Watch And Record Live TV

Link in Emby with your TV back-end and you can watch, manage and integrate TV recordings into your media libraries.

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One of the most frustrating thing about any set-top box used to watch and record live TV is that your recordings are almost always tied to the box in question. Emby changes all of that – it was one of the first streaming media servers to offer live TV and DVR capabilities, enabling you to tie in your recordings from TV into your media library to sit alongside your other content. Better still, your recordings are stored in an unencrypted format, so you can easily port them elsewhere.

You’ll need a compatible TV tuner for this to work. Emby supports the HD Homerun Connect, a network TV tuner with twin Freeview HD (DVB-T) tuners, but there are several plugins for other TV back-ends – including TV Headend, which you’d need to configure. Emby also supports M3U Tuners, which allow you to link Emby to any TV back-end that can generate a M3U file. The step-by-step guide (right) goes through the basics of linking your back-end to Emby once it’s in place.

If you go down the HD Homerun route, you’ll need to connect the box to both your network via Ethernet cable and a suitable aerial socket. If your aerial socket is nowhere near your router, a Homeplug setup (visit https://faculty-x.net for some options) is essential. If you’re not already extending your network using Homeplugs, you’ll need to buy two plugs: one for your router, the other for your HD Homerun. If finances stretch, two AV2 1,200Mbps with Gigabit Ethernet ports are recommended for maximum throughput.

Once plugged in, switched on and connected to the network, simply open a web browser and go to