Below are some basic and straightforward instructions to get Live TV set-up on your Media centre, computer or Raspberry PI in just a few minutes.
How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?
The below instructions assume you have a media box, Raspberry PI or pc etc setup with OpenELEC Frodo or later and have a Linux compatible TV tuner card or usb stick connected.
If you live in the UK and want HD freeview channels I would recommend the USB plugin “PCTV NanoStick PCTV Systems DVB-T2 290e nanoStick HD TV Tuner” this is made by Pinnacle / Hauppauge (note – OpenELEC will recognise it as a Sony CSD282, but this is ok)
Just follow the below guide to get it up and running;
First you must install the Backend server – this is what controls the TV tuner card, grabs the channel etc ….
This add on needs to be installed from with in the XBMC Add-on Manager
Go to – Settings > Add-ons > Get add-ons > OpenELEC Mediacenter OS Add-ons > Services
Select tvheadend
Click Install
Reboot your machine.
Second you need to install the front end
Go to – Settings > Live TV
Select Enabled.
A small message box will appear telling you need to install at least one PVR Client
Select OK.
Scroll down the list and select “tvheadend”
Click Enable.
Go back to the home screen
Reboot the machine.
Last you need to setup your tuner card on the backend server – this is done via a web interface.
Select the drop down menu and choose your TV tuner.
Enable “Autodetect muxes” and “Idle scanning”
Click Save.
On the left you will see a button marked “Add DVB Network by location”. – Click it
Select your country
Select the Transmitter that is nearest for you.
If your in the UK you can use the website http://www.ukfree.tv to find your transmitter.
Click ”Add DVB Network”.
Wait for “Muxes awaiting initial scan” to become 0
Click the “Map DVB services to channels” button.
Click on the “channel / DVB” button, you should see a list of all the channels your box has found.
If there are no channels showing give it a few minutes to finish scanning.
If there are still no channels showing check that you have selected the correct transmitter.
If some of the channels are missing you might need to add a Multiplex manually – for example the UK crystal palace transmitter is currently missing the HD multiplex, you have to add this manually.
Go to > Configuration, DVB Inputs > Multiplexes
Click “Add mux(es) manually”
Enter the details of the missing mux.
Enter the Frequency of the e.g. for the crystal palace HD multiplex enter 546000.
Leave all the other options as Auto.
Click add.
Reboot the machine.
That is it, your device should now be up and running if you go to to your home screen you should see a Live TV button - go into this section to watch live tv or setup recordings.
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OpenELEC is an embedded version of the Open Source media center software XBMC that has been designed to run like any other set top box you connect to your TV like a DVD player or PVR.
It is a great piece of software to get running on your PI, you will wonder how you ever lived with out it.
Follow the below instruction to get Open Elec Running on your PI
Unzip the OpenELEC image and install the roadkill img writer.
Use the roadkill to write the image file to your sd card.
If you have any issues writing the image see the section below on how to wipe your SD card.
Wipe SD Card
If you have an SD card that has been used before you might have issues writing the OpenElec image file to it with out clearing out any partitions first, follow the instructions in out recent post below.
That is it, Openelec should now be running on your PI.
If you don’t get the green activity LED light flashing on your PI then it means there is an issue with the SD card or the image you have just written – try redoing it.
Now your Pi is running you might want to do some of the following things.
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How do i change the Skin on OpenElec for my Raspberry PI?
Changing from the default Skin to a custom skin on your Raspberry Pi is actually fairly straight forward, just follow the instructions below.
You should be aware that some skins are more resource intensive than others and as you are probably aware the PI is not designed to be particularly powerful, so you should if possible keep the skin as simple as possible.
The Default skin is currently – Confluence.
Plug in your leads and boot up your Pi.
Navigate to SYSTEM > Settings > Appearance > Skin.
Highlight and select “skin” on the right hand pane.
A window will appear showing all the currently installed Skins on your Box.
Click Get “Get More”
A new window will appear showing a list of all the skins currently available on the XMBC servers.
Move up and down the list and you will see a small preview with a description and rating appear on the right hand side.
Once you have found the New Skin you would like to try highlight it and press enter / click.
A new window will appear with various options select install.
It will drop you back to the original list of skins, but you will now see a download percentage counter “Downloading 20%” next to your new chosen skin.
When it has finished you will see the “Downloading 20%” become “enabled”.
Drop back to the previous window or
Navigate to SYSTEM > Settings > Appearance > Skin.
Highlight and select “skin” on the right hand pane.
You will now see your new skin next to “confluence” in the list – click on you new skin.
A new window will pop up allowing you to customise it, i would suggest for now just leave it on the default settings until you get used to the new skin.
How Do I add an MPEG-2 license key to my Raspberry PI?
Before purchasing your License from the raspberry pi shop you will need your Pi’s serial number. This is quite simple to do.
Get Your Raspberry PI Serial Number
Boot UP your PI.
Goto system > system info > network.
Note your serial number - should be something like 000000000ffae29e.
Once you have your Serial number go to http://www.raspberrypi.com/mpeg-2-license-key/ fill in the form and pay your money. 2-3 days later you will get an email with your new License code.
In the email you will find a line similar to decode_MPEG2=0×7654321 the “0×7654321″ is your License.
Add your License to your OpenElec / XMBC Installation
Insert your SD card in to your PC or MAC etc.
Open up your SD card in your file viewer of choice.
Open config.txt.
Scroll down until you find # decode_MPG2=0×00000000.
Delete the #.
Change the 0×00000000 to your new license.
Click save.
POP the SD card back in your PI and reboot.
Note – Some versions of XMBC have a field in their settings tab to allow you to input your license directly via the interface.
That’s it your job is done.
If you use multiple OS versions on multiple SD cards you will need to add the License to each.
Scroll down and find “Get More…” highlight it and press enter / left click.
Find “..” highlight it and press enter / left click.
Find “..” highlight it and press enter / left click.
Find “Install from Zip File” highlight it and press enter / left click.
A new window will pop up – Find your USB stick highlight it and press enter / left click.
If you can’t see your USB stick, pop it out and the pop it back in again.
Navigate to your Addons ZIP file, highlight it and press enter / left click.
You will now be dropped back to the “install from zip file” menu, wait a few seconds and an alert notice will pop up telling you your new Addon has been installed.
You can find the your new Addon in Videos > Video Add-ons.
If the Addon is not visible then exit the menu wait a few minutes and go back in, if it is still not visible after 5 minutes, you might need to reboot your PI.
The above will work for any Addon, just change the Video for music, program etc.
How to wipe SD card before installing OS on raspberry PI
Before writing an img file to a new SD card or an SD card that has been formatted for use with another type of operating system you will need to wipe it first, otherwise you will at best end up with errors or at worst it just won’t work - Luckily it is very easy to do.
Just follow the below instructions on your PC or laptop running windows.
(The below assumes your SD card is inserted in your machine)
Go to your command prompt.
click start – run – type cmd.
or start – all programs – accessories – click command prompt.
type diskpart.
type list disk.
Note the number by the SD card you want to wipe.
type select (the number you just noted).
type clean.
type exit.
That is it, your SD card is now ready to for you to write your image to.
If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.
Setting up a WiFi connection on your Raspberry Pi is fairly straight forward, but you will need some information before we start.
You will need a supported WiFi USB Dongle.
Your network SSID.
Your encryption type.
Your password / paraphrase.
Now comes the fun bit;
Plug in your WiFi dongle and boot up your Pi.
Navigate to SYSTEM > OpenELEC.
If your PI has a network port Select Network 2 otherwise select Network 1.
In the selected Network tab,
Set up the following
Network Technology as WLAN.
Network Interface as wlan0.
WLAN SSID as your routers or access points SSID.
WLAN security = the type of security your router or access point is using.
WLAN Passphrase = your routers or access points WiFi password.
Reboot your pi.
Go into SYSTEM > System Info > Summary and check that the PI has connected to your router / access point and has been issued with an Valid IP address.
Thats it …….
If it does not work check you setting and make sure you have rebooted your machine, if it still does not work you may need to use an external USB powered hub as your WiFi dongle may require more power than the Pi’s USB ports can supply.
If you would like help with your Raspberry PI, computer or laptop then please contact us or visit our IT Support Page.
How to set up remote desktop on windows XP, Vista and 7
Click your Start button.
In the search box type systempropertiesremote and press enter.
A window will appear asking if you would like to allow access – Click Allow.
You should now have the system properties window open on your screen with the Remote Tab selected. (If the remote tab is not selected, then please select it.)
At the bottom you have 3 options for setting up remote desktop access.
Don’t allow remote connections – Turn off remote access
Allow connection from any version of remote desktop.
Select this is you are connecting from XP or from an Iphone or Ipad.
Select this is you are only going to be connecting from windows vista or higher, or your preferred remote desktop connection software supports NLA.
Allow connections only from Remote Desktop with NLA.
Click Apply at the bottom right.
Your current profile will have automatically been added to the authorised user list.
To add another account or remove an account click “Select Users…”, another window will appear. This window will display any authorised users.
To Add an account.
Click Add, another window will appear in the bottom box marked “Enter the object names to select”.
Type in the account name you wish to add.
Click Check Names.
If the account name is valid it will change to Computername/accountname.
If it is not valid an error window will appear called “Name not Found”.
When happy click OK.
To Remove an account, select the requested account and click remove.
Your Pc is now ready to accept remote connections.
When you connect remotely you will need to type in an authorised account name and its password.
If you would like anymore information or help setting up your computer visit out computer support page or contact us.
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