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Integrating OTA and Pay TV Services Using Tvheadend

Tvheadend is a TV streaming server and recorder for Linux, FreeBSD and Android supporting DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C, DVB-T, ATSC, ISDB-T, IPTV, SAT>IP and HDHomeRun as input sources.  https://tvheadend.org/ USA based readers will most likely read that intro paragraph from the Tvheadend website and wonder exactly what Tvheadend does and what most of those acronyms mean.  In a nutshell, Tvheadend is open source software that acts as a dvr and live streaming server for Kodi and other media center applications.  Many of the acronyms refer to broadcast standards that are not used in the US, In other countries (particularly European countries), video services are provided by satellite (-S), cable (-C) or terrestrial (-T) methods to receivers that distribute content based on open standards.  In the USA, cable and (for the most part) satellite providers require proprietary hardware to receive and display the video signals.  Consumers must rent that hardware from the service provider, one box f
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Integrating OTA and Pay TV Services Using Tvheadend: Part 2 Installation

In part 1  we discussed how a streaming video server can improved your viewing experience and why Tvheadend +  node-ffmpeg-mpegts-proxy + Kodi is an optimal solution.  In part 2, we'll cover installation and configuration of the components. Choose an environment Linux is required.  Tvheadend officially supports Debian/Ubuntu and CentOS/Fedora.  Running in a virtual machine works well, so spin up a vm on VirtualBox, KVM, or your favorite hypervisor and install your preferred distribution.  I run Lubuntu, so this article will use Debian/Ubuntu packages and methods.  Tvheadend exposes its configuration interface through a built-in web server, so a server installation is fine - no desktop required.  If you're not accustomed to a Linux environment, I would suggest a light weight desktop such as Lubuntu to make things more comfortable. One hardware specific note:  if you will be using an HDHomeRun, the vm needs to be on the same subnet as the HDHomeRun.  Network discovery of the
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Integrating OTA and Pay TV Services Using Tvheadend: Part 3 HDHomeRun Configuration

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In part 1  we discussed how a streaming video server can improved your viewing experience and why Tvheadend +  node-ffmpeg-mpegts-proxy + Kodi is an optimal solution.  In part 2 , we covered installation and configuration of the components.  In this article, we'll step through configuring Tvheadend for use with an HDHomeRun. Before we dig in, let's cover some terminology.  Borrowing from the Tvheadend documentation: A network is the software definition of your carrier network. Broadly, it lays out what sort of network it is (such as ATSC-T or IPTV) and how it gets scanned. Networks then have muxes. These include the carrier frequencies that exist on the over-the-air channels that are used to transmit multiple digital signals.  These signals are multiplexed together, hence the name mux. Muxes then carry services. These are the individual streams of data. For IPTV streams, a mux typically carries a single service. For ATSC-T streams, a mux typically carries multiple service
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Integrating OTA and Pay TV Services Using Tvheadend: Part 4 HDMI Encoder Configuration

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In previous articles, we've discussed why Tvheadend provides a better viewing experience.  We've installed Tvheadend along with the necessary support tools, and stepped through configuring Tvheadend for use with an HDHomeRun.  In this article, we'll configure Tvheadend for use with a set-top-box (STB) and an HDMI encoder. My testing has been done with an ADB 3800 cable box and a TBS2603 HDMI encoder.  Typical for cable boxes in this area of the world, the only way to control the cable box is through the IR receiver.  The TBS2603 is identical to many other single channel HDMI to IPTV encoders available on Amazon and eBay, it can configured through its web interface to output a received HDMI signal as h.264 streaming http, rtsp, or rtmp.  In my system, I've configured for http and tested the stream using VLC. If you haven't already installed xmltv, node-ffmpeg-mpegts-proxy, and worked through the instructions in part 2 , you'll need to complete those steps
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Integrating OTA and Pay TV Services Using Tvheadend: Part 5 EPG Configuration

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In previous articles, we've  discussed  why Tvheadend provides a better viewing experience.  We've also  installed  Tvheadend along with the necessary support tools.  In the last two articles, we configured Tvheadend for use with an HDHomeRun and an HDMI encoder .  In this article, we'll configure Tvheadend to grab and display electronic program guide (EPG) information. Tvheadend supports three types of EPG grabbers: Over-the-air, Internal, and External. Over-the-air (OTA) data is broadcast along with the digital video stream using a system called Event Information Table (EIT).  EIT information is handy because it's free and available on most OTA channels.  Unfortunately, the information supplied is limited in terms of content and time-span.  If you're using an HDHomerun and don't want the possible expense or effort associated with setting up xmltv to provide additional information,  EIT may be all you need.  Tvheadend will,by default, scan OTA channels and
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