Live TV¶

Tentacle replaces tools like Threadfin as an HDHomeRun tuner emulator for Jellyfin. Add your IPTV provider and get live channels with full EPG guide data inside Jellyfin.

How It Works¶

Tentacle emulates an HDHomeRun network tuner device. When Jellyfin discovers the tuner, it sees Tentacle as a native TV device — no third-party tools needed.

1. You add a Live TV provider in Tentacle
2. Tentacle fetches channel groups and their channels
3. You enable the groups you want
4. Tentacle serves channel data via HDHomeRun endpoints
5. Jellyfin discovers the tuner and loads your channels with EPG

Jellyfin  ←→  HDHomeRun API  ←→  Tentacle  ←→  IPTV Provider
              (discover.json)      (stream
               lineup.json)        proxy)

Adding a Live TV Provider¶

Go to the Live TV page and add a provider. Live TV providers are separate from VOD providers — they use the same credentials format but are configured independently.

Provider Types¶

User-Agent¶

Some providers require a specific User-Agent header to allow streaming. If your provider blocks connections, try setting the User-Agent in the provider settings (e.g., TiviMate/4.7.0).

Channel Groups¶

After adding a provider, click Sync to fetch channel groups. Groups are organized by your provider (Sports, Entertainment, News, etc.) and show the channel count for each.

Enabling Groups¶

Toggle on the groups you want. Only channels from enabled groups are served to Jellyfin. This lets you keep your channel list manageable.

Bulk Actions¶

You can enable or disable multiple groups at once, or filter groups by keyword to quickly find what you need.

Channels¶

After syncing channels, you can:

• Enable/disable individual channels
• Edit channel names and numbers
• See EPG status — "Has EPG" or "No EPG" badges based on actual program data

Stable Channel IDs¶

Tentacle uses your provider's stream ID as the channel number, not sequential numbering. This means channel numbers stay consistent even when you add or remove channels — your Jellyfin recordings and favorites won't break.

EPG (Electronic Program Guide)¶

Tentacle downloads XMLTV guide data from your provider and stores it in the database. EPG data covers ALL provider channels (not just enabled ones), so when you enable a new channel, it already has EPG data available.

EPG Refresh¶

• Automatic — EPG syncs automatically after channel sync (auto-chaining)
• Manual — Click "Sync EPG" to refresh guide data
• Cache — EPG data is cached on disk for 8 hours to avoid repeated downloads

Shared EPG IDs¶

Multiple channels can share the same EPG data (e.g., an HD channel and its backup). Tentacle handles this automatically — program data is duplicated for all matching channels in the XMLTV output.

Connecting to Jellyfin¶

Add the Tuner¶

1. In Jellyfin, go to Dashboard → Live TV → Tuner Devices → Add
2. Select HD Homerun as the tuner type
3. Enter the Tentacle address: http://<tentacle-ip>:8888
4. Jellyfin will discover the device automatically

Add the Guide Provider¶

1. In Jellyfin, go to Dashboard → Live TV → TV Guide Data Providers → Add
2. Select XMLTV
3. Enter the guide URL: http://<tentacle-ip>:8888/api/live/xmltv.xml
4. Save and click Refresh Guide

Verify¶

After setup, you should see your enabled channels in Jellyfin's Live TV section with program guide data. If channels are missing EPG, sync EPG in Tentacle and refresh the guide in Jellyfin.

Stream Proxy¶

Tentacle proxies live streams between Jellyfin and your provider. This handles:

• Provider redirects — Follows redirect chains automatically
• HLS to MPEG-TS conversion — Converts HLS streams to MPEG-TS format for Jellyfin compatibility
• User-Agent forwarding — Uses the configured User-Agent when connecting to the provider

HDHomeRun Endpoints¶

These endpoints are served automatically — you don't need to configure them manually:

Troubleshooting¶