How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?

How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?

Below are some basic and straightforward instructions to get Live TV set-up on your Media centre, computer or Raspberry PI in just a few minutes.

How to setup Live TV on OpenELEC

How do I setup Live TV on OpenELEC?

The below instructions assume you have a media box, Raspberry PI or pc etc setup with OpenELEC Frodo or later and have a Linux compatible TV tuner card or usb stick connected.

If you live in the UK and want HD freeview channels I would recommend  the USB plugin “PCTV NanoStick PCTV Systems DVB-T2 290e nanoStick HD TV Tuner” this is made by Pinnacle / Hauppauge (note – OpenELEC will recognise it as a Sony CSD282, but this is ok)

Just follow the below guide to get it up and running;

  1. First you must install the Backend server – this is what controls the TV tuner card, grabs the channel etc ….
    • This add on needs to be installed from with in the XBMC Add-on Manager
    • Go to – Settings > Add-ons > Get add-ons > OpenELEC Mediacenter OS Add-ons > Services
    • Select tvheadend
    • Click Install
    • Reboot your machine.
  1. Second you need to install the front end
    • Go to – Settings > Live TV
    • Select Enabled.
    •  A small message box will appear telling you need to install at least one PVR Client
    •  Select OK.
    • Scroll down the list and select “tvheadend”
    • Click Enable.
    • Go back to the home screen
    • Reboot the machine.

     

  2. Last you need to setup your tuner card on the backend server – this is done via a web interface.
  • From within a web browser type in the following changing the “ipaddress” for the address of the device running OpenELEC  http://ipaddress:9981 e.g. http://192.168.1.2:9981
  • You are should now see the following interface.OpenElec Live TV
  • Go to > Configuration > DVB Inputs > TV Adaptors.
  • Select the drop down menu and choose your TV tuner.
    • Enable “Autodetect muxes” and “Idle scanning”
  • Click Save.
  • On the left you will see a button marked “Add DVB Network by location”. – Click it
    • Select your country
    • Select the Transmitter that is nearest for you.
    • Click ”Add DVB Network”.
    • Wait for “Muxes awaiting initial scan” to become 0
  • Click the “Map DVB services to channels” button.
  • Click on the “channel / DVB” button, you should see a list of all the channels your box has found.
    1. If there are no channels showing give it a few minutes to finish scanning.
    2. If there are still no channels showing check that you have selected the correct transmitter.
  • If some of the channels are missing you might need to add a Multiplex manually – for example the UK crystal palace transmitter is currently missing the HD multiplex, you have to add this manually.
    1. Go to > Configuration, DVB Inputs > Multiplexes
    2. Click “Add mux(es) manually”
    3. Enter the details of the missing mux.
    4. Enter the Frequency of the e.g. for the crystal palace HD multiplex enter 546000.
    5. Leave all the other options as Auto.
    6. Click add.

Reboot the machine.

That is it, your device should now be up and running if you go to to your home screen you should see a Live TV button –  go into this section to watch live tv or setup recordings.

 

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