit laggy for some reason, but using the standard back end/server URL works well.

I found using just http://127.0.0.1:8866/ [That is the standard URL for the server backend] vs. http://127.0.0.1:8866/clientui, worked the best. Here's a step by step guide.

1. Install and set up the server - step by step guide by sub: https://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?tid=59390

2. Make sure you have your drivers installed for your PVR card (if that's needed - it was for me). Check the manufacturer's website and hopefully you'll find some luck getting a guide there to install them for your linux box.

3. Configure your PVR server by opening a web browser and navigating to http://127.0.0.1:8866/. Scan your channels, set up your guide, and so on. Lots of details how to do that here in the forum or on YouTube! PM me if you'd like some one on one assistance.

3. Install and set up your choice of frontend software (optional - I used Emulation Station Desktop Edition as I like playing old retro consoles ). Launch it and set up your roms folder. If you do so manually, make sure you've created a directory named "ports" inside the roms directory. Close Emulation Station. More details here: https://www.es-de.org/

3. Copy the Firefox.desktop from your /usr/share/applications folder to ~/roms/ports directory. (You can instead do this with your browser of choice, but the flag to put it into kiosk mode will vary).

4. Launch terminal in that folder and set the permissions for that firefox.desktop file so you can edit it. The command to do this is:

sudo chmod +x ./firefox.desktop

5. In terminal, edit the ./firefox.desktop file. Change the Exec= firefox %u line to Exec= firefox -kiosk. When finished, hold down CRTL + X, choose yes and enter to save. This will set Firefox to launch in Kiosk mode so it will be fullscreen minus all the UI elements. Command below:

nano firefox.desktop

6. Open Firefox, navigate to the settings, and set the homepage URL of Firefox to http://127.0.0.1:8866/guide.html (personal preference, really - I tend to go to the TV Guide most of the time, if you want to start on a different page, just click on the one you want and copy the URL from the address bar, then paste it into the homepage URL field in Firefox settings)

7. Open Emulation Station again. It should pick up the new "firefox" rom and have a ports list now. If it doesn't, under menu, choose utilities, then rescan rom directory. Reboot if you had to scan again. If you had to scan again, reboot. Now, test your firefox "port." You can close the browser window by setting a macro on your remote or using a keyboard combo of ALT + F4. This will return you back to Emulation Station.

8. (Totally optional) Configure emulation station to open the ports list by default. Open the menu. Click UI Settings, move down to the "Gamelist on Strartup" toggle and cycle through until you see the ports one.

9. (Again totally optional) Set Emulation Station to show options of shutdown and reboot to save yourself a few clicks. Open the menu. Click Other Settings. Scroll down the list and toggle on "Show Quit Menu."