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TV-Server specific Requirements:

Database Server Requirements:

It is necessary to select one of the following databases during installation:

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server Express Edition

Oracle MySQL 5 (Windows)

MySQL 5

If you choose MySQL, the MP installer will download and configure MySQL server for you. As an alternative, you may use almost any version of SQL Server from 2005 onwards. If you choose to use SQL Server, it should be installed before you install MediaPortal. Please see the SQL Server Wiki page for tested versions and links to detailed instructions. Some users have successfully used the open source MariaDB instead of Oracle's MySQL, but MariaDB is not (yet) officially supported.

Dependencies:

The TV-Server depends on the RPC Locator service activation. This service should be automatically installed with the Client for Microsoft Network under the properties of your network card.

We strongly recommend using static IP addresses and disabling IPv6!

Additional Recommended Tools:

SQL Server Management Studio Express
MySQL Workbench (GUI Tools)

File system

TV recordings can use a lot of hard disk space. The exact amount depends on the bit rate, resolution, and format of the the transmission. A one hour SD recording will typically require approximately 2.5 GB of space; a one hour HD recording will typically require approximately 5 GB of space.

NTFS file system is highly recommended as it significantly increases the number of hours you can record to the same amount of disk space.

USB sticks are not suitable for recording/timeshifting drives as the large capacity sticks often have abysmal write speeds and come formatted as FAT32 by default.

Recommended Minimum Hardware

Although MediaPortal may run on even less powerful hardware, the following is the minimum recommended for SD playback:

- CPU: Intel P4 with 2.0 GHz / AMD XP-2000+ or above
- Memory: 1024 MB
- HDD: 600 MB for MediaPortal
- HDD: 50 GB for TV recordings and time shifting. Recordings can take up to 8GB per hour
- Video card: DirectX 9 compatible video card with at least 128 MB of video memory
- TV card: MediaPortal TV-Server supports all analog TV cards with hardware MPEG-2 encoder and all digital TV cards which use BDA-drivers. For specific features, see Supported TV Cards in our wiki

Recommended Hardware for HD

The following is the minimum hardware recommended for HD (1080p/i) playback for both videos and TV.

CPU: Dual-core CPU with 2,0 GHz or above
Memory: 1024 MB
Video card:
- AMD: all cards that include the Universal Video Decoder
- Nvidia: all cards that include PureVideo HD
- Intel: boards that include the X 4500
Codecs: LAV Filters (can be selected during installation as of 1.3.0 beta), although you may use any codecs you wish with MediaPortal

Testing HD Playback

To check if the performance of your PC is sufficient for HD content, test using these trailers:
- DVD HD test films
- Blu-Ray test films

Operating System Components

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
- for Windows 7 and newer, enable .NET 3.5 in control panel as described here
- for Windows Vista and older, download and install .NET 3.5
Microsoft .NET Framework 4
Microsoft Microsoft DirectX 9.0c (June 2010 redist)
- Note: Using MP 1.0.0 or above the installer will automatically install latest DirectX if necessary.
- Note: In Vista it's also required to have November 2008 DirectX End User Runtime installed.

Microsoft latest available Windows Media Player Version
- Note: MP 1.0.0 or above will automatically prompt you for the download of latest WMP.
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package ATL Security Update
- Note: Using MP 1.0.0 or above the installer will automatically install latest Visual C++ Redistributable Package if necessary.
- Note: If the component is downloaded and installed manually, be sure to use the x86 package even on x64 systems.
- Note: On Microsoft's download page, Windows 7 is not listed for this package. Nevertheless it is required and working fine for Windows 7, too.