MythTV

MythTV

MythTV is an open source digital video recorder (DVR) software that allows users to watch and record live TV on their computers. It provides TV guide support, scheduling recordings, video playback, and plugins for additional functionality.
MythTV image
dvr tv recordings guide plugins

MythTV: Open Source Digital Video Recorder Softwares

MythTV is an open source digital video recorder (DVR) software that allows users to watch and record live TV on their computers. It provides TV guide support, scheduling recordings, video playback, and plugins for additional functionality.

What is MythTV?

MythTV is a free and open source digital video recorder (DVR) software that allows users to watch and record live TV on their computers. Developed in 2002, MythTV turns a computer into a digital video recorder that can function similarly to set-top boxes from cable or satellite providers.

Some key features and capabilities of MythTV include:

  • TV tuner card support - Works with compatible USB or PCI tuner cards to receive video input.
  • TV guide data and program scheduling - Users can browse listings and schedule recordings of upcoming programs.
  • Recording management - Scheduled recordings can be managed, watched, edited, and converted into different file formats.
  • Video playback - Stored videos can be played back, paused, skipped, etc with an interface similar to video streaming services.
  • Plugins and addons - The system is highly customizable via community-developed plugins, scripts, and user interface themes.
  • Remote frontends - Thin client apps allow scheduling and watching recordings from other devices.

Overall, for users interested in recording over-the-air television or free-to-air satellite programming, MythTV provides one of the most full-featured open source DVR solutions available to run on Linux and other platforms.

MythTV Features

Features

  1. Live TV playback and recording
  2. Electronic program guide
  3. Commercial skipping
  4. Remote frontends
  5. Plugins and themes
  6. Mobile apps
  7. Transcoding
  8. Metadata scraping

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Highly customizable

No monthly fees

Large plugin library

Works with HDHomeRun tuners

Cons

Complex setup

Steep learning curve

Requires dedicated PC

Limited device support

No cloud DVR features


The Best MythTV Alternatives

Top Video & Movies and Media Center Software and other similar apps like MythTV


Plex icon

Plex

Plex is a feature-rich media server application that allows you to bring together your personal media library, organize it beautifully, and stream it to all of your devices. It provides a single interface through which you can easily access and enjoy your personal media, whether you are at home or...
Plex image
Emby icon

Emby

Emby is an open-source media server designed to help you organize, play, and stream your media collection across devices. It allows you to bring together your personal videos, music, photos, and live TV into one unified platform that is accessible from any device on your network.Some key features of Emby...
Emby image
Infuse icon

Infuse

Infuse is a feature-rich media player application developed by FireCore for iOS and Apple TV devices. It supports playback of a wide variety of video, audio, and photo file formats including MKV, AVI, MP4, MOV, FLAC, AAC, and more. Some key features of Infuse include:Intuitive and user-friendly interface for browsing...
Infuse image
IPTV-Player.com icon

IPTV-Player.com

IPTV-Player.com is a free IPTV media player for Windows that makes it easy to watch IPTV streams on your computer. It supports the most popular IPTV formats including M3U and XSPF playlist formats. Some of the standout features of IPTV-Player.com include:Support for live streaming and video on demand (VOD)Electronic program...
Tvheadend icon

Tvheadend

Tvheadend is an open source DVB TV streaming server and recorder for Linux, FreeBSD, Android and more. It supports a wide range of DVB cards and allows receiving, streaming, and recording live TV programs in various codecs.Some key features of Tvheadend include:Supports a large range of DVB-T/T2/C/S/S2 cards and tuners...
Tvheadend image
OSMC icon

OSMC

OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is a free and open source media center distribution based on Kodi. It provides an easy way to convert a Raspberry Pi, Vero 4K +, Apple TV, or PC into a dedicated media center and Kodi box.Some key features of OSMC include:Based on Debian Linux...
OSMC image
MediaPortal icon

MediaPortal

MediaPortal is an open-source media center software for Windows PCs. It allows you to manage and play various media content including videos, music, photos and live TV on Windows PCs connected to big screens in a home theater setup.Features:Free and open source softwareSupports wide range of video, audio and image...
MediaPortal image
WinTV icon

WinTV

WinTV is a line of TV tuner cards by Hauppauge Computer Works designed for the Windows platform. First introduced in 2001, WinTV allows receiving and recording live over-the-air analog or digital TV broadcasts on a Windows PC.WinTV works by plugging a TV tuner card into a free PCI or PCI...
WinTV image
LibreELEC icon

LibreELEC

LibreELEC is an open source, lightweight operating system that is purpose-built for running Kodi media center software on low-powered devices like the Raspberry Pi. It provides a complete media center software suite that allows you to easily turn a Raspberry Pi, an old computer, or other compatible hardware into a...
LibreELEC image
Eja.tv icon

Eja.tv

Eja.tv is an online video platform that allows users to upload, share, organize, and watch videos. Launched in 2021, Eja.tv aims to provide an easy-to-use and feature-rich alternative for video hosting and streaming.Some key features of Eja.tv include:Video uploading and encoding - Upload videos up to 8K resolution in common...
Eja.tv image
ARGUS TV icon

ARGUS TV

ARGUS TV is a personal video recorder (PVR) software application for Microsoft Windows. It allows users to watch, schedule, and record live TV on their computer by connecting a TV tuner card or other video input source.Some key features of ARGUS TV include:Intuitive user interface for easy navigation of live...
ARGUS TV image
Online TV icon

Online TV

Online TV services, also known as internet TV or streaming TV, provide access to live and on-demand video content over the internet. They offer an alternative to traditional cable TV subscriptions and work by streaming TV channels and shows directly to your smart TV, media streaming device like Roku or...
TVCatchup icon

TVCatchup

TVCatchup is an internet TV service that streams live UK TV channels for free. It was launched in 2007 and has grown to become one of the most popular sites for watching live British television online.The service allows users to access popular UK channels like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel...
Front Row icon

Front Row

Front Row is media center software that was developed by Apple Inc. and included in Mac computers sold between 2005-2011. It provides an easy-to-use interface for accessing various kinds of media stored locally on a Mac computer.The key features and purpose of Front Row includes:Provides a 10-foot user interface designed...
Front Row image
Red Bull TV icon

Red Bull TV

Red Bull TV is a free digital video service owned and operated by Red Bull Media House. It focuses exclusively on airing content related to adventure sports and high-adrenaline events.The service features both live event broadcasts as well as a vast on-demand video library. Content spans across various adventure sports...
Red Bull TV image
JRiver Media Center icon

JRiver Media Center

JRiver Media Center is a feature-rich media library, organizer, and player software application for Windows. First released in 2002, JRiver MC aims to be a one-stop media solution to download, manage, convert, play, stream, and sync audio, video, and images across devices.Some key features of JRiver Media Center include:Extensive format...
JRiver Media Center image
Molotov.tv icon

Molotov.tv

Molotov.tv is a popular over-the-top streaming service based in France that offers users access to live TV channels, video on demand content, and cloud DVR storage. It was launched in 2016 and has quickly grown to have millions of users across France.The service works by allowing users to stream over...
Molotov.tv image
TV-Browser icon

TV-Browser

TV-Browser is an open source program that serves as a TV guide and digital video recorder (DVR) manager. It enables users to browse TV listings, schedule recordings, and organize their personal media libraries.Some key features of TV-Browser include:Browse TV listings from over 100 countriesSet recordings for shows to automatically download...
TV-Browser image
Boxee icon

Boxee

Boxee is a free, open source media center software designed to play various media files from local storage as well as streaming media services on a home theater PC or television set. It provides an intuitive user interface to easily manage and access your personal media library.Some key features of...
Boxee image
DVBStreamer icon

DVBStreamer

DVBStreamer is an open-source software solution that enables you to stream live TV channels from a DVB tuner card over local network or the internet. It supports most common DVB card models from manufacturers such as AverMedia, Hauppauge or TerraTec.Some key features of DVBStreamer include:Ability to broadcast multiple TV channels...
DVBStreamer image
Zapping icon

Zapping

Zapping is an open-source test automation tool designed specifically for testing web applications. It allows users to create automated tests without writing any code. Tests are defined visually by recording user actions on the application under test.Some key features of Zapping include:Graphical user interface to define tests using point and...
Zapping image
Super Internet TV icon

Super Internet TV

Super Internet TV is a streaming media player designed to bring internet video and streaming services to your television. It's a small set-top box that connects to your TV through HDMI and to the internet via WiFi or ethernet.Some key features of Super Internet TV include:Access to popular streaming services...
Super Internet TV image
XBian icon

XBian

XBian is a free, open source media center distribution based on Kodi that is designed to run on the Raspberry Pi. It provides a complete media center software solution, allowing you to play videos, music, and view photos from local storage as well as from streaming services and DLNA servers.Some...
XBian image
AnyTV icon

AnyTV

anyTV is an open-source media center application designed to turn your computer into a digital media hub for your home entertainment system. Developed as free software, anyTV lets you play back videos, music, and view images from your local hard drive, external storage devices, and online sources.Some key features of...
AnyTV image
SageTV icon

SageTV

SageTV is a sophisticated digital video recorder (DVR) and media center software for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It allows users to watch, pause, and record live TV from broadcast channels or video capture cards on their computer.Some key features of SageTV include:Integrated support for HDHomeRun network tuners to receive...
SageTV image
WwiTV.com icon

WwiTV.com

wwiTV.com is a popular free live TV streaming platform that allows users to watch over 100 live channels spanning different categories like news, sports, movies, shows, and more. It offers a simple interface and works on a variety of devices including computers, iOS and Android phones and tablets, streaming boxes...
WwiTV.com image
CoolStreaming icon

CoolStreaming

CoolStreaming is an innovative peer-to-peer video streaming application developed in the early 2000s. It was one of the first P2P systems to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of large-scale video streaming over the Internet.The key benefit of CoolStreaming is its ability to deliver high quality video content to a large...
Moovida icon

Moovida

Moovida is an open-source software media player and media center application designed to allow users to play back music, videos, and access online content. Originally developed by Fluendo for the Linux platform, Moovida aims to provide an intuitive and attractive media management interface.Some of the key features of Moovida include:Graphical...
Moovida image
Pouchin TV Mod icon

Pouchin TV Mod

Pouchin TV Mod is a custom firmware designed to be installed on select smart TV models to unlock additional features and personalization options beyond what the stock firmware allows. It offers an enhanced user experience through features like:Improved picture quality with more granular calibration controls for aspects like color, contrast,...
Pouchin TV Mod image
GB-PVR icon

GB-PVR

GB-PVR is an open source personal video recorder and media center application for Microsoft Windows. It enables users to watch, pause and record live TV as well as play various media files.Some of the key features of GB-PVR include:Schedule recordings for TV programs based on show title, time, duration or...
Raspbmc icon

Raspbmc

Raspbmc is a free and open source media center software application developed specifically for the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. It is based on XBMC, a popular cross-platform media player software, but has been modified and optimized to take full advantage of the Raspberry Pi's hardware capabilities.Some key features of Raspbmc include:Intuitive...
Freevo icon

Freevo

Freevo is an open-source home theater PC (HTPC) software application that allows users to play back digital media content on their TVs and stereos. It integrates TV viewing, video playback, music listening, image viewing, and more into a unified interface optimized for large screens that can be controlled with remote...
Freevo image
Allradio icon

Allradio

Allradio is a free internet radio player application for Windows. It provides access to over 25,000 radio stations from around the world, covering a wide variety of genres like news, sports, music, talk shows and more. It has a very simple and easy-to-use interface that allows you to browse through...
Redy movies icon

Redy movies

Redy movies is a relatively new video on-demand service that focuses specifically on providing commercial-free movies and TV shows. It was launched in 2019 as an alternative to major streaming platforms like Netflix or Hulu that display ads and recommendations.The Redy movies library is more focused, with around 5,000 movies...
TV-Fox icon

TV-Fox

TV-Fox is a popular digital video recorder and media center application for Windows. It provides an intuitive way to record live TV, organize video libraries, and play various media formats.Some key features of TV-Fox include:Schedule recordings for live TV from a built-in channel guideAutomatically skip commercials during playback using Commercial...
TV-Fox image
TVNations icon

TVNations

TVNations is an international TV streaming service tailored for expatriates, multilingual viewers, and anyone who wants access to TV channels from other countries. It offers both live streaming and an on-demand library of popular shows, movies, sports, news, and more.With TVNations, you can stream over 900 channels from 130+ countries...
TVNations image
JLC Internet TV icon

JLC Internet TV

JLC Internet TV is a popular live TV streaming service that offers over 190 channels for only $25 per month. Unlike expensive cable packages, there are no contracts or extra fees with JLC Internet TV.The channel lineup includes major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox so you can...
JLC Internet TV image
Rok tv icon

Rok tv

Rok TV is an internet-connected set-top box and streaming service offered by Rok Entertainment. It provides access to both free and paid streaming channels and apps right on your TV. Some key features of Rok TV include:Access to over 150 free live TV channels covering news, sports, movies, shows, music,...
Kroozbox icon

Kroozbox

Kroozbox is a graphics software focused on digital painting and illustration. Some of its key features include:Intuitive drawing tools like brushes, pencils, eraser, shape tools, and text toolsSupport for vector and raster graphicsLayer management system for organizing your artworkBlend modes for creating composite images and effectsFilter effects like blur, lighting,...
Kroozbox image
Roomy TV icon

Roomy TV

Roomy TV is a personal media server application that allows you to bring together your video, music, and photo libraries into one centralized location for streaming to various devices. It is designed to provide easy access, organization, sharing, and enjoyment of your personal media collection.One of the key features of...