PVR
Template:Frodo As of v12 (Frodo), XBMC supports Personal Video Recorder (PVR) controls and features when paired with a PVR "backend". This allows you to watch live TV, listen to radio, view an EPG, schedule recordings and enables many other TV related features. A PVR backend is a second process/application that can either run on the same machine running XBMC, on a stand-alone device (able to feed several XBMC machines), or completely by itself with XBMC only running when needed. When paired with a backend, XBMC handles the interface, or frontend, allowing the user to watch live TV, scheduled recordings, time shift (not yet supported), etc.
Due to the somewhat complicated nature of setting up PVR for XBMC, this guide was created to help users from start to finish.
Supported Backends
If you want to use a PVR addon with XBMC, there are a few prerequisites. First, you need a TV tuner or IPTV source, and a working backend to connect to XBMC. Below is a list of currently supported backends. The source for these addons can be found in the XBMC PVR Addons Repo
HTS Tvheadend
- Backend OS: Linux
- Homepage: lonelycoder.com
- Addon maintainer: dushmaniac
- Forum support topic: XBMC forum
- Backend Installation: https://www.lonelycoder.com/redmine/projects/tvheadend/wiki
VDR
- Backend OS: Linux
- Homepage: tvdr.de
- Addon maintainer: FernetMenta
- Addon Forum support topic: XBMC forum
- Backend Installation: http://linuxtv.org/vdrwiki/index.php/VDR_installation
MythTV
- Backend OS: Linux
- Homepage: mythtv.org
- Addon maintainer: dteirney
- Addon Forum support topic: XBMC forum
- Backend Installation: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Packages
MediaPortal
- Backend OS: Windows
- PVR addon OS: Windows, Linux
- Homepage: team-mediaportal.com
- Addon maintainer: margro
- Addon Forum support topic: MediaPortal Python plugin/PVR addon
- Backend Installation: http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/12_Installation
For The Record
- Backend OS: Windows
- PVR addon OS: Windows, Linux, OS X, iOS
- Homepage: 4therecord.eu
- Addon maintainers: margro, red-f
- Addon Forum support topic: ForTheRecord forum
- Backend Installation: http://www.4therecord.eu/wiki/index.php?title=English_Installation_Guide
DVBLink TV Server
- Backend OS: Windows
- PVR addon OS: Windows
- Addon maintainers: zeroniak
- Addon Forum support topic: DVBLink forum
- Backend Installation: http://dvblogic.com/phpBB3/index.php
Testing
Testing PVR before Frodo final (this section won't be needed in the final version, more or less)
- See: PVR/Testing
Configure XBMC
- See: PVR/XBMC
PVR FAQ
- See: PVR/FAQ