Streaming Digital TV with the Raspberry Pi
TVHeadend is now in the Raspbian software repo and if you have a USB Digital TV Tuner (DVB-T) you can stream live TV, timeshift and record.
Before you get the pitchforks out and start with the “HaVEn’T YoU heARd AboUT CaTChUP Tv?!” on me, let me explain.
Have a Shitty TV and no DVR? sorted
no internet? you’re good
love Kodi or vlc? it works with them
someone is using the TV and someone else is choking your connection with bittorrent? yep, you can still watch TV
The only other things you need to know is that the web interface is useless for streaming in the brower. A Pi 3 can only stream radio channels on it and a Pi 4 with 4gb of ram can only do standard definition. Don’t bother trying transcoding either. Sadly not all HD Channels are rebroadcast in SD so what you need to use it smoothly is Kodi or Vlc.
The play program button in the web frontend will download a m3u file which will open in Vlc or other video players.
![](https://i1.wp.com/www.drogueship.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pi-tv-playlist.png?fit=580%2C265&ssl=1)
Kodi will integrate the TV Guide and other features too.
![](https://i2.wp.com/www.drogueship.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/image393.jpg?fit=580%2C435&ssl=1)
This probably doesn’t appeal to everyone but it can be done. The people it does appeal to probably don’t watch much TV and the remainder will be pissed that this is not a tutorial.