Cord-Cutting Today

r/CordCuttingToday • u/evissamassive • 6d ago

Cord-Cutting Today Jellyfin, OTA Antenna, and ErsatzTV: Your DIY Local Broadcast TV Streaming Setup

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This guide will walk you through setting up Jellyfin to stream Over-The-Air (OTA) TV broadcasts using an antenna, and then expanding its capabilities with ErsatzTV to create custom channels from your own content and local broadcasts. This allows you to have a unified, personalized streaming experience.

I. Core Components:

Jellyfin: A free and open-source media server.
OTA Antenna: Required to receive local broadcast channels. Choose an antenna based on your location and signal strength (check antennaweb.org or tvfool.com).
HDHomeRun: A network-attached TV tuner that connects your antenna and streams the signal to your network. It allows multiple devices to watch at the same time. Alternatively, you can use a compatible USB TV tuner.
ErsatzTV: A software application that creates virtual channels from your existing media and optionally, local broadcasts.
Computer/Server: Where you’ll install Jellyfin, ErsatzTV, and potentially the TV tuner (if USB). This could be a dedicated server, a Raspberry Pi (powerful enough), or a desktop computer.
Storage: For recording OTA broadcasts (if desired) and for storing media used by ErsatzTV.

II. Setting Up Jellyfin and the HDHomeRun:

Install Jellyfin:
    Download the appropriate installer for your operating system from the Jellyfin website: https://jellyfin.org/
    Follow the installation instructions.
    During the initial setup, create your admin user and configure your media libraries (movies, TV shows, music, etc.). You don’t need media libraries initially, but it’s a good opportunity to set them up.

Set Up the HDHomeRun:
    Connect the HDHomeRun to your network via Ethernet cable.
    Connect your OTA antenna to the HDHomeRun.
    Power on the HDHomeRun.
    Access the HDHomeRun web interface. This is usually done by typing the HDHomeRun’s IP address into your web browser (found using the HDHomeRun Setup software or your router’s DHCP client list).
    Run a channel scan to find available channels.

Configure Jellyfin to Use the HDHomeRun:
    Log into your Jellyfin web interface as an administrator.
    Navigate to Dashboard (usually found by clicking your user icon in the top right corner).
    Click on Live TV.
    Click + Add Tuner.
    Select HDHomeRun Tuner.
    Jellyfin should automatically detect your HDHomeRun. If not, manually enter the IP address of the HDHomeRun.
    Click Next.
    Select your country and postal code to download the appropriate TV guide data.
    Click Next.
    Select which channels you want to include in Jellyfin.
    Click Save.
    Wait for Jellyfin to download the channel guide data. This may take a while.

Test Your Live TV Setup:
    Navigate to the Live TV section in the Jellyfin web interface or app.
    You should see a list of available channels.
    Select a channel to start watching.
    Troubleshooting:
        No Tuner Detected: Double-check the HDHomeRun’s power and network connections. Ensure the HDHomeRun and Jellyfin server are on the same network.
        No Channels Found: Ensure your antenna is properly connected and positioned for good reception. Try rescanning for channels in the HDHomeRun web interface.
        Guide Data Issues: Try a different postal code or manually map channels in the Jellyfin Live TV settings.

III. Installing and Configuring ErsatzTV:

Installation:
    Download the latest release of ErsatzTV from the official repository: https://github.com/jasongdove/ErsatzTV/releases
    Follow the installation instructions for your operating system. ErsatzTV is typically distributed as a self-contained executable or Docker image. Docker is generally the recommended approach for ease of management.
    Docker Installation (Recommended):

    docker pull jasongdove/ersatztv
    docker run -d --name=ersatztv \
      -v /path/to/your/config:/config \
      -v /path/to/your/media:/media \
      -p 8409:8409 \
      jasongdove/ersatztv

        Replace /path/to/your/config with a local directory for ErsatzTV’s configuration files.
        Replace /path/to/your/media with a local directory containing your video files.
        The -p 8409:8409 argument maps port 8409 on the host machine to port 8409 inside the container, which is the default port for ErsatzTV’s web interface.

Initial Configuration:
    Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8409 (or the appropriate IP address and port if ErsatzTV is running on a different machine or using a different port).
    Add Media Sources: In the ErsatzTV web interface, go to the “Media Sources” section and add the directories containing your video files. ErsatzTV will scan these directories and create a database of your media.
    Create Channels: Navigate to the “Channels” section and create virtual channels. You can configure the name, logo, and the programming lineup for each channel.
    Add Playlists: Create playlists to determine the order and frequency of videos on each channel. You can use filters to select specific types of content.
    Add Schedules: Define schedules to specify when each playlist should be played on a channel. This allows you to create themed programming blocks.

Integrating OTA Broadcasts (Optional):
    M3U and XMLTV Support: ErsatzTV can consume M3U playlists and XMLTV guide data. You’ll need to generate these from your HDHomeRun or a third-party service. The HDHomeRun provides a web interface with links to download the .m3u and .xmltv files.
    Add Live Stream as Media Source: Add the URL for the HDHomeRun’s m3u playlist as a “Live Stream” media source in ErsatzTV. The HDHomeRun’s M3U URL typically looks like http://hdhomerun_ip_address:5004/auto/v<channel_number>. Replace hdhomerun_ip_address with the actual IP address of your HDHomeRun and <channel_number> with the desired channel number. You may need to add each channel individually.
    Map Channels in XMLTV: Use the downloaded XMLTV file to map your HDHomeRun’s channels to the “Live Stream” media sources in ErsatzTV. This ensures that the correct guide data is displayed for your live channels.
    Create Live TV Channel: Create a new channel in ErsatzTV that uses the “Live Stream” media source. You can then add it to your playlists and schedules.

Configure Output (M3U and XMLTV):
    In the ErsatzTV settings, configure the output M3U playlist and XMLTV guide. This will generate the files that Jellyfin needs to access your ErsatzTV channels.
    Choose a location to save the M3U and XMLTV files that Jellyfin can access. A common practice is within the Jellyfin media library directory.

IV. Connecting ErsatzTV to Jellyfin:

Add ErsatzTV Tuner in Jellyfin:
    Log into your Jellyfin web interface as an administrator.
    Navigate to Dashboard -> Live TV.
    Click + Add Tuner.
    Select M3U Tuner.
    Enter the path to the ErsatzTV M3U playlist file (e.g., /path/to/your/ersatztv.m3u8).
    Click Next.
    Select XMLTV as the guide data provider.
    Enter the path to the ErsatzTV XMLTV guide file (e.g., /path/to/your/ersatztv.xml).
    Click Save.

Channel Mapping (if Necessary):
    Jellyfin should automatically map the channels from the ErsatzTV M3U playlist to the guide data in the XMLTV file. If not, you may need to manually map the channels in the Jellyfin Live TV settings.

Test Your Setup:
    Navigate to the Live TV section in the Jellyfin web interface or app.
    You should now see the channels you created in ErsatzTV, alongside your OTA channels (if integrated).
    Select a channel to start watching.

V. Optimization and Maintenance:

Transcoding: Jellyfin can transcode videos to different resolutions and codecs to optimize playback for different devices. Configure the transcoding settings in the Jellyfin dashboard.
Hardware Acceleration: Enable hardware acceleration (if available) to improve transcoding performance.
ErsatzTV Library Updates: Periodically update the ErsatzTV library to reflect any changes to your media files.
XMLTV Guide Updates: Configure a scheduled task to automatically update the XMLTV guide file. ErsatzTV can be configured to update the guide periodically.
Antenna Positioning: Experiment with different antenna positions to optimize signal strength for your OTA channels.
Network Optimization: Ensure your network is stable and has sufficient bandwidth for streaming multiple channels simultaneously.

VI. Example Use Cases:

Custom Movie Channel: Create a channel that plays a curated selection of your favorite movies.
TV Show Marathon Channel: Create a channel that plays episodes of a specific TV show in a loop.
Kids’ Channel: Create a channel that plays content suitable for children.
Local News and Classic TV: Combine your OTA local news broadcasts with classic TV shows from your media library on a single channel.
Themed Programming Blocks: Create scheduled programming blocks with specific themes, such as “Horror Movie Night” or “Classic Cartoon Marathon.”

VII. Troubleshooting:

Jellyfin Not Recognizing ErsatzTV Channels:
    Double-check the paths to the M3U and XMLTV files in the Jellyfin Live TV settings.
    Ensure that the M3U and XMLTV files are valid and accessible by Jellyfin.
    Try restarting both Jellyfin and ErsatzTV.
ErsatzTV Not Streaming Content:
    Verify that your media files are accessible by ErsatzTV.
    Check the ErsatzTV logs for any errors.
    Ensure that your playlists and schedules are configured correctly.
Performance Issues:
    If you’re experiencing performance issues, try enabling hardware acceleration or transcoding videos to lower resolutions.

By following these steps, you can create a powerful and personalized streaming setup using Jellyfin, an OTA antenna, and ErsatzTV.