DVR & Tuner Guidance for QNAP

Live TV & DVR
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1

Hi Everyone

I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

I have a QNAP TVS872XT running plex and I want to add get the
live stream tv & DVR up and running.

I have a spare PCIe slot, so it seems more sensible to add a TV card inside the NAS, instead of plugging in a HDHomerun into the router, for that signal to then to be sent to the NAS.

Is there a 4 tuner PCIe card that will work with QNAP and Plex? . I’d like to avoid USB as it seems like a lot of people are struggling trying to get them to work

Many thanks

2

I disagree strongly.
Not only would a PCI card require driver software specific to the QNAP, but it would also mean that you may not be able to continue using the card if you in the future should switch to a different server device.
It is really a similar hassle as with USB tuners.
Go with the HDhomerun, is my recommendation.

3

Thanks for the quick reply. If I go for the HDHomerun

I have the NAS in the lounge which is where the Aerial and TV is.

My router is in a hallway cupboard

Do I need to run an aerial lead into the hallway cupboard where my router is, or is there another way to wire up a HDHomerun

Many thanks

4

My recommendation would be to move the HDhomerun to a place where it can be connected to both the antenna, the network, and electrical power.
The reasoning behind this is to keep the antenna cable as short as possible, to reduce signal loss due to a long cable.
Keep in mind that the Ethernet specification allows only 100m long connections. (For every plug inbetween you need to deduct 1m from those 100m. If the Ethernet switch is not 100% professional quality, I’d personally reduce the 100m to 80m for stability reasons.)

So, in theory you could place the HDhomerun into the attic or wherever you have your antenna, as long as you can run an Ethernet wire and power there.

5

The Attic is a good idea.

Thank you very much for the advice :slight_smile:

6

Only one Ethernet cable back to the router?

You could add a small Ethernet switch in the lounge. Connect the NAS & HDHomeRun to the switch, then use existing Ethernet cable to connect to the router.

If the TV is connected to the antenna, add a coax splitter to connect both the TV & HDHomeRun.

If the TV signal strength / quality is insufficient, you could then look at relocating the tuner to a location with a shorter cable run.

7

Hi FordGuy61

Thanks for the reply, which might be the easier option. But would I have bandwidth issues with the HDHomerun & NAS running down one ethernet cable, I could potentially have two 4k films streaming to TV’s around the house and also Live TV going (Sorry I have no idea how much bandwidth a HDHomerun uses)

Thanks

8

Wired Ethernet: 1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps.
4K HDR movies: ~100 Mbps max
1080p Blu-ray rip: ~40 Mbps max
Broadcast TV: Less than a 1080p Blue-ray rip.

You’ve plenty of bandwidth.

When recording/watching live tv with Plex, all the traffic from the HD HomeRun goes to the NAS anyway (where Plex Media Server runs). Using a switch keeps that traffic off of the router.

9

Thank you very much for the info :slight_smile:

10

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