Tvheadend
Tvheadend is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Open-source TV streaming server and DVR: IPTV, SAT>IP and HTSP on your VM. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
Tvheadend is a TV streaming server and digital video recorder for Linux. It ingests live TV from IPTV, SAT>IP and DVB sources, maps services to channels with EPG, and streams to players and set-top clients over HTTP and its native HTSP protocol (used by Kodi and others), with recording and timeshift built in.
Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace it boots hardened and pre-configured from your seeded values: a management admin account (your chosen username and a generated password) is applied at first boot, and anonymous access is closed by default so the server never comes up as an open, unauthenticated setup wizard.
The web UI and JSON API answer on port 9981; the HTSP client protocol is on 9982. Run it on the NetActuate edge to place your streaming server close to your tuners and your audience.
Upstream project: Tvheadend (https://tvheadend.org, source at https://github.com/tvheadend/tvheadend), an independent open source project released under the GNU GPL. Tvheadend is not affiliated with or endorsed by NetActuate; NetActuate packages the digest-pinned linuxserver.io Tvheadend container image on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Vendor and Project
Tvheadend is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: tvheadend.org
NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).
Sizing
| vCPU | RAM | Disk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 1 GB | 20 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB |
No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.
Configuration Fields
When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.
| Field | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| mkt_admin_user | No | admin | Tvheadend admin username. Log in to the web UI at :9981 with this user and the generated password. |
| mkt_admin_password | No | generated | Generated for you and stored in your secret list; never echoed back. It is the admin password for the web UI and API. Stored write-only in your account secret list |
| mkt_timezone | No | UTC | Container timezone (TZ), for example Europe/Berlin. Affects EPG and recording timestamps. |
Using the Appliance
Tvheadend is up. Web UI and JSON API: http://YOUR_VM_IP:9981/ - log in as user admin with the generated admin password from your secret list. HTSP (for Kodi and other clients) is on port 9982. The appliance ships secure by default: anonymous access is closed and there is no open setup wizard, so sign in with the seeded admin account first. From there, add your IPTV, SAT>IP or DVB tuner networks and map services to channels. Exposure posture: the admin UI is served over plain HTTP; before production use put a TLS-terminating proxy in front or restrict ports 9981 and 9982 to trusted source IPs.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. Tvheadend is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.
Which port does the appliance serve on?
The primary service is published on port 9981 by default; see the configuration fields for any adjustable ports.
Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).
Version and Changelog
| Version | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | Current (default) | 2026-07-11 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy Tvheadend
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/tvheadend
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/tvheadend
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.