Network based tuner options (hdhomerun or alternatives?)

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indapie2000

199 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 26

#320422 12-Aug-2025 12:32

Looking for a network based tuner to pickup DVB-T channels and integrate them with my IPTV player (Tivimate) on an NVIDIA Shield.

My TV is about 10 years old and runs incredible slow so hence I use IPTV mostly.

I currently use the Matt Huisman links for TV, but ideally I want the broadcast quality from DVB-T (1080, AC3 etc) instead of the 720p streams.

Is hdhomerun the best/only option for this? Or is there a cheaper alternative out there?

fe31nz

1295 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 423

#3402306 12-Aug-2025 23:34

If you have a 24/7 Linux box, you can add PCIe or USB tuners to it and then set up minisatip to make the tuners available as network SAT>IP tuners. Tivimate is supposed to do SAT>IP. But finding Linux compatible DVB-T or DVB-T2 tuners in NZ is difficult now - you may need to import them.

indapie2000

199 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 26

#3402565 14-Aug-2025 13:53

fe31nz:

If you have a 24/7 Linux box, you can add PCIe or USB tuners to it and then set up minisatip to make the tuners available as network SAT>IP tuners. Tivimate is supposed to do SAT>IP. But finding Linux compatible DVB-T or DVB-T2 tuners in NZ is difficult now - you may need to import them.

Interesting, I didn't know about this option..so theoretically with this setup you could use any TV tuner? (Provided it works with a Linux system.) I'm guessing a Raspberry Pi would work as the Linux box?

I have a old USB tuner (Pinnacle PCTV nanoStick 73e) which, according to Gemini, works with a Pi, which in turn sounds like it could work with Minisatip.

fe31nz

1295 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 423

#3402715 15-Aug-2025 04:33

indapie2000:

Interesting, I didn't know about this option..so theoretically with this setup you could use any TV tuner? (Provided it works with a Linux system.) I'm guessing a Raspberry Pi would work as the Linux box?

I have a old USB tuner (Pinnacle PCTV nanoStick 73e) which, according to Gemini, works with a Pi, which in turn sounds like it could work with Minisatip.

Yes, minisatip will work with any Linux DVB tuner, and also ATSC now.

Reusing bits you already have is a great way to do things instead of having to spend serious money for an HDHomeRun. I have a couple of those old PCTV 73e tuners, and they are pretty good. I have never used them on a Pi though, but they have worked on various different Linux PCs for me. The downside of USB tuners with 24/7 operation is that USB connections are often not long-term stable - the cables and sockets can be moved and then get a bad connection or disconnection. So it would be best to put your Pi somewhere out of the way so the cat or the dusting and vacuuming will not bump it and cause the USB to disconnect. Putting a piece of board underneath the Pi and the tuner and taping them down firmly to prevent movement is a good idea.

Older Pis only do 100 Mbit/s Ethernet, but that is fine for a single DVB-T tuner. Maybe even for two tuners. But not three.

The 73e tuners also have an IR remote receiver for RC5 or RC6 protocol remotes - I currently have one of mine on my laptop in my mother's rest home room to do the IR remote for her to watch recordings on MythTV.

Minisatip is very low resource use, so it will work on things much smaller than a Pi. I have not compiled it for an ARM CPU, but I see no reason it would not work as it is used on all sorts of CPUs as part of various TV set top boxes being sold around the world.

https://github.com/catalinii/minisatip

indapie2000

199 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 26

#3405246 17-Aug-2025 23:50

Thanks for the advice and tips! I bought a Pi over the weekend and setup TVHeadend which has a built-in sat>IP setting. It took a bit of time to get going but I have everything working!

The 73e is connected to an indoor aerial (my place doesn't have an aerial on the roof) which is sitting in the window to pick up all Freeview channels. TVHeadend generates the playlist URL for Tivimate on my NVIDIA Shield (now I can enjoy The Chase on TVNZ 1 in glorious FHD with 5.1 surround 😅😅)

Only money I spent was on the Pi 5, figure I'll future proof myself with that purchase and find more projects to tinker with