explaingit

mikachu/tvtime

Analysis updated 2026-07-21 · repo last pushed 2011-10-06

1CAudience · developerComplexity · 4/5DormantSetup · hard

TLDR

tvtime is a Linux TV viewer that takes live broadcast signals from a TV capture card and displays high-quality video on your monitor, with deinterlacing and on-screen controls. This repo holds work-in-progress patches for developers testing modifications.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Displays live TV on monitor
      Deinterlaces broadcast video
      On-screen display menu
      Keyboard channel control
    Tech stack
      C programming language
      Video capture card input
      Multiple deinterlacing algorithms
    Use cases
      Home theater PC viewing
      Watch cable or satellite feeds
      Connect DVD player or receiver
    Audience
      Developers testing patches
      Videophiles wanting quality
    Broadcast standards
      NTSC support
      PAL support
      SECAM support

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Watch live cable or satellite TV through a computer connected to a projector or monitor.

USE CASE 2

Process external video sources like a DVD player or digital satellite receiver through your PC.

USE CASE 3

Test and evaluate different deinterlacing algorithms to find the best quality-to-performance ratio for your hardware.

USE CASE 4

Apply and test developer patches modifying the original tvtime video processing code.

What is it built with?

CLinuxVideo capture hardware

How does it compare?

mikachu/tvtimeabrown/aomadroxz1122/injected-host-enumeration
Stars111
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2011-10-062020-03-11
MaintenanceDormantDormant
Setup difficultyhardhardmoderate
Complexity4/55/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires a TV capture card, Linux environment, and building from source with C dependencies on a system meant for patch testing.

No license information is provided in this repository, so usage rights are unclear.

In plain English

tvtime is a software application that turns your computer into a high-quality television. It takes the video signal from a TV capture card inside your computer and displays it on your monitor or projector. The main goal of the project is to deliver the best possible picture quality, making it a great choice for videophiles who care about smooth motion and crisp visuals. At a high level, the software receives a raw TV broadcast signal and applies various processing techniques to make it look great on a modern screen. One of the key things it does is "deinterlacing," which means it processes the broadcast in a way that smooths out motion and removes visual artifacts. It also includes an on-screen display menu system, letting you use your keyboard to change channels, adjust picture settings, manage your channel lineup, and tweak the audio, much like a traditional TV remote control. This tool is designed for people who have a video capture card in their computer and want to watch live television through it. For example, if you have a computer hooked up to a projector in your home theater, you could use this software to watch cable or satellite feeds with better visual quality than a standard television might offer. It supports different broadcast standards used around the world, including NTSC, PAL, and SECAM, so it works for users in various countries. You can even use it with external devices like a DVD player or a digital satellite receiver. The project is built in the C programming language, which makes sense for an application focused on high-performance video processing. The technical focus is on offering multiple deinterlacing algorithms, letting users choose the best balance of visual quality and processor usage for their specific computer. It is worth noting that this particular repository contains work-in-progress patches on the software rather than the main standalone project, so it is intended for developers looking to test modifications to the original code.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up tvtime with a TV capture card on Linux, including which kernel modules I need and how to configure the input source.
Prompt 2
I have a DVD player connected to my TV capture card via composite input. Walk me through configuring tvtime to display the external video source with optimal deinterlacing settings.
Prompt 3
Compare the different deinterlacing algorithms available in tvtime and help me choose the best one for a low-powered CPU while maintaining good picture quality.
Prompt 4
I am testing patches in the tvtime repository. Help me build the project from source on a modern Linux distribution and resolve common compilation issues with deprecated C libraries.
Prompt 5
Show me how to configure tvtime keyboard shortcuts for channel switching, audio adjustment, and picture settings using the on-screen display menu.

Frequently asked questions

What is tvtime?

tvtime is a Linux TV viewer that takes live broadcast signals from a TV capture card and displays high-quality video on your monitor, with deinterlacing and on-screen controls. This repo holds work-in-progress patches for developers testing modifications.

What language is tvtime written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, Linux, Video capture hardware.

Is tvtime actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2011-10-06).

What license does tvtime use?

No license information is provided in this repository, so usage rights are unclear.

How hard is tvtime to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is tvtime for?

Mainly developer.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Verify against the repo before relying on details.