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TiviGrid Recorder · Free

Keep recording with your phone off.

Run the Recorder on a computer at home that stays on. It records your timers and streams them back to the app over your network or your own VPN.

Install the Recorder How pairing works
  1. Install with one command, or with Docker
  2. Pair by scanning a QR code with your iPhone
  3. Set timers in the guide; the Recorder takes them
  4. Watch the recordings in TiviGrid, at home or away

01What it does

iPhone and iPad can't keep recording once the app is closed. The Recorder is a small program you run on a computer at home that stays on: a Mac, a Linux box, a Raspberry Pi or a NAS. It signs in to your provider, records your timers at the scheduled time even when the phone is off, and streams the recordings back to TiviGrid.

It is one Python file that needs Python 3.9 or later and no other packages. The download is free; linking it to the app is part of TiviGrid Pro.

macOS Linux Raspberry Pi Docker, NAS, Windows

02Install on macOS

$ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh
  • No sudo needed. The Recorder goes in ~/Library/Application Support/XtreamTV Recorder and starts at login as a LaunchAgent, which restarts it if it stops.
  • It runs under caffeinate -i, so the Mac doesn't idle-sleep while it runs. A closed MacBook lid still sleeps the Mac unless an external display is connected.
  • On a headless Mac mini, turn on automatic login.
  • Python comes from Homebrew if you have it, otherwise from the Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install).

03Install on Linux or Raspberry Pi

Debian, Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS on x86_64, arm64 and armv7.

$ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh
  • The installer asks for sudo. It runs the Recorder as its own xtreamtv system user under systemd, and keeps recordings in /var/lib/xtreamtv-recorder.
  • If python3 is missing on a Debian-based system, it offers to install it.
  • With avahi installed (it is on Raspberry Pi OS), the app finds the Recorder on your network by itself.
  • To keep recordings on a USB disk, add --data: | sh -s -- --data /mnt/usb/tivigrid

Without sudo

$ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --user $ sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER # keeps it running after you log out

04Docker, NAS and Windows

Download tivigrid-recorder-docker.zip (Dockerfile, compose file and the Recorder), unzip it and start it:

$ cd tivigrid-recorder $ docker compose up -d $ docker compose logs # shows the access token and the pairing link

In docker-compose.yml, set RECORDER_PUBLIC_URL=http://<this computer's LAN address>:8765, or the pairing link points at the container's internal address. Containers don't advertise over Bonjour, so pair with the QR code or by hand.

Windows: use Docker Desktop with the files above, or install Python 3 from python.org and run py xtreamtv_recorder.py --data %USERPROFILE%\TiviGrid-Recordings with the Recorder file. Turn off sleep in Settings › System › Power. A native Windows installer is coming.

05Pair your iPhone

When it finishes, the installer prints the server address, an access token, a dashboard link and a QR code. Then use any one of these:

Scan the QR code

Point the iPhone camera at the code in the terminal or on the dashboard.

Open the dashboard

Open the dashboard link on the iPhone and tap Open in TiviGrid.

Enter it by hand

In Settings › Recording Server, pick the Recorder found on your Wi-Fi, or type the address, then the token.

06Recording while you're away

Don't forward the port on your router. Use Tailscale or another VPN of your own:

  1. Install Tailscale on the Recorder's computer and on the iPhone, signed in to the same account.
  2. On the iPhone, open http://<the computer's Tailscale name>:8765/ and tap Open in TiviGrid.

The pairing link uses the address you opened, so the app reaches the Recorder from anywhere.

07Update, check or remove

# show the address, token and pairing link again $ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --status # download the latest Recorder and restart it $ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --update # remove it; recordings are kept (add --purge to delete them) $ curl -fsSL https://tivigrid.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --uninstall

Running the installer again upgrades in place and keeps the port, the recordings and the access token. Add --dry-run to see every step without changing anything, or --port N to use a port other than 8765. Prefer to read it first? View the installer.

08Privacy and security

  • The Recorder talks only to your provider and to your own devices. It sends nothing to us.
  • Every request needs the access token. The dashboard and its API never show your provider login.
  • Your provider details, timers and recordings stay on that computer. Keeping the computer and your network secure is up to you.

Recordings are for your own private viewing, as set out in the Terms of Service.