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vk496/jellyfin-htsp-tuner

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

4C#Audience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TLDR

A Jellyfin plugin that pulls live TV directly from Tvheadend using its full streaming connection, instead of the simpler fallback method the official plugin uses.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((HTSP Tuner))
    What it does
      Live TV for Jellyfin
      Uses Tvheadend
      Full stream connection
    Features
      Accurate stream metadata
      Multiple audio tracks
      Shared subscriptions
    Limitations
      No teletext subtitles
      Rate limited guide refresh
    Use cases
      Home media server
      Live TV streaming
      Program guide automation

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Add live TV channels from a Tvheadend server into a Jellyfin media server

USE CASE 2

Get automatic program guide setup without manually mapping channels

USE CASE 3

Watch live TV with correct video quality, HDR, and audio language handling

USE CASE 4

Share a single TV stream connection across multiple viewers watching the same channel

What is it built with?

C#JellyfinTvheadendHTSPMPEG-TS

How does it compare?

vk496/jellyfin-htsp-tunerallquixotic/conanpatcheri-stream/crossef
Stars455
LanguageC#C#C#
Last pushed2022-12-08
MaintenanceDormant
Setup difficultymoderatemoderateeasy
Complexity3/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

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

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires an existing Jellyfin server and a running Tvheadend server to connect to.

In plain English

This project is a plugin for Jellyfin, the open-source media server, that lets it pull in live TV channels from a separate program called Tvheadend, which handles TV tuner hardware and channel data. Jellyfin already has an official plugin for Tvheadend, but that older plugin only uses Tvheadend's richer connection method, called HTSP, to fetch channel names and program guide information. For the actual video, it falls back to a simpler and less capable method. This new plugin instead uses that richer connection for the video itself, so the stream is pulled directly and reassembled inside Jellyfin rather than fetched a plainer way. To use it, you add it the same way you would add any live TV tuner in Jellyfin, and you can add more than one if you have multiple Tvheadend servers. Once you add a working connection, Jellyfin automatically sets up the matching program guide, so you do not have to manually match channels to guide listings. Beyond basic streaming, the plugin tries to get technical details right automatically, things like video quality, color information, and audio languages, so that Jellyfin makes good decisions about whether to play a stream directly or convert it first. It supports multiple audio tracks and marks audio description tracks for accessibility. Subtitles that are transmitted as images are carried through and shown, though an older style of subtitle called teletext is deliberately left out because Jellyfin cannot currently display it without breaking playback. Each channel keeps a limited amount of video buffered in memory rather than saving to disk, so a viewer who is briefly behind does not stall or fill up storage. If several people are watching the same channel, they share a single connection instead of each opening a new one. The plugin also tries to fill in artwork for TV shows that do not have any pictures available, by grabbing an occasional still image from the live video itself and stamping the channel's logo on it, done carefully to avoid interfering with anyone actively watching. It also cleans up leftover artwork files for old programs that Jellyfin itself forgets to delete. Recording still happens through Jellyfin's own recording feature, working the same way it would with any other tuner.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up this HTSP Tuner plugin in Jellyfin and connect it to my Tvheadend server.
Prompt 2
Explain why my teletext subtitles are not showing up when using this Jellyfin plugin.
Prompt 3
Walk me through configuring multiple Tvheadend tuners in Jellyfin using this plugin.
Prompt 4
Show me how the plugin's buffer size setting affects live TV playback stability.

Frequently asked questions

What is jellyfin-htsp-tuner?

A Jellyfin plugin that pulls live TV directly from Tvheadend using its full streaming connection, instead of the simpler fallback method the official plugin uses.

What language is jellyfin-htsp-tuner written in?

Mainly C#. The stack also includes C#, Jellyfin, Tvheadend.

How hard is jellyfin-htsp-tuner to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is jellyfin-htsp-tuner for?

Mainly developer.

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