by Delta » Fri May 24, 2024 3:22 am
In fact, if it is just for data recording, the computer configuration required is actually very low.
A digital TV signal is essentially like a continuously transmitted data file, and all your computer needs to do is store the parsed symbols (binary data) into its hard drives.
Imagine how powerful a computer configuration do you think it would take to copy a 15MB per second file 24 hours a day? A computer configuration from 10 years ago would be enough.
[CPU] So an older generation Core i3 CPU (or equivalent) is more than enough.
[RAM] Modern Linux physical servers should start with 8GB of RAM, which is also more than enough for data recording jobs.
[GPU] Data recording does not require the use of the GPU, just like if you copy a file at 15MB per second, it has absolutely nothing to do with the GPU. So GPU is not necessary.
I do recommend you to use Linux operating system for your needs. What you are expressing is that you need to record data 24 hours a day, rather than watch these channels in real time. Therefore, what you need is an environment that is stable, streamlined, and free of unnecessary complications.
While it may seem easier to do everything on Windows, it doesn't suit your needs. The Windows GUI occupies a large amount of meaningless system resources, and its stability cannot reach service-level application environments. Because most Windows DVB software is designed for viewing, but not recording. Therefore you are likely to be troubled by many issues such as opening many windows and GUI manual operations, pointless media content playback, prone to blue screen crashes (due to long periods of meaningless high-load program runs), etc.
When you use an operating system like Red Hat Enterprise Linux with installation of the Tvheadend App, you get an environment that is tailored to your needs. Not only is it stable and has no redundant items, it occupies very little system resources, but it can complete the tasks you need more efficiently without extraneous stuff (channel playback, multiple windows, GPU and system resource usage, manual operations etc.). This is because Tvheanend itself is designed to process DVB data. The core programs all work in the background (as services), and the frontend is presented in the form of a WEB panel. When you complete the initialization there won't be many changes needed.
To sum up, what you need is a computer with an Intel i3 6th generation or above CPU, 8GB or above RAM, and no GPU required. And what you should consider more is installing hard drives with large enough capacity. You should consider installing a Linux operating system without GUI (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 is recommended - don't panic, it's free), and install the Tvheadend App (you can install it easily from Snapcraft).