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Knowledge Base document #1608

FRITZ!Box 6660 Cable

This support document is available for the following products:

FRITZ!Box 6490 Cable

FRITZ!WLAN Repeater DVB-C

Watching TV with Kodi

Kodi (formerly XBMC) is free media centre software available for numerous operating systems and device platforms. Besides allowing you to organize, display, and play media files (photos, music, and videos) that are saved locally, Kodi also offers a 'live TV' function that can receive and play back TV content from TV server software ('PVR backend') as an IP stream.

Since the FRITZ!Box also streams TV channels over IP (Internet Protocol) into your home network, Kodi can use the FRITZ!Box as a TV server without additional software. Together with a smart TV or media centre (for example Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Raspberry Pi), you then have an elegant and inexpensive solution that allows you to play the TV program in rooms where no cable wall outlet is available.

Requirements

The FRITZ!Box is configured for television reception (DVB-C).
Kodi is already installed on a device in the home network.
Important:This configuration guide uses Kodi 14.2 'Helix' in Windows as an example. The information on Kodi is non-binding and does not claim to be complete. You can find further information on Kodi in the Kodi Community Forum and under kodinerds.net.

1 Downloading the channel list from the FRITZ!Box

Click on 'DVB-C' in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
Click on 'Live TV' in the 'DVB-C' menu.
Click on the 'Channel List' tab and then on 'TV channels'.
Click on 'Download Channel List' and save the 'tv.m3u' file. If the browser blocks the file download, click on 'Keep' in Microsoft Edge and Chrome.

2 Configuring the PVR add-on in Kodi

If you want to use Kodi's 'Live TV' function to select and view the FRITZ!Box's IP streams, you must enable and configure the Kodi add-on PVR IPTV Simple Client:

Note:If you are using Windows, the add-on PVR IPTV Simple Client is already included in the default installation of Kodi.

Enabling the PVR IPTV Simple Client and configuring channel lists

In Kodi, select 'System' and then 'Settings'.
Select 'Add-ons' and then 'Disabled add-ons'.
Select the entry 'PVR IPTV Simple Client' in the 'Disabled add-ons' window.

Important:If the add-on is not displayed here, then it is already enabled and listed under 'Enabled Add-ons'.
Select the 'Configure' option in the 'Add-on Information' window.
Select the 'Local Path (include Local Network)' entry for the 'Location' under 'General'.
Click on 'M3U Play List Path' and select the channel list (for example C:\Users\Fritz\Downloads\tv.m3u).
Click on 'OK' and then on 'Enable'.
- Now the TV channels from the channel list are displayed in Kodi's main menu under 'Live TV' and the programme content can now be played back.
  Important:If 'Live TV' is not displayed in the main menu, you must first enable this function in the settings for Kodi under 'Live TV > General'.

Configuring an electronic program guide (EPG)

The PVR IPTV Simple Client cannot evaluate the EPG information contained in the IP stream of the FRITZ!Box and only supports program information in XMLTV format.

To receive EPG information in Kodi about the TV content made available by the FRITZ!Box, you must retrieve it from an external XMLTV provider and integrate it into the PVR IPTV Simple Client. There may be costs associated with accessing XMLTV because EPC content is copyrighted in some countries (for example in Germany).

Note:We successfully tested the EPG from TV Movie (Clickfinder) in combination with the Clickfinder to xmltv software.