AI ERP with agents inside the systems you run
AI phone and voice agents for real calls
LLM.coPrivate, self-hosted LLM deployments
Legal AI infrastructure for firms
AI RFP discovery and response drafting
Automatic.coBusiness process automation
CyberAttack.aiThreat detection and defense
Secure AI virtual data roomstunarr
Tunarr is a self-hosted IPTV platform that lets you create custom live TV channels from your existing Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, or local media libraries. It presents streams as a classic broadcast experience with a TV guide, channel lineup editor, and support for multiple player types (HDHR tuner emulation, M3U/IPTV clients).
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | chrisbenincasa/tunarr |
| Owner | chrisbenincasa |
| Primary language | TypeScript |
| License | Zlib — Requires review (not clearly OSI) |
| Stars | 2.5k |
| Forks | 107 |
| Open issues | 136 |
| Latest release | v1.3.8 (2026-06-27) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-02 |
| Source | https://github.com/chrisbenincasa/tunarr |
What tunarr is
TypeScript-based monorepo (using Pnpm/Turbo) that provides a web UI, backend API, and FFmpeg-driven transcoding engine supporting hardware acceleration (NVENC, VAAPI, QuickSync, VideoToolbox). It emulates an HDHomeRun tuner for integration with PVR systems and outputs M3U playlists for IPTV clients.
Get the tunarr source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/chrisbenincasa/tunarr.gitcd tunarr# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Hardware transcoding setup varies by GPU/platform (NVENC requires Nvidia GPU, VAAPI for AMD/Intel, VideoToolbox for macOS); verify driver support and encoding limits before deployment.
- Plex/Jellyfin/Emby authentication and library access must be pre-configured; tuner integration requires compatible client software (some clients may require community forks or workarounds).
- Storage and network bandwidth for transcoding: streams are re-encoded in real-time; ensure CPU/GPU headroom and sufficient disk I/O for simultaneous channel streams.
- Configuration persistence relies on Docker volumes or local filesystem; implement backup strategy for `tunarr-data` directory (channel definitions, schedules, transcode profiles).
- M3U playlist generation and HDHR tuner emulation may require firewall or UPnP configuration to be discoverable by downstream clients; test from multiple devices/subnets early.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Commercial Broadcasting or Redistribution — Not designed for publishing IPTV streams publicly or monetizing content; licensing and copyright compliance is the operator's responsibility. Zlib license does not indemnify commercial use of others' media.
- No Media Library Ownership — Requires pre-existing media libraries (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, or local files). Cannot source content from free catalogs or auto-populate from APIs. Unsuitable if you rely entirely on third-party streaming services.
- High Availability or Multi-Tenant SaaS — Single-instance, self-hosted architecture with no built-in clustering, replication, or multi-user isolation. Not designed for enterprise-scale concurrent user loads or geographic redundancy.
- Minimal DevOps/Linux Expertise — Requires Docker, container networking, firewall rules, potential GPU passthrough, and FFmpeg/transcoding troubleshooting. Bare-metal setup more complex than typical web apps.
License & commercial use
Released under the Zlib License (permissive OSI license). Allows modification, commercial use, and distribution with attribution; no copyleft/viral clauses. Full text available in repository.
Zlib License permits commercial deployment and derivative works. However, the operator remains solely responsible for licensing and copyright compliance of source media (Plex/Jellyfin/Emby libraries, local files, and any bundled content). License does not grant rights to redistribute third-party media or override content platform ToS. Legal review recommended if monetizing or redistributing streams.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Self-hosted, so no remote server compromise. Local considerations: credentials for Plex/Jellyfin/Emby are stored in configuration (encryption status not stated); tuner emulation and M3U endpoints run on local network (not internet-facing by default, but port 8000 must be firewalled if exposed); no RBAC or multi-user isolation built in. FFmpeg subprocess invocation: ensure sandboxing if accepting user-supplied stream parameters. No public security audit data available.
Alternatives to consider
Plex Live TV (native, closed-source)
Native IPTV scheduling within Plex ecosystem; no separate tuner emulation or channel editor needed. Trade-off: less control over branding, transcoding, or advanced scheduling; requires Plex Pass subscription.
Jellyfin Live TV (native, open-source)
Built-in IPTV scheduling and EPG within Jellyfin; no external tool needed. Trade-off: simpler feature set than Tunarr (no channel mixing across libraries, limited filler/branding options).
xTeVe / Threadfin (IPTV proxy/guide generators)
Standalone IPTV playlist and EPG generators; lightweight alternative for simple M3U management. Trade-off: no rich channel editor UI, scheduling, or transcoding; designed as thin proxy layer rather than full-featured platform.
Build on tunarr with DEV.co software developers
Tunarr is ideal if you manage distributed media libraries and want a polished, self-hosted IPTV backbone. Assess GPU transcoding requirements, client compatibility, and backup strategy before rollout. Start with Docker Compose on your primary NAS or server.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
tunarr FAQ
Does Tunarr include media content?
Can I run Tunarr on a Raspberry Pi?
What's the difference between HDHR tuner emulation and M3U output?
Is hardware transcoding required?
Build it with a software development company
Pairing tunarr with the rest of your stack is where most open-source devops projects stall. DEV.co is a software development agency that does the integration work — plus AI development when models are in scope.
Ready to Build Your Own IPTV Network?
Tunarr is ideal if you manage distributed media libraries and want a polished, self-hosted IPTV backbone. Assess GPU transcoding requirements, client compatibility, and backup strategy before rollout. Start with Docker Compose on your primary NAS or server.