The times have passed when it was enough to insert a videotape in the video recorder and, with the right timing, we are able to record the films and programs broadcast on TV, so that we can review them later. Then optical media (DVD and Blu-ray) arrived but the cost of the devices and the difficulty in making a good recording without pauses relegated home recording in favor of downloads from the network. But all is not lost: we can still record TV programs in the living room, using this time a real miniPC capable of recording any program on the hard disk. We will show you how to assemble a living room miniPC with an integrated TV tuner and the steps to start recording with one of the recommended programs.
READ ALSO: Use your PC as a TV video recorder
MiniPC: guide to component selection
To make the MiniPC we will have to choose a small case, but containing inside all the space necessary for the system components. The PC created in this way will be powerful enough to record HD channels transmitted by digital terrestrial.1) Houses
The case must be small enough to fit in the living room next to the TV but large enough to accommodate all the components. The choice fell on the Thermaltake Core V1 case, available here -> Thermaltake Core V1 (€ 43).
The case is of adequate size (276 x 260 x 316 mm) to accommodate a Mini-ITX motherboard, a much smaller format than traditional PC motherboards. The design is really very nice, we are sure that it will not look bad in any hi-tech living room.
2) Motherboard
As motherboard we decided to focus on the Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX Motherboard, available on Amazon (80 €).
Compact size, compatibility with AMD's AM4 socket, 2 DDR4 RAM slots, 2 SATA 3 ports, PCI-Express X16 slot, 8 rear USB ports (also USB 3.1) M2 support, one HDMI port, one LAN port, one DVI-D port, audio inputs and outputs via 3.5mm jack and a hybrid PS / 2 port.
3) CPU
As CPU we chose the AMD Ryzen 3, with a 3.5 GHz frequency, 2 cores and 4 threads, 3MB of cache and support for DDR4 memories.
The processor is available here -> AMD Ryzen 3 (104 €).
With this CPU we will be able to record any type of transmission without problems, with the computing power necessary to then play back the recordings on the TV. It also provides an integrated graphics card, capable of providing the hardware acceleration needed for any multimedia program. Includes fan for cooling system.
4) RAM
As RAM banks we recommend taking into consideration the Ballistix Sport LT, available in 8GB version here -> Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB DDR4 (€ 89).
8 GB is more than enough to start the multimedia programs that we are going to use to record TV programs, and being available on one bank we will avoid using both slots of the chosen motherboard (if we want to expand the memory it will be sufficient to buy another bank RAM). Unfortunately, DDR3 RAM cannot be purchased for this PC.
5) SSD
As internal memory we decided to focus on the 500 GB Samsung SSD 850 EVO, available here -> Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500 GB (137 €).
Using an SSD instead of a classic mechanical disk we will save space inside the case and we will obtain high speeds in starting the operating system and in the use of programs, so that we can record quickly.
6) Power supply
In order to power the living room MiniPC we decided to focus on the 530 W Thermaltake Smart SE, available here -> Thermaltake Smart SE 530 W (52 €).
The capacity of the power supply is very high and being modular we can only use the cables necessary for the operation of the essential components, thus avoiding unnecessary dangling cables in the case.
READ ALSO: Components to have a compact mini PC
7) TV tuner
The most important component for this MiniPC is definitely the TV tuner, which will have to capture the digital terrestrial signal and allow the recording of the same through the PC programs.
The best tuner we can use is AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid Volar T2 DVB-T, available here -> AVerMedia DVB-T 2 (€ 51).
This tuner connects via USB port to your miniPC and to the antenna cable and, through the dedicated program or with any other compatible program, it will be possible to view and record digital terrestrial channels with support for DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-C.
READ ALSO: TV card to watch DVB-T digital terrestrial on your computer
8) Wireless adapter
If we do not intend to use an Ethernet cable connection we can connect the MiniPC to the Internet using a simple WiFi adapter, such as the one available here -> TP-Link TL-WN823N N300 (11 €).
Let's connect it to one of the free USB sockets, so as to automatically provide WiFi connectivity thanks to the self-installing driver (on Windows 10).
We can connect to any 2.4 GHzs WiFi network using the N protocol.
9) Remote control
In order to control the MiniPC without having to connect a mouse or keyboard every time we can use a simple program that can replace old remote controls or uncomfortable Bluetooth keyboards.
The program to control a Windows PC remotely is Unified Remote ; this application acts as a server for all the main controls (playback, program start, mouse movement, activity control, keyboard typing, volume control etc.) and interfaces with the dedicated apps for Android and iOS, so as to transform any smartphone or tablet in a remote control for the MiniPC that we are creating!
The server for Windows can be downloaded here -> Unified Remote .
To download the free app, simply use the links here -> Unified Remote (Android) and Unified Remote (iOS).
10) Programs to install
In addition to Windows 10 (which we choose as the operating system) the programs we recommend installing on the PC are:
- AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid Volar T2 Application and Driver
- VLC
- Kodi
These are the programs to be installed absolutely in order to watch TV channels through the adapter and to record the programs broadcast.
How to record TV shows
Have we assembled the living room PC and installed all the necessary programs?
In this part of the guide we will show you how to use these programs to record TV channels receivable via the connected tuner.
1) Record with the dedicated program
The TV tuner chosen offers a dedicated program to view all digital terrestrial channels and to start recording at any time.
Once downloaded and installed it will be sufficient to start the scan of the TV channels, choose the one we want to record and (once the live broadcast of the program has started) click on the REC button to start recording on the disc.
In the program settings we can choose the quality of the recording, the folder where to save the video files generated by the recording and the format, as well as the possibility to schedule a recording based on the EPG (if available).
2) Register with Kodi
If the TV tuner driver is installed correctly, any other program with recording functionality can be used for the purpose.
Another effective way to register is to use Kodi.
To configure the viewing of TV channels on Kodi via tuner we will first have to install a backend (ie a server that uses the tuner); we can choose the one that suits our needs among those available here -> Kodi Backend .
Once we have chosen the backend to be used, we install on Kodi a frontend (an addon capable of communicating with the chosen backend) among those available in the Kodi menu, that is TV -> Insert browser add-on .
Now we choose the frontend based on the choice made previously (the frontend must coincide with the backend).
If everything is correctly adjusted and the backend works, we will see the TV channels appear in the TV section of Kodi, with the possibility to view and record them using the REC button.
3) Record with VLC
The last method we can try to record TV programs with the miniPC is to use the free VLC program.
We open the program and go to the menu Media -> Open acquisition device .
In this menu we select in the TV - digital acquisition mode and configure the card to be able to work with the tuner (set the correct number for the peripheral and be sure to use DVB-T as the delivery system).
Now just click on Play to start playing TV channels with VLC.
You can manage the list of channels by opening the menu in View -> Ladder and removing the checkmark for Ladder docked .
To be able to record channels, simply open the advanced controls ( View -> Advanced controls ) and click on the REC button that will appear at the bottom.
