PiPVR: Build your own Raspberry Pi (TV) Personal Video Recorder

Are you trying to cut the cord and ditch cable or satellite TV? Perhaps a Raspberry Pi can help. In this video we'll be installing the free and open source LibreELEC (Libre Embedded Linux Entertainment Center) software appliance on the world's most popular SBC (Single Board Computer).
While this guide uses the latest Pi 4, a third generation model should also suffice - you may even have one lying around in a drawer somewhere. If so, dig it out, you could be pleasantly surprised what such a small device is capable of.
By adding a few inexpensive accessories, we'll then utilise LibreELEC's pre-configured version of Kodi (media player), to set up a Tvheadend server and client - all on the same Raspberry Pi. Once configured, this will enable us to watch and record OTA (Over-The-Air) television broadcasts - even scheduling recordings through the built-in EPG (Electronic Programme Guide).
The video goes step by step through the procedure, hopefully making it easy to follow along. It also demonstrates how to watch the TV recordings on other devices on your home network. So save yourself some money and take control of your television viewing with your very own PiPVR!
Parts list:
Required
* Raspberry Pi (model 3 or 4)
* Micro SD card (16GB minimum)
* Raspberry Pi power supply
* TV/Monitor (with speakers)
* HDMI cable (Micro HDMI to HDMI, for Pi 4)
* TV tuner (Pi TV HAT or USB model)
* TV aerial (and cable)
* USB keyboard
* USB mouse
Optional
* USB 3 external SSD/hard drive (the bigger, the better)
* RF (Radio Frequency) remote control
* Raspberry Pi case
* Small fan
* Powered USB 3 hub (may be required, if the Pi needs more power)
Website links:
Raspberry Pi OS
www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/
USB booting on a Raspberry Pi 3
www.raspberrypi.org/documenta...
Additional credits:
Earwig Factory font courtesy of typodermicfonts.com (sourced from www.1001fonts.com/)
(Original) images sourced from the superb pixabay.com/

[@Tattysnuc]

Brilliant little run through. Thank you for taking the time to do this very comprehensive video.

[@TV-kj3gi]

Kodi can be set up to start direct to TV if desired. Go to Settings -- Interface -- Startup There select Perform on Startup On the menu select Play TV (or play Radio, of desired so)

[@retrosteve2732]

Thanks for this great guide, with a bit of tweaking I've managed to have my keep Raspberry Pi in a central location and I'm using Kodi on a Fire TV stick and another on a computer to stream all my live TV/recordings over my network.

[@tupolevi]

You're the best! Straight to the point explanation.

[@bytemypi2918]

Thank you. I try and keep the explanations nice and clear.

[@therealroga]

Super tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Good to hear another British accent too. Im now gonna search for a decent tuner and remote....

[@bytemypi2918]

No problem :) I use the following remote with my LibreELEC Pi: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08M3S9ZBM/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_6ZZSKB6K3585HN791Y6G It works really well, and even lights up! The only annoyance is it doesn't have a back button, so you have to return to the main menu each time instead of being able to go back one screen, but for the money it's definitely worth it.

[@barryrinehart9497]

Absolutely amazing video,

[@bytemypi2918]

Absolutely awesome feedback, thank you :)

[@CookedLight]

Superb, the right level of detail 🍻👍🏻

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated.

[@philipprudhomme6967]

Thank you, great guide.

[@stevenfox7378]

Nice clean and concise video 👍

[@aishasaeed2467]

What an impressive video! I hoped you had also made a video about using PVR with IPTV but alas you haven't yet. I found your tutorial to be the most clear. The only part I wasn't sure about is getting the remote control set up with it. Alas I dont have a TV aerial so I wont be able to progress yet. Will look out for more videos. Thank you

[@bytemypi2918]

Thank you. Your feedback is much appreciated. Apparently there's a Kodi addon called the "PVR IPTV Simple Client". I haven't tried it myself, but it could be worth a look. If you purchase a suitable RF remote control (one that works with Linux/Raspberry Pi) it will come with a little USB dongle. Then you just plug this into the Pi and away you go.

[@aishasaeed2467]

@@bytemypi2918 Thanks for the reply, will check it out ;)

[@bytemypi2918]

No problem. Enjoy.

[@heckyes]

Btw, this is my new favourite channel.

[@bytemypi2918]

Ta very much. Nice of you to say so :)

[@jasonnixon1714]

Thank you for this!

[@dave28kali]

BRILLIANT VIDEO. I'm a newbie to Raspberry Pi.. and so your step-by-step video gave me the confidence to go out and spend $140 (sg$) in total. I live in Singapore and so i had to TWEAK the Frequencies MANUALLY (as TVHeadend does NOT have PRESET FREQUENCIES for Singapore). I also plugged in a cheap china-made $5 Wireless USB Mini-Keyboard with Trackpad, and it ALL WORKS GREAT. Thanks again... you're the best :)

[@bytemypi2918]

No problem. Manually tweaking the TV frequencies sounds a bit of a chore. Glad you got it all working well. Thanks for your feedback.

[@dave28kali]

@@bytemypi2918 Yes tweaking the frequencies was a headache.. it took me a week to find them online. But, I do have 2 QUESTIONS... hopefully you can help me out. Question 1= at 24:30 your TV Guide is MULTI-COLOURED (easy on the eyes to look for programs), but mine is ALL GREY for ALL CHANNELS. How to get your MULTI-COLOURED tv guide ? Question 2= There is NO OPTION to RENAME the tv recorded videos. There is NO RIGHT-CLICK option on any video, to RENAME IT. Most of the tv recordings have VERY LONG CRAPPY titles that are AUTO ISSUED by the TV broadcaster. Is there an EASY WAY TO RENAME it (just like in Windows pc or any tv set-top box) ? I just want to have an option to RENAME some videos to the way i like it. Hope you can give me some tips.

[@bytemypi2918]

@@dave28kali I've never tried to either set or change any colours in the TV guide. I believe they are to do with the genre of the programmes and that this is usually assigned by the TV broadcaster. If the broadcaster is not assigning genres then the content won't be coloured - at least that's my understanding. With regard to renaming the recorded titles, again this is something I've never tried to do. I imagine that, even if you were able to somehow manually rename them, this could cause problems within the software, as it may still be looking for the original file names when you try to access the recordings.

[@dave28kali]

@@bytemypi2918 ok now i get it, and thanks for the prompt reply. I appreciate it :)

[@bytemypi2918]

@@dave28kali No problem :)

[@davidm7333]

Excellent tutorial, just finished doing it and very pleased with the results. Question, is there a limit to the quality of the picture? I'm currently testing it on an old, crap TV with an indoor aerial and the picture is reasonable but I can't tell if this is as good as it gets or if it's because of the TV or aerial why it seems a bit fuzzy with aliasing. Like can the Pi receive and stream HD content?

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks for the positive feedback. Both the Pi's hardware, and the software used in the video, are capable of handling HD content. Apparently the Pi 4 can even process 4K, though I've not tried this myself. An indoor aerial is probably not helping - I've never managed to get good results from one, but I suppose it depends on how good the TV reception is in your area. It sounds as though the television itself could also be a factor, although another area to consider is the TV tuner - make sure the model you're using can provide a HD signal. Enjoy your TV recordings.

[@davidm7333]

@@bytemypi2918 No problem, will keep tinkering. Gonna test on a better TV today. Subscribed and keep up the good work, getting off the ground on KZbin can be a real slog so don't give up. You should maybe (if you haven't already) post your video on an appropriate Reddit sub or forum. Cheers for the reply 👍

[@bytemypi2918]

Thank you for subscribing, much appreciated. Good luck with your tinkering - I sometimes think that's the best part. I hadn't thought about posting elsewhere, thanks for the suggestion.

[@An.Individual]

Very good

[@bytemypi2918]

Thank you

[@darekolade9355]

it is a good and money saving video

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks for your feedback :)

[@tommyb.6064]

Nice video but It seems that there is no way to get a composite / s-video input from that tv hat... as a dvr, i'm looking to capture ntsc / pal vhs content either hardware encoded with high bitrate onboard mpeg2 chip or passed thru in yuv 60i format where it can be properley recorded interlaced and then de-interlaced if needed.

[@bytemypi2918]

I think you'd need to investigate a USB capture device to record VHS content. You'd also want to make sure that it's compatible with both Linux and the Raspberry Pi :)

[@jasonnixon1714]

Looks like the TV Hat isn't compatible with OTA signals in the US. Can you and or anyone here recommend a USB tuner that isn't a pain to setup with the Pi 4 & Lebreelec?

[@martkt10]

Liked and subbed, great video and helpful, just two questions if i may, How big are the files for say a 30 min tv show and can you be recording a tv show and play a recorded one at the same time?

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks very much. For a 30 minute TV show, it would depend on whether you're recording the SD or HD broadcast. In Standard Definition you'd be looking about 500MB, whereas High Definition would be around 800MB. In answer to your second question, yes, you can definitely watch a recorded TV show at the same time as recording another. Hope that helps.

[@martkt10]

@@bytemypi2918 Thank you and have ordered a hat and 500gb hybrid hard drive for my pi 4

[@bytemypi2918]

You're welcome. Enjoy.

[@martkt10]

@@bytemypi2918 Sorry to be a pest, i have set it all up, and it works fine, but i have a question, is it possible to watch the live tv on another device connected to the network, say on a tablet and if you can and are watching something you want to record, can you still record on the pi and not on the tablet ? Thank you

[@bytemypi2918]

Yes, you can certainly do that, and it's not difficult to set up either. First you'll need to install Kodi on the other device. Then install the Tvheadend "client" addon (not the server). Go into the addon's settings and input the IP address of your PiPVR. Also enter your username and password, if you set these up in Tvheadend. That's it. You can now watch live TV on the additional device, and since its connected to the Tvheadend server, you can watch and schedule recordings as well - providing the Raspberry Pi is powered on of course!

[@TV-kj3gi]

I would like to share my setup for a tv server: Pi 4 with HDD capable case 500GB SSD for recordings and media files Ext. USB Dual DVB-T/T2 and DVB-C tuner 32GB SD-card with libreelec VDR as TV application (can be installed via the repository of libreelec). Air mouse remote control with numeric keypad and keyboard on its back (TV remote via CEC works too, but lacks keyboard which makes typing easier) Kodi has been setup to start direct to TV . Works fine. I can watch two individual programs or record one when watching another or record two programs and stream a recording/media file.

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks for sharing :)

[@vibrationrising]

Can load an sd boot loader to tell pi to boot from USB now within raspberry pi imager. Saves a couple steps

[@bytemypi2918]

It's always good to save steps :) Thanks for posting the update.

[@vibrationrising]

@@bytemypi2918 thanks for the great videos

[@bytemypi2918]

@@vibrationrising No problem. Glad you like them.

[@PoeLemic]

BMP ... Just found this video today. Got a question for you. I wish that there was something kindof like this. Real simple device. Say have some type of Raspberry Pi (or whatever) that has an HDMI IN, and you click some type of record button and it records whatever is coming into the HDMI-IN at a certain resolution you've already set. Because I'd like to change some stupid Cable Box recordings (as I'm about to cut cable) into MP3's or MP4's. And, also, be nice if you could mount a little LED on the outside to show it was recording, and it'd be nice if it was a simple remote-control single-button clicker. Click ON to record and Click OFF to stop (or whatever). Any ideas on that? Because I'm in America, and I don't have the stuff that I want on free airwaves. Ours is through cable. Okay, I hope that I've explained it. Kindof like a Raspberry-Pi DVR to record HD content. So, could you explore that? Lot of people sure would want to know how to do that. Then, better yet, it'd be so nice if it was just headless. I wish it could act like the old-school VCR's used to do. You click the RECORD BUTTON, you'd see a red light, and it'd be recording. And, it'd only stop until you hit the STOP BUTTON or if it ran out of tape. Boy, do I miss those easy days.

[@bytemypi2918]

I'm not sure how you'd do that on a Raspberry Pi, but it sounds as though you may need a HDMI capture device connected to a PC and then some software to capture the video such as OBS.

[@MURATAKPINAR7]

Does it work on Raspberry Pi 5? Thanks. 👍

[@Sarge92]

hat stands for hardware attatched on top? i was always under the impression it was just a cutesey name in the spirit of the arduino and its "shields"

[@bytemypi2918]

Yes, believe it or not, it is actually an acronym. I keep meaning to take a better look at the Arduino.

[@braylenhammond12]

I don't need another RF remote, my remote I got works fine

[@TV-kj3gi]

Small update: in the meantime it's possible to boot the OS via USB after Pi's firmware update

[@JarppaGuru]

installed lirbeelec going install tvheadend there is not. well its linux yesterday work tomorrow not. allmost like cant connect repositories. and tvheadend not default

[@alextrezvy6889]

There is such function as "normalize sound level" in video editing software.

[@davidecandiani3632]

Thanks, really interesting your video. I'm going to setup a box like this to enable the access to DvbT2. But just a question on remote control feature: once setup the box and the RF remote control, is it possible to switch the DvbT2 channels simply clicking the related number on the remote control set like in a normal tv? just for example ...clicking 2 on remote control set I expect to go to channel 2 and so on. Is it in this way? Or is it mandatory to open kodi TV menu every time and searching it in the channels list? Thx & Bye

[@bytemypi2918]

If you're watching live TV through Kodi, and are using an RF remote control with numbered buttons, you can simply press the corresponding button to change to the channel you want, just as you would on a standard TV. Hope that helps and thanks for your feedback.

[@davidecandiani3632]

@@bytemypi2918 For sure? Did you really try? It's important for me to decide if choose between this solution or other media tv box...

[@bytemypi2918]

@@davidecandiani3632 Yes, I always like to make sure. I tried it last night to double check.

[@davidecandiani3632]

@@bytemypi2918 Really thanks! you're very kind!...last question ...do you know also if CH+/CH- buttons work properly?

[@bytemypi2918]

@@davidecandiani3632 Just tried it now. Yes, the channel up and down buttons work too :)

[@seanwright5513]

Great video, however i am struggling, tv headend server is not seeing the tvhat tuner and only showing the IPTV option. all of the software is on the latest versions from what i can see as of 8/8/21 any suggestions?

[@bytemypi2918]

Thanks. Are you using the official Raspberry Pi TV HAT? If so, the driver should be built in to the software and the tuner should show up automatically. Try running "ls /dev/dvb" (without the quotes) in the Terminal to see if the TV tuner is detected. If it isn't, do you have another Raspberry Pi you can test it on? If it's not showing up on any Pi, you may have a faulty TV HAT. Hope this helps.

[@seanwright5513]

@@bytemypi2918 thanks for the support no I dont have a second Pi to try it on but will give what you suggest a go. the TV hat and pi where both bought from the Pi hut so assume they are both genuine.

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 The Pi Hut is a decent supplier, so if it does turn out that the TV HAT is faulty, you shouldn't have any problem getting it replaced. Hope all goes well.

[@seanwright5513]

@@bytemypi2918 just tried typing Is /dev/dvb into Pi terminal and it comes back as Bash Is command not found any other suggestions? Sean

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 Try typing "cd /dev/dvb" (without the quotes) and press Enter. Then type "ls" (also without the quotes) and press Enter again. Hopefully this will show if the TV HAT's tuner is being detected or not.

[@cattywool1]

Can u build an open source IP tv headend.

[@bytemypi2918]

You can add an iptv url to tvheadend to enable it to pick up iptv channels.

[@seanwright5513]

I have a question that is not directly related to the pvr, can you use a powered usb hub to attach more than one usb hdd to the pi?

[@bytemypi2918]

Yes, you can certainly use a powered USB hub to attach more than one USB HDD to the Pi. The bigger issue would be getting Tvheadend to record to them. You could potentially set up some form of storage pool with a technology like LVM, but its much easier (and less problematic) to simply use a larger hard drive. Hope that helps :)

[@seanwright5513]

@@bytemypi2918 that's great, its not for recording its so we can access film archives and music which have been stored on external UDB Hdds, last question i hope, everything seems to work apart from the long press of the OK button on the LG remote to delete recordings, everything else seems to work ok via the hdmi cable any suggestions as to how we can get round this?

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 Does long pressing the OK button bring up a new menu, but the delete option is missing, or doesn't long pressing OK do anything?

[@seanwright5513]

@@bytemypi2918 No it dosn't, it just reacts as though the OK button has been pressed and selects the recording.

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 I was hoping you were going to say that the delete option was missing as that's an easier fix! Having reread your original message I note that you're using an LG remote, so I'm assuming you're using CEC to control the Pi. If that's the case, unfortunately I don't think CEC supports the long press function, but you may be able to pull up the same context menu by pressing a menu/sub menu button on your remote. Alternatively, though not ideal, you could pick up a cheap IR remote with a USB adapter and use that instead. Hope you manage to sort out a solution :)

[@user-qy4sz1io7c]

Is there a way to stream all chanells from rpi to home cable coax network?

[@bytemypi2918]

You should be able to access TV and recordings from any device on your local network that you can install Kodi on to (just add the Tvheadend client). Hope that helps :)

[@user-qy4sz1io7c]

@@bytemypi2918 im trying to find a way to stream all rpi chanells from kodi to analpg signal so my old tv's can find them

[@bytemypi2918]

@@user-qy4sz1io7c I haven't used one, but a device like the following is designed to take a HDMI signal and convert it to RCA so that it can be connected to an analogue TV: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08C2GQ82L/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Z4DE0PVTFNZW40KXR9X2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@seanwright5513]

finaly got back to trying to install this and managed to get everything working now except there is no audio and the TV is turned up? any suggestions?

[@bytemypi2918]

Is there any sound at all? The menus in Kodi usually making a clicking noise when you navigate through them. Can you hear this?

[@seanwright5513]

@@bytemypi2918 no no sound and the remote for the tv does not control the pvr either which im sure it used to the tv is an lg tv. Thanks for your help.

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 Since there's no sound at all there are a couple of things to check: Make sure the HDMI cable is connected to the port on the Raspberry Pi next to the power supply. If, after a restart, that makes no difference check LibreElec's Settings. In the 'System' section, go to the 'Audio' tab and ensure that the connection type is set to HDMI. Regarding the remote control, I don't use the TV remote to control my Pi, but the setting you're after should be in 'Settings --> System --> Input --> Peripherals --> CEC'. Hope that helps :)

[@seanwright5513]

Brill success thank you for all your help. Just need to teach my partner how to use it now.

[@bytemypi2918]

@@seanwright5513 You're welcome. Glad you're up and running :)

[@Aknow]

Does it also work with DVB-C in Europe?

[@bytemypi2918]

I don't see why not, so long as you have the right kind of tuner. I doubt you'll be able to use the Pi's TV HAT, as I think that's just DVB-T/T2, but a USB DVB-C TV tuner that's compatible with the Raspberry Pi/Linux should work fine. Something like the Hauppauge WinTV-dualHD Dual Tuner USB should fit the bill nicely: www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_dualhd.html

[@Aknow]

@@bytemypi2918 Great, thanks!

[@bytemypi2918]

@@Aknow No problem :)

[@heckyes]

So... how does this thing retrieve all the TV shows and information? Is this just receiving all of the TV streams over the air?

[@bytemypi2918]

That's exactly right. You connect a TV aerial to the Pi and away you go!

[@heckyes]

@@bytemypi2918 Did the video actually show the aerial? I don't recall seeing it.

[@heckyes]

@@bytemypi2918 Nvm, I see it mentioned early in the video on the parts list. Can it be any kind of aerial as long as it connects through coax? There are some cheap 130 mile aerials on Amazon right now . Hrmmmm very tempting to try this all out!

[@bytemypi2918]

@@heckyes I used the official Raspberry Pi TV HAT connected to the house aerial, but you could use a USB TV tuner so long as its compatible with the Pi/Linux.

[@heckyes]

@@bytemypi2918 Thanks so much. I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!

[@thebestcommenter22]

im trying to get cable back with this lmao

[@daviddavidsonn3578]

check price of pi tv hat. more expensive than most complete DVB-T2 recorders....🤣🤣

[@koppo5657]

Lol. Too hard for me. Wayyyyyyyy out of my league. Just gonna stick to my VCR

[@bytemypi2918]

Blimey do people still use those! Having said that, I did a video last year on ripping CDs :)

[@koppo5657]

@@bytemypi2918 Yah. I one of the few that still have ANALOG cable tv subscription

[@koppo5657]

@@bytemypi2918 And it doesn't really look that bad

[@bytemypi2918]

@@koppo5657 They turned off the analogue TV signal in the UK years ago so its all digital now.

[@koppo5657]

@@bytemypi2918 Wait. Even analog cable subscription? I thought it was just analog antenna that shut down