[mythtv-users] mythtv and iptv

[Stephen Worthington]

On Wed, 11 Mar 2020 12:38:17 +0100, you wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I cannot use my antenna for the moment, so I would like to know if 
>mythtv can show and record (german) iptv.
>
>I use iptv for example with vlc in Debian, but I found no way to 
>programm recording. Vlc can only record live-stream.
>
>I found https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/IPTV, but I do not really understand.
>
>There is no result with "$ apt-cache search mythtv | grep iptv"
>
>cheers
>
>Klaus

IPTV support is built into mythbackend - there are no extra packages
needed.  This is because the same code is used to record from network
tuners, which are reasonably well supported in MythTV.

You need to add one or more new IPTV tuners in mythtv-setup and
provide them with a .m3u file with all the channel URLs and associated
data in it.  You will likely need to put them on a new sourceid.

See these pages for more information, including about the particular
.m3u format used by MythTV:

https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/User_Manual:Setting_up_HTTP_Live_Streaming_Recorder
https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/IPTV_Encoders_as_a_Capture_Device

Each IPTV tuner should be set up for 2 multirec tuners, so that it can
record back-to-back programmes from the same IPTV stream.  You need
one IPTV tuner for each separate IPTV stream that you want to record
from at the same time.

MythTV can only record from straightforward URLs up to v30.  V31 may
be able to handle URLs where there is redirection.  As far as I know,
it can only record from http:, https:, udp: or rtsp: URLs.  It can
only handle encrypted URLs using standard https:, and any login can
only be pretty basic - the username and password must be in the URL.
So not all URLs that work in VLC will work in MythTV.

How do you get your EPG?  If you are getting that from your antenna,
then you will need a different source for that also.  If not, then you
can use the current EPG source and will need to put the same  xmltvid
values you are currently using for each channel into the .m3u file you
create for the IPTV tuners.