Tvheadend

How about some details? Without knowing any details everything is a shot in the dark.

What version of Tvheadend are you using? What network type? Which model of tuner?

If you are in the USA or Canada or near one of those countries, and if tuners are DVB-S2 for free-to-air satellite, then see:

https://freetoairamerica.wordpress.com/2016/11/24/the-never-final-always-subject-to-revision-article-on-how-to-build-a-satellite-tv-pvr-distribution-system-using-tvheadend/

Otherwise, you really need to say where you are in the world, and what exactly your tuners are capable of receiving.

Also, what "key" issue are you babbling about? Whatever it is, I've never encountered it. Are you starting at https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/wiki/download to obtain Tvheadend?

I thought I'd responded yesterday but seems it didn't get through.

I'm in Australia and attempting to configure DVB-T and IPTV with Sony PlayTV tuner. I also have Hdhomerun tuners but cannot use them here due to a DHCP bug which has yet to be resolved (the router and the HDHR are incompatible and sorting this issue isn't straightforward)

The 'key' I'm on about is the code that is demanded by all official repositories that claim to have tvheadend but don't. I checked out numerous ones that wanted a key / code but didn't have the tvheadend available before some kind soul on the kodi forum told me about an unofficial repository that didn't use the key / code arrangement and did actually have the tvheadend file. Why have the key anyway, its not as if tvheadend is restricted by the CIA or whatever !!!! This key / code nonsense might be something new which would explain why others haven't encountered it but in any case its a ridiculous imposition, more so since the advertized keys / codes are out of date. Is it possible that the need for a key / code is only inflicted on non-US residents ? I

Anyway, once tvheadend was installed, I then encountered config issues that aren't mentioned in official documentation, hence the need for something infinitely more explicit. What I need is a very pedantic step by step explanation about connecting / configuring tuners. What documentation does exist leaves out far more than it includes. That might be OK for folk with considerable experience with tvheadend but not for those of us who have never seen tvheadend before.

Given that I'm using Ubuntu 16.04, the v4l module 'should' be included although modprobe v4l says otherwise. On the other hand, w_scan finds the tuner immediately, so go figure. Tvheadend tells me it knows about the tuner, which suggests I don't have a driver problem but neither tvheadend nor I have a clue about scanning for channels. The documentation implies that scanning happens automagically but it does not. In any case, IPTV wouldn't need a tuner but tvheadend can't find any IPTV channels either.

I can only assume there are a number of undisclosed gotchas that I'm not aware of and which are not even hinted at in documentation. The question is where and / or how do I find out about these points which are essential to getting the tuner to find DVB-T and IPTV channels ? A faultfinding facility would be very helpful.

I still have no idea what "key" you are talking about, and I regularly build Tvheadend from sources as I have modifications I make that aren't part of the official sources.

You have no indicated which version of Tvheadend you are using; 4.0.x is the current stable release, while 4.1.x is the development release that includes some features that are not present in earlier versions (such as Automatic IPTV networks using M3U playlists as inputs). You also have not indicated which DVB-T tuner you are using, so I'm not sure how much help you can expect to get WRT to that without any details.

As far as IPTV: IPTV does not need a tuner. However, IPTV streams need to be MPEG Transport Streams (MPEG-TS), not HTTP Live Streaming (HLS/m3u8); also, using MP4 or Matroska files as inputs for IPTV is not supported, either.

Again, details are necessary for support, otherwise everything is just a guess.

Edward Kelly wrote:

The 'key' I'm on about is the code that is demanded by all official repositories that claim to have tvheadend but don't. I checked out numerous ones that wanted a key / code but didn't have the tvheadend available before some kind soul on the kodi forum told me about an unofficial repository that didn't use the key / code arrangement and did actually have the tvheadend file. Why have the key anyway, its not as if tvheadend is restricted by the CIA or whatever !!!! This key / code nonsense might be something new which would explain why others haven't encountered it but in any case its a ridiculous imposition, more so since the advertized keys / codes are out of date.

I still don't know what key/code you're talking about. I suggest if you are having problems accessing tvheadend from the links on https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/wiki/download, that you explicitly document what is not working for you, rather than vague talk about 'keys' required by un-named websites.

Is it possible that the need for a key / code is only inflicted on non-US residents ?

No - I'm in NZ and had no problems obtaining tvheadend, and note that tvheadend is not developed in the U.S. - also you can always download and compile the source if nothing else works for you.

Anyway, once tvheadend was installed, I then encountered config issues that aren't mentioned in official documentation, hence the need for something infinitely more explicit. What I need is a very pedantic step by step explanation about connecting / configuring tuners. What documentation does exist leaves out far more than it includes. That might be OK for folk with considerable experience with tvheadend but not for those of us who have never seen tvheadend before.

Pretty much all of us had never seen tvheadend before when we started out. You have to accept that there will be stuff to learn. There is no all-singing, all-dancing tutorial for the simple reason that nobody has written one, and one of the reasons is that what is required for setting up is very dependent on a number of factors, a big one being the country you're in, so even if/when someone sets out to write your 'very pedantic step by step explanation', it will of necessity be specific to the country they're in, unless they travel around the world reconfiguring for every different country. Then there are the different platforms and operating systems to consider.

Given that I'm using Ubuntu 16.04, the v4l module 'should' be included although modprobe v4l says otherwise. On the other hand, w_scan finds the tuner immediately, so go figure. Tvheadend tells me it knows about the tuner, which suggests I don't have a driver problem but neither tvheadend nor I have a clue about scanning for channels. The documentation implies that scanning happens automagically but it does not. In any case, IPTV wouldn't need a tuner but tvheadend can't find any IPTV channels either.

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.
Are you sure the tuner has the required firmware installed? You'll see errors in dmesg if you need firmware.

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

I can only assume there are a number of undisclosed gotchas that I'm not aware of and which are not even hinted at in documentation. The question is where and / or how do I find out about these points which are essential to getting the tuner to find DVB-T and IPTV channels ? A faultfinding facility would be very helpful.

One of the ways you can find out these points is by asking here, however:

There is no CIA conspiracy involved.
If you want help, you need to ask specific questions, and provide enough information so that people can actually have a stab at answering.

Robert Cameron wrote:

I still have no idea what "key" you are talking about, and I regularly build Tvheadend from sources as I have modifications I make that aren't part of the official sources.
_

I can only use the term 'key' because that is exactly what the thing is described on all official tvheadend websites linked to repositories I've seen. You may well know it as something different but 'key' is the term used on all official websites I visited. It is definitely peculiar to tvheadend as I've never seen that 'key' nonsense once previously with any open source software. Its a complicated 20 odd character alpha-numeric code which is apparently essential to access official repositories, but not the unofficial one I eventually used. _

You have no indicated which version of Tvheadend you are using; 4.0.x is the current stable release, while 4.1.x is the development release that includes some features that are not present in earlier versions (such as Automatic IPTV networks using M3U playlists as inputs). You also have not indicated which DVB-T tuner you are using, so I'm not sure how much help you can expect to get WRT to that without any details.

_I don't know what version of tvheadend I have as I can't see anything about the version. If the version is critical, why isn't it shown prominently ? Presumably its the latest RELEASE as 4.0.something rings a bell. Its difficult to recall something that happened days ago as I've coped with a zillion things since then. (I have human rights advocacy commitments that occupy up to 20 hours a day). I wouldn't have intentionally selected a development version as the last thing I need is more bugs. Likewise I thought that a package would be less likely to be unfriendly than compiling from source and being confronted by questions I wouldn't have a clue about. _

As far as IPTV: IPTV does not need a tuner. However, IPTV streams need to be MPEG Transport Streams (MPEG-TS), not HTTP Live Streaming (HLS/m3u8); also, using MP4 or Matroska files as inputs for IPTV is not supported, either.

Exactly, but the question remains as to why tvheadend cannot fine any IPTV channels / streams / whatever when tuner drivers aren't a relevant factor. Any common or garden variety web browser can handle IPTV without bothering about whether its MPEG, HTTP, MP4 or anything else so its only reasonable to expect tvheadend to do likewise. Needless to say the documentation doesn't help.

Again, details are necessary for support, otherwise everything is just a guess.

Looking at the download page, the "key" is the GPG key for the server that is hosting the Ubuntu downloads. This is the public key that signs the packages, to ensure their integrity/authenticity; the 16 alphanumeric digits is a shorthand fingerprint that is used to reference the key so your computer knows that file to download. What about the process is mystical or magical? From the page itself:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys 379CE192D401AB61

This imports the public GPG key into your system's apt keystore. Of course, according to that page too, there are only packages for i386 or amd64, and only for 14.04, 15.10 or 16.04. If you are not on one of the combinations of those architectures and versions, there do not exist packages in the official repositories.

As far as your questions relating to IPTV, you haven't given any details. Is there an example URL you are trying to use? In general, the setup is:

1. From the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Networks tab, create a new IPTV network
2. From the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Muxes tab, add a mux to your IPTV network, which is where you specify the URL
3. After you have created your muxes for all of your IPTV inputs, have them scanned for Services. (If they are not scanned upon creation, then select your network from the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Networks tab and click Force Scan.)
4. After a service has been found for the mux, you can then assign that service to a channel.

Also, random video files are not common to IPTV. But, (multicast) MPEG-TS streams are quite common to IPTV distribution and that is why those are the types of input streams that Tvheadend supports.

Furthermore, the only detail you have shared about your setup is that you are using Ubuntu 16.04 and presumably have a DVB-T tuner, but you have offered no additional details. We don't know what architecture you are using. We don't know which model tuner you have, nor if the firmware for this tuner is installed/up-to-date. We don't know which IPTV provider you are trying to use streams from, nor which format those streams are in.

Again, provide details please so that accurate help can be offered ... otherwise no help will be forthcoming. This is community-based support here, and it requires a bit of effort on both parties; you need to contribute some effort towards your own support, because the rest of the internet is (most likely) not psychic and cannot know what your particular setup is like unless you inform us.

Hiro Protagonist wrote:

Edward Kelly wrote:

The 'key' I'm on about is the code that is demanded by all official repositories that claim to have tvheadend but don't. I checked out numerous ones that wanted a key / code but didn't have the tvheadend available before some kind soul on the kodi forum told me about an unofficial repository that didn't use the key / code arrangement and did actually have the tvheadend file. Why have the key anyway, its not as if tvheadend is restricted by the CIA or whatever !!!! This key / code nonsense might be something new which would explain why others haven't encountered it but in any case its a ridiculous imposition, more so since the advertized keys / codes are out of date.

I still don't know what key/code you're talking about. I suggest if you are having problems accessing tvheadend from the links on https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/wiki/download, that you explicitly document what is not working for you, rather than vague talk about 'keys' required by un-named websites.

_The websites aren't 'un-named' although I had no reason to record them at the time and it would take considerable time that I cannot spare right now to find them. As I've noted elsewhere, I have other voluntary commitments that occupy considerable time and which are of benefit to thousands. This business has to fit into what precious little time I have to myself. That said the offending websites were all 'official' tvheadend sites (tvheadend.org URL) and as well as demanding this 20 odd character alpha-numeric code which was described as a 'key', all of the repositories said the file wasn't available. I've always understood that 'apt-get install whatever' should work with every application and indeed is always has to date, so why did tvheadend developers feel it necessary to break the time-honored protocol ? Its probably not worth the effort picking over the carcase as I eventually found a site that didn't play silly games and if I need to download tvheadend again, I'll use that one rather than any official tvheadend one.

_

Is it possible that the need for a key / code is only inflicted on non-US residents ?

No - I'm in NZ and had no problems obtaining tvheadend, and note that tvheadend is not developed in the U.S. - also you can always download and compile the source if nothing else works for you.

_The last thing I need is more bugs to overcome and I considered that a package would at least save me from having to answer a squillion questions that I wouldn't be able to answer.

_

Anyway, once tvheadend was installed, I then encountered config issues that aren't mentioned in official documentation, hence the need for something infinitely more explicit. What I need is a very pedantic step by step explanation about connecting / configuring tuners. What documentation does exist leaves out far more than it includes. That might be OK for folk with considerable experience with tvheadend but not for those of us who have never seen tvheadend before.

Pretty much all of us had never seen tvheadend before when we started out. You have to accept that there will be stuff to learn. There is no all-singing, all-dancing tutorial for the simple reason that nobody has written one, and one of the reasons is that what is required for setting up is very dependent on a number of factors, a big one being the country you're in, so even if/when someone sets out to write your 'very pedantic step by step explanation', it will of necessity be specific to the country they're in, unless they travel around the world reconfiguring for every different country. Then there are the different platforms and operating systems to consider.

Point taken, but then what I'm on about is elementary stuff that applies equally to any situation. Apart from the peculiar IPTV case, tvheadend must have at least one tuner connected, and that tuner must scan for channels. There is stuff-all information about this. Its apparently assumed that one connects a tuner and voila !!! all the channels mysteriously appear. Clearly nobody ever thought about explaining what to do when the magic doesn't work. I have a Sony PlayTV, which is said to work out of the box, I have tried both DVB-T (just about the only thing available in most parts of Australia), and IPTV (which 'should' be fine everywhere there is some kind of internet connection). Nothing unduly complicated or highbrow about those or that warrants a song and dance explanation. All I wish to achieve is to convince tvheadend to scan for channels / streams but since I cannot find any 'scan' button like every other vaguely comparable application has, I need to seek advice from someone who knows where I can find the elusive 'scan' button.

Given that I'm using Ubuntu 16.04, the v4l module 'should' be included although modprobe v4l says otherwise. On the other hand, w_scan finds the tuner immediately, so go figure. Tvheadend tells me it knows about the tuner, which suggests I don't have a driver problem but neither tvheadend nor I have a clue about scanning for channels. The documentation implies that scanning happens automagically but it does not. In any case, IPTV wouldn't need a tuner but tvheadend can't find any IPTV channels either.

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.

Ahhhhh, but how pray tell can I tell whether or not I NEED a certain module ? I 'guessed' I needed v4l (no explicit information available one way or the other). Everything I've read says that reasonably current linuxes have v4l included, but modprobe v4l says otherwise. Is v4l needed and if so, why isn't this stated clearly ? On the other hand, w_scan finds the PlayTV tuner immediately and tvheadend finds a dual DibCom 700 tuner (ie the PlayTV). Dmesg doesn't throw up any errors. Given all this, it seems reasonable to assume v4l isn't required and I don't have any driver problems.

Are you sure the tuner has the required firmware installed? You'll see errors in dmesg if you need firmware.

Dmesg doesn't throw up any errors. The PlayTV works fine in both its original location (who knows what software runs on Sony devices, I certainly haven't had reason to poke about) and in Windoze with various applications. Why would it need different firmware for linux ?

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

_
By 'network' I assume you mean DVB-T and IPTV ? Both of them are present but I can assure you there is no sign of 'Force Scan'. This is one of the assumptions in documentation that isn't reflected in the stuff I have in front of me. Are you certain the 'Force Scan' button is meant to be out in the open or is it hidden away somewhere illogical ? I've torn hair out searching high and low for anything that could possibly be construed as any kind of 'scan' function but there isn't anything like that. Is there a command line version that might work where tvheadend forgets to provide a button ? _

I can only assume there are a number of undisclosed gotchas that I'm not aware of and which are not even hinted at in documentation. The question is where and / or how do I find out about these points which are essential to getting the tuner to find DVB-T and IPTV channels ? A faultfinding facility would be very helpful.

One of the ways you can find out these points is by asking here, however:

There is no CIA conspiracy involved.
If you want help, you need to ask specific questions, and provide enough information so that people can actually have a stab at answering.

Hiro Protagonist wrote:

Edward Kelly wrote:

The 'key' I'm on about is the code that is demanded by all official repositories that claim to have tvheadend but don't. I checked out numerous ones that wanted a key / code but didn't have the tvheadend available before some kind soul on the kodi forum told me about an unofficial repository that didn't use the key / code arrangement and did actually have the tvheadend file. Why have the key anyway, its not as if tvheadend is restricted by the CIA or whatever !!!! This key / code nonsense might be something new which would explain why others haven't encountered it but in any case its a ridiculous imposition, more so since the advertized keys / codes are out of date.

I still don't know what key/code you're talking about. I suggest if you are having problems accessing tvheadend from the links on https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/wiki/download, that you explicitly document what is not working for you, rather than vague talk about 'keys' required by un-named websites.

Is it possible that the need for a key / code is only inflicted on non-US residents ?

No - I'm in NZ and had no problems obtaining tvheadend, and note that tvheadend is not developed in the U.S. - also you can always download and compile the source if nothing else works for you.

Anyway, once tvheadend was installed, I then encountered config issues that aren't mentioned in official documentation, hence the need for something infinitely more explicit. What I need is a very pedantic step by step explanation about connecting / configuring tuners. What documentation does exist leaves out far more than it includes. That might be OK for folk with considerable experience with tvheadend but not for those of us who have never seen tvheadend before.

Pretty much all of us had never seen tvheadend before when we started out. You have to accept that there will be stuff to learn. There is no all-singing, all-dancing tutorial for the simple reason that nobody has written one, and one of the reasons is that what is required for setting up is very dependent on a number of factors, a big one being the country you're in, so even if/when someone sets out to write your 'very pedantic step by step explanation', it will of necessity be specific to the country they're in, unless they travel around the world reconfiguring for every different country. Then there are the different platforms and operating systems to consider.

Given that I'm using Ubuntu 16.04, the v4l module 'should' be included although modprobe v4l says otherwise. On the other hand, w_scan finds the tuner immediately, so go figure. Tvheadend tells me it knows about the tuner, which suggests I don't have a driver problem but neither tvheadend nor I have a clue about scanning for channels. The documentation implies that scanning happens automagically but it does not. In any case, IPTV wouldn't need a tuner but tvheadend can't find any IPTV channels either.

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.
Are you sure the tuner has the required firmware installed? You'll see errors in dmesg if you need firmware.

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

_I have both DVB-T and IPTV selected. Nothing else is relevant in my location

_
Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

I can only assume there are a number of undisclosed gotchas that I'm not aware of and which are not even hinted at in documentation. The question is where and / or how do I find out about these points which are essential to getting the tuner to find DVB-T and IPTV channels ? A faultfinding facility would be very helpful.

One of the ways you can find out these points is by asking here, however:

There is no CIA conspiracy involved.
If you want help, you need to ask specific questions, and provide enough information so that people can actually have a stab at answering.

Hiro Protagonist wrote:

Edward Kelly wrote:

The 'key' I'm on about is the code that is demanded by all official repositories that claim to have tvheadend but don't. I checked out numerous ones that wanted a key / code but didn't have the tvheadend available before some kind soul on the kodi forum told me about an unofficial repository that didn't use the key / code arrangement and did actually have the tvheadend file. Why have the key anyway, its not as if tvheadend is restricted by the CIA or whatever !!!! This key / code nonsense might be something new which would explain why others haven't encountered it but in any case its a ridiculous imposition, more so since the advertized keys / codes are out of date.

I still don't know what key/code you're talking about. I suggest if you are having problems accessing tvheadend from the links on https://tvheadend.org/projects/tvheadend/wiki/download, that you explicitly document what is not working for you, rather than vague talk about 'keys' required by un-named websites.

Is it possible that the need for a key / code is only inflicted on non-US residents ?

No - I'm in NZ and had no problems obtaining tvheadend, and note that tvheadend is not developed in the U.S. - also you can always download and compile the source if nothing else works for you.

Anyway, once tvheadend was installed, I then encountered config issues that aren't mentioned in official documentation, hence the need for something infinitely more explicit. What I need is a very pedantic step by step explanation about connecting / configuring tuners. What documentation does exist leaves out far more than it includes. That might be OK for folk with considerable experience with tvheadend but not for those of us who have never seen tvheadend before.

Pretty much all of us had never seen tvheadend before when we started out. You have to accept that there will be stuff to learn. There is no all-singing, all-dancing tutorial for the simple reason that nobody has written one, and one of the reasons is that what is required for setting up is very dependent on a number of factors, a big one being the country you're in, so even if/when someone sets out to write your 'very pedantic step by step explanation', it will of necessity be specific to the country they're in, unless they travel around the world reconfiguring for every different country. Then there are the different platforms and operating systems to consider.

What I'm attempting to deal with is pretty elementary. In view of the fact that tvheadend 'appears' to recognize the dual DiBcomm 700 arrangement, it stands to reason that there should be a way to scan for channels. I've seen something about this happening automatically but that doesn't happen and I can't see a button anywhere. It wouldn't matter what version of tvheadend, what country or what network is involved, there still must be some way to scan for channels.

Given that I'm using Ubuntu 16.04, the v4l module 'should' be included although modprobe v4l says otherwise. On the other hand, w_scan finds the tuner immediately, so go figure. Tvheadend tells me it knows about the tuner, which suggests I don't have a driver problem but neither tvheadend nor I have a clue about scanning for channels. The documentation implies that scanning happens automagically but it does not. In any case, IPTV wouldn't need a tuner but tvheadend can't find any IPTV channels either.

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.
Are you sure the tuner has the required firmware installed? You'll see errors in dmesg if you need firmware.

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

I can only assume there are a number of undisclosed gotchas that I'm not aware of and which are not even hinted at in documentation. The question is where and / or how do I find out about these points which are essential to getting the tuner to find DVB-T and IPTV channels ? A faultfinding facility would be very helpful.

One of the ways you can find out these points is by asking here, however:

There is no CIA conspiracy involved.
If you want help, you need to ask specific questions, and provide enough information so that people can actually have a stab at answering.

Robert Cameron wrote:

Looking at the download page, the "key" is the GPG key for the server that is hosting the Ubuntu downloads. This is the public key that signs the packages, to ensure their integrity/authenticity; the 16 alphanumeric digits is a shorthand fingerprint that is used to reference the key so your computer knows that file to download. What about the process is mystical or magical? From the page itself:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys 379CE192D401AB61

This imports the public GPG key into your system's apt keystore. Of course, according to that page too, there are only packages for i386 or amd64, and only for 14.04, 15.10 or 16.04. If you are not on one of the combinations of those architectures and versions, there do not exist packages in the official repositories.

_I have 16.04, but every official (ie tvheadend.org URL) repository I tried told me the download wasn't available. It was only when I was told about a nun-official repository (which did not demand the key / code) that I was able to use 'apt-get install tvheadend'. It 'appears' to have installed correctly, but then I didn't have any other option since I couldn't find an official repository that didn't involve either an outdated code or non-existent tvheadend file.

_
As far as your questions relating to IPTV, you haven't given any details. Is there an example URL you are trying to use? In general, the setup is:

I've never had any experience with configuring IPTV in tvheadend. Other applications I've used have been completely straightforward as they all found squillions of IPTV cbannels / streams without needing to be read the riot act. The term 'mux' is martian .... if it simply means a URL then why not use the english language term rather than the martian one ? That no doubt provides a bit of information about my IPTV issue. Maybe what is needed is a tvheadend dictionary !!!! Reminds me of 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus', the bottom line of which was that whilst men and women use the same words, they have completely different dictionaries.

1. From the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Networks tab, create a new IPTV network
2. From the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Muxes tab, add a mux to your IPTV network, which is where you specify the URL
3. After you have created your muxes for all of your IPTV inputs, have them scanned for Services. (If they are not scanned upon creation, then select your network from the Configuration > DVB Inputs > Networks tab and click Force Scan.)
4. After a service has been found for the mux, you can then assign that service to a channel.

Also, random video files are not common to IPTV. But, (multicast) MPEG-TS streams are quite common to IPTV distribution and that is why those are the types of input streams that Tvheadend supports.

Furthermore, the only detail you have shared about your setup is that you are using Ubuntu 16.04 and presumably have a DVB-T tuner, but you have offered no additional details. We don't know what architecture you are using. We don't know which model tuner you have, nor if the firmware for this tuner is installed/up-to-date. We don't know which IPTV provider you are trying to use streams from, nor which format those streams are in.

_I can't imagine that architecture / tuner are critical issues with issues as elementary as I'm experiencing but everything is bread and butter. Ubuntu 16.04, 32 bit, Sony PlayTV (DibCom 700), firmware is whatever came with the units and its worked fine in its original situation and with various Windows applications. Furthermore, I've seen numerous forum posts stating that PlayTV tuners work out of the box.

I don't know if there are any firmware options, in all probability these things are obsolete and unsupported. I also have Hdhomerun tuners but don't wish to use them for the present due to as yet unresolved router - homerun DHCP glitches. Whilst I know how to bypass the glitches, doing so introduces other features with which I don't have the time or the inclination to handle. I've used all manner of hardware with different versions of unix, linux, android, Windows etc and never once needed to change firmware. Is there some gotcha with tvheadend ? Note that there are no errors in dmesg, theoretically that should preclude firmware problems._

I don't know what IPTV provider I want to use. Other applications have found far more IPTV channels / streams than I've ever had time to check out and I've never had reason to worry about formats. Again, is there something peculiar to tvheadend that doesn't apply to any other applications ?. I thought it reasonable to assume a simple scan for IPTV channels / streams would be all that is needed. Only a week or so ago I acquired a raspberry pi mit (I'm guessing) some kind of Kodi based software and it found who knows how many IPTV channels / streams (never counted but probably well into the hundreds) in ten minutes without asking any questions at all. Seems I need to find a non-existent tvheadend manual to come to grips with IPTV setup alone. OK its not the fault of those providing invaluable assistance but has anyone thought of telling the developers it doesn't need to be so complicated. __

Again, provide details please so that accurate help can be offered ... otherwise no help will be forthcoming. This is community-based support here, and it requires a bit of effort on both parties; you need to contribute some effort towards your own support, because the rest of the internet is (most likely) not psychic and cannot know what your particular setup is like unless you inform us.

Just FYI:

"apt-key is used to manage the list of keys used by apt to authenticate packages. Packages which have been authenticated using these keys will be considered trusted."

From the apt-key man page, also at http://man.he.net/man8/apt-key

Such keys are for your protection. They validate that you are getting an official copy of the package from the package author.

If for some reason you cannot add keys using apt-key, that is a problem you need to resolve. Your system might be compromised in some way. Normal Linux systems that use apt-style repositorites (Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, etc) will let you add such keys. Of course if you are running a different distribution that does not use apt for package management, then it would not work, but then you'd also have much more difficulty getting Tvheadend to work, if you could get it to work at all (unless maybe you compiled it from source). You said you're using Ubuntu 16.04 so again, you should not be having difficulty adding the key if you follow the instructions. But if you do, this discussion may be helpful: https://superuser.com/questions/620765/sudo-apt-key-adv-keyserver-keyserver-ubuntu-com-recv-7f0ceb10-command-return

One thing you could try is removing the :80 from the end of the address. For many people adding the :80 solves the problem of not being able to get the key, but maybe in your case it is just the opposite for some reason.

I would NOT use builds from not-official sources, unless it's someone you know and trust implicitly. If you commonly do things like that, that would again lead me to think maybe your system has been compromised in some way, because getting software from an unknown third-party source (especially when there is an "official" source for the software readily available) is a good way to pick up a little something extra that you would not want on your system (virus, trojan horse, or other malicious code).

I'm guessing you are quite new to Linux, or you would likely have encountered that type of key before. It didn't even occur to me that such a key was what you were talking about since most Linux users have run into them before, and the installation instructions are fairly straightforward.

It is not a geographic thing, and it's not a plot by any government agency in the USA or any other country. It's to protect you, and by going around it you've denied yourself that protection. At this point your best course of action might be to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating system and start over from scratch, but this time try to learn to do things the Linux way rather than using an expeditious workaround that could come back to bite you in the ass.

Sean Micklem wrote:

Just FYI:

"apt-key is used to manage the list of keys used by apt to authenticate packages. Packages which have been authenticated using these keys will be considered trusted."

From the apt-key man page, also at http://man.he.net/man8/apt-key

Such keys are for your protection. They validate that you are getting an official copy of the package from the package author.

If for some reason you cannot add keys using apt-key, that is a problem you need to resolve. Your system might be compromised in some way. Normal Linux systems that use apt-style repositorites (Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, etc) will let you add such keys.

It wasn't that I couldn't add the keys, the issue was that either the keys were out of date (according to error messages) or when the key was accepted, the repository didn't have the file (more error messages). At this point I don't give a rats if the non-official file compromizes the system as this exercise is about checking to see if tvheadend is a viable proposition (ie I can configure it to do what I want). It isn't an 'in service' machine so it doesn't bother me if I need to reinstall a dozen times. Mind you the ubuntu installation was minutes old prior to installing tvheadend and the iso file came from an official ubuntu repository (which didn't demand a key, but thats not unusual as I've never seen the key arrangement previously). When its all said and done a ubuntu reinstall takes minutes but the stuffing around with tvheadend has run into days. That is utterly insane in anyone's language as I'm certain you'd agree. If necessary I'll start from scratch and will concern myself with an official file if such is necessary howeveer I'm yet to be convinced that the non-official tvheadend file is the reason I don't have a 'scan' button. I would have used an official file this time but I encountered so many obstacles that I ran out of patience to keep trying. I am under time constraints that most folk couldn't possibly comprehend and consequently I'm not inclined to persevere indefinitely in the face of apparently insurmountable obstacles when there is a simpler solution that does the job.

Just checked and there is a FreeBSD port for tvheadend. I'm a lot more familiar with FreeBSD than with ubuntu (I've used FreeBSD webservers / mailservers since I was knee high to a grasshopper and it would need an exceptionally good reason to convince me to use any other operating system for that purpose) although support for multimedia applications has not traditionally been its strongest feature. There isn't a snowflakes chance in Hell that FreeBSD folk would have a bar of the key nonsense. Rather than persevere with ubuntu if the expert opinion is that I must use an official tvheadend file, I'd first try FreeBSD and install tvheadend from ports. I don't know what is the attitude of tvheadend experts toward FreeBSD but unless there is a good reason why I shouldn't use FreeBSD, that seems to me to be the way to go. That potentially raises the issue of whether or not Kodi will play nice with FreeBSD in a dual tvheadend / Kodi system but I'll deal with that when if and when necessary. The system won't be heavily used (no rugrats / ysrd apes within kilometers) so mid-range hardware should be adequate.

Of course if you are running a different distribution that does not use apt for package management, then it would not work, but then you'd also have much more difficulty getting Tvheadend to work, if you could get it to work at all (unless maybe you compiled it from source).  You said you're using Ubuntu 16.04 so again, you should not be having difficulty adding the key if you follow the instructions.  But if you do, this discussion may be helpful:  https://superuser.com/questions/620765/sudo-apt-key-adv-keyserver-keyserver-ubuntu-com-recv-7f0ceb10-command-return

I'll check that discussion when I return home in a few days. As I said earlier, this exercise is merely a trial run to find out if tvheadend fills my need. If it doesn't, the non -official tvheadend is immaterial, and if tvheadend proves viable, a reinstall is a relatively trivial affair (providing someone can guarantee me a totally foolproof way to get the official tvheadend file without the stuffing around I encountered last time. Surely a complete operating system must be infinitely more susceptible to tampering and if ubuntu doesn't see the need for keys, what makes tvheadend different ? I'd possibly have a different view if everyone used the key arrangement but since I've never once encountered a key arrangement in hundreds if not thousands of unix / linux installations, I'm at a loss to understand why its essential with tvheadend.

Given that I don't want any more bugs than is absolutely necessary, a compile from source is not indicated. No doubt I'd be asked a squillion questions that I wouldn't have a clue about answering.

One thing you could try is removing the :80 from the end of the address. For many people adding the :80 solves the problem of not being able to get the key, but maybe in your case it is just the opposite for some reason.

I would NOT use builds from not-official sources, unless it's someone you know and trust implicitly. If you commonly do things like that, that would again lead me to think maybe your system has been compromised in some way, because getting software from an unknown third-party source (especially when there is an "official" source for the software readily available) is a good way to pick up a little something extra that you would not want on your system (virus, trojan horse, or other malicious code).

I'm guessing you are quite new to Linux, or you would likely have encountered that type of key before. It didn't even occur to me that such a key was what you were talking about since most Linux users have run into them before, and the installation instructions are fairly straightforward.

I've used various unixes (mostly Solaris and FreeBSD) for webservers / mailservers since the dawn of time and occasionally ubuntu when it has superior support for some application that doesn't work properly in FreeBSD or Solaris. That said, I can honestly say that I have never once encountered that key nonsense.

It is not a geographic thing, and it's not a plot by any government agency in the USA or any other country. It's to protect you, and by going around it you've denied yourself that protection. At this point your best course of action might be to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating system and start over from scratch, but this time try to learn to do things the Linux way rather than using an expeditious workaround that could come back to bite you in the ass.

If you can absolutely positively guarantee me 200% that a specified repository respects the advertized key and also contains the tvheadend file then I'd consider using the official version, however after a dozen or so experiences with dud keys and / or non-existent tvheadend downloads, it should be understandable that I'm a long way from impressed with official repositories. Mind you now that I'm aware that there is a current version port for FreeBSD, that takes precedence over Ubuntu. Someone who has unlimited time and patience might be less critical, but after endless months of 20 hour days battling the most corrupt government scum on planet earth, one tends to get a tad prickly.

It sounds like what you actually want is not Tvheadend. What you want is a turnkey solution with a hand-holding interface.

Give something like DVBLogic a try. Or if you are up for a bit of configuration (which from the tone of your posts is not the case, but who knows), then look at MythTV.

In any case, reading the manuals and adjusting to Tvheadend's paradigm seems to be outside the scope of your patience, as does asking for community help in a manner that will actually yield results. Therefore, I wish you luck on your search for software that is not Tvheadend.

Edward Kelly wrote:

_If you can absolutely positively guarantee me 200% that a specified repository respects the advertized key and also contains the tvheadend file then I'd consider using the official version, however after a dozen or so experiences with dud keys and / or non-existent tvheadend downloads, it should be understandable that I'm a long way from impressed with official repositories. Mind you now that I'm aware that there is a current version port for FreeBSD, that takes precedence over Ubuntu. Someone who has unlimited time and patience might be less critical, but after endless months of 20 hour days battling the most corrupt government scum on planet earth, one tends to get a tad prickly.

No fooling, I would never have guessed.

I rarely say this to anyone because I have been where you are, trying to get what first seems to be an incomprehensible piece of software to work. But your problem is that even when people take the time to explain things to you, you still go of on the long rants about how you think things ought to be, instead of being willing to deal with them as they are. If you devoted as much time to trying to understand how this all works as opposed to writing walls of text that no one cares to read, you'd be much better off. I've done this myself in the past and it rarely leads to productive discussion, or to any type of solution. The way things are done in the Linux world are not going to magically change just because you don't like them.

In my opinion you don't have the right temperament to be using any Linux-based software. I probably don't have the right temperament myself (say the word "compile" and I will look at you like a deer in headlights), but with patience and a bit of humility you probably could get this to work, though I suspect that patience is not something you are blessed with in any abundant quantity. But you have the advantage that you are familiar with BSD, which is at least somewhat like Linux. If you know how to build software under BSD and you can get Tvheadend to work under that platform, great! But one thing I have discovered is that Linux is not Windows or OS X, and probably not like BSD, and you will not get the same level of help or hand-holding from Linux users that you will from Windows or even OS X users. In the Linux work indecipherable documentation and a lack of hand-holding is much more prevalent, sad to say. That's just how it is. And repositories are a fact of life, at least unless and until snappy packages (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snappy_(package_manager)) become the norm, and even they will probably come mostly from repositories.

If time is more important to you than money, maybe look at one of the TBS MOI series of devices, such as this one: http://www.tbsdtv.com/products/tbs2923-moi-plus.html (similar devices in the left-hand menu). They run an older version of Tvheadend and other software, but it's all preinstalled and you just have to configure it. Or, and I almost never recommend this, but in your case it might be a solution, look into LibreElec - it tries its best to keep you away from the operating system and lets you do everything through the GUI, and you can install Tvheadend as an addon. Once you have installed LibreElec you never have to deal with the operating system, in fact they pretty much try to keep you out of it. But you will still have to configure Tvheadend, but there are several YouTube videos that can show you how if you have the patience to watch and learn. If you don't, then as I said above, anything that runs under any form of Linux is probably not for you.

If you can stomach using Windows, there are several PVR backends that will work with Kodi, and you will not need to deal with keys. MediaPortal and NextPVR are a couple; there is a complete list at http://kodi.wiki/view/PVR_recording_software

But seriously, and I'm not saying this to be mean or dismissive, I just don't think you are going to be happy running any form of Linux. If just getting Tvheadend set up has frustrated you this much, I'd suggest you stick with what you know (BSD), or failing that MacOS (even if you have to run it on a "hackintosh"), or Windows if you don't mind supporting the evil empire. In any of those I'd say you're more likely to get your chosen backend software up and running in less time, and you won't have to deal with the Linux way of doing things, which apparently upsets you greatly.

No need to reply to this message; I'm done. Use the time you would spend writing another long, complaining post to instead research other options (maybe even commercial options). You and everyone else will be much happier.

Edward Kelly wrote:

_The websites aren't 'un-named' although I had no reason to record them at the time and it would take considerable time that I cannot spare right now to find them.

If you're not prepared to name the websites or the specific problem you had, why on earth even bring them up - what do you expect me to do about it?

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.

_Ahhhhh, but how pray tell can I tell whether or not I NEED a certain module ? I 'guessed' I needed v4l (no explicit information available one way or the other). Everything I've read says that reasonably current linuxes have v4l included, but modprobe v4l says otherwise. Is v4l needed and if so, why isn't this stated clearly ? On the other hand, w_scan finds the PlayTV tuner immediately and tvheadend finds a dual DibCom 700 tuner (ie the PlayTV). Dmesg doesn't throw up any errors. Given all this, it seems reasonable to assume v4l isn't required and I don't have any driver problems.

You probably don't need it then, I don't know what it is or why you thought you might need it.

Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

_
By 'network' I assume you mean DVB-T and IPTV ? Both of them are present but I can assure you there is no sign of 'Force Scan'. This is one of the assumptions in documentation that isn't reflected in the stuff I have in front of me. Are you certain the 'Force Scan' button is meant to be out in the open or is it hidden away somewhere illogical ? I've torn hair out searching high and low for anything that could possibly be construed as any kind of 'scan' function but there isn't anything like that. Is there a command line version that might work where tvheadend forgets to provide a button ? _

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

_I have both DVB-T and IPTV selected. Nothing else is relevant in my location

So you haven't assigned a network.

The assumption here is all yours: " By 'network' I assume you mean DVB-T and IPTV" - this is not correct.
Under Configuration/TV adapters if you select a specific adapter device you'll see one of the basic settings is "Networks" - you need to put something in here to name the network(s) you'll be working with. Here we have just one DVB-T network [Freeview], so I've used that name in my setup, but I could have called it "Fubar" and it would still work. If you have assigned a network and checked "Enabled" on the adapter, you should then see your assigned network(s) when you select Configuration/Networks/ if you then click on a network you will be able to click the 'Force Scan' button, which is not hidden or somewhere illogical or forgotten. If you don't see this, and you still want help, you'll need to tell us what you do see.

From your other posts:

The term 'mux' is martian .... if it simply means a URL

A 'mux' is standard digital TV terminology for 'multiplexer', it is not a URL. The poster was asking you for info [the URL you were trying to configure], added the specific steps needed to perform the configuration, and instead of supply the requested info, you start ranting about not understanding a term. I'm sure you can do better than this if you try.

Given that I don't want any more bugs than is absolutely necessary, a compile from source is not indicated. No doubt I'd be asked a squillion questions that I wouldn't have a clue about answering.

Another invalid assumption. If your box is set up for compiling it's as simple as unpacking the archive and:

 cd <directory>
 ./configure
 make
 sudo make install

That said, I can honestly say that I have never once encountered that key nonsense.

Installing a key is normal whenever you use a non-standard [i.e. outside the distribution] repository.

So, my suggestion is to configure your adapter, as it seems you've yet to do that, and take it from there. And if you need more help, ranting about stuff you don't understand and/or we can't fix for you is not likely to make someone give up their time to help out.

Hiro Protagonist wrote:

Edward Kelly wrote:

_The websites aren't 'un-named' although I had no reason to record them at the time and it would take considerable time that I cannot spare right now to find them.

If you're not prepared to name the websites or the specific problem you had, why on earth even bring them up - what do you expect me to do about it?

It is not that I am not prepared to name the websites. I visited them days ago, a LOT of water has gone under the bridge since then and and I had no reason to record the URLs at the time. Do you faithfully record the URL of every website you visit ? That said, I believe they were 'official tvheadend' sites (ie tvheadend.org' URLs) Furthermore I don not expect you to do anything about sites I have no way now to identify, my comment was merely included by way of explanation as to why I was forced to resort to a non-official download.

If you don't have a module that you need, then the onus is on you to install it.

_Ahhhhh, but how pray tell can I tell whether or not I NEED a certain module ? I 'guessed' I needed v4l (no explicit information available one way or the other). Everything I've read says that reasonably current linuxes have v4l included, but modprobe v4l says otherwise. Is v4l needed and if so, why isn't this stated clearly ? On the other hand, w_scan finds the PlayTV tuner immediately and tvheadend finds a dual DibCom 700 tuner (ie the PlayTV). Dmesg doesn't throw up any errors. Given all this, it seems reasonable to assume v4l isn't required and I don't have any driver problems.

You probably don't need it then, I don't know what it is or why you thought you might need it.

I did a fair bit of research myself and some of the sources suggested that v4l might be necessary. That got me on the track of modules and the suggestion that all recent kernel versions had v4l by default. When 'modprobe v4l' failed, I went looking futher (w_scan) etc however I'm still in the dark regarding exactly what is essential for Sony PlayTV. Various posts provide conflicting information, some saying PlayTV works out of the box, others talking about different firmware (which as far as I'm aware does not exist), and that confusion is exacerbated by lack of details in documentation and the 'apparent correct' discovery of the device by tvheadend (twin DiBcom 700 tuners). Even though tvheadend seems to have correctly discovered the PlayTV tuner, and there are no dmesg errors (implying driver / firmware are OK, ther eis most definitely no 'scan' button. With these issues in mind, it shouldn't be difficult to see why I am in trouble..

Under Configuration/Networks/ if you select the network you have configured, there is a 'Force Scan' button.

_
By 'network' I assume you mean DVB-T and IPTV ? Both of them are present but I can assure you there is no sign of 'Force Scan'. This is one of the assumptions in documentation that isn't reflected in the stuff I have in front of me. Are you certain the 'Force Scan' button is meant to be out in the open or is it hidden away somewhere illogical ? I've torn hair out searching high and low for anything that could possibly be construed as any kind of 'scan' function but there isn't anything like that. Is there a command line version that might work where tvheadend forgets to provide a button ? _

However, you say that tvheadend knows about the tuner. I assume you have assigned a network in Configuration/TV Adapters for the tuner in question?

_I have both DVB-T and IPTV selected. Nothing else is relevant in my location

So you haven't assigned a network.

The assumption here is all yours: " By 'network' I assume you mean DVB-T and IPTV" - this is not correct.
Under Configuration/TV adapters if you select a specific adapter device you'll see one of the basic settings is "Networks" - you need to put something in here to name the network(s) you'll be working with. Here we have just one DVB-T network [Freeview], so I've used that name in my setup, but I could have called it "Fubar" and it would still work. If you have assigned a network and checked "Enabled" on the adapter, you should then see your assigned network(s) when you select Configuration/Networks/ if you then click on a network you will be able to click the 'Force Scan' button, which is not hidden or somewhere illogical or forgotten. If you don't see this, and you still want help, you'll need to tell us what you do see.

_As I understand it, the matter of networks is merely a matter of semantics. I did select DVB-T and called it exactly that (which judging from your 'fubar' comment has no bearing on the issue at hand), and same with IPTV which I now understand needs a lot more fiddling with. I'll put that aside for the present as Kodi has ann infinitely more intuitive way of e=dealing with IPTV. I'm away from home on advocacy business for a few days but I'm positive that there is no 'Force Scan' button anywhere. Maybe I need to post a screenshot to demonstrate the total absence of anything approximating a 'Force Scan' button. I figure there is more going on however as I'm far from confident that there are no driver issues, notwithstanding the lack of dmesg errors. I would like to be totally certain of the basics before haring off on tangents which cannot go anywhere if the driver is borked somehow. What additional tests can be run to verify that tvheadend can indeed communicate properly with the Sony=TV / DiBcom 700 ?.

_
From your other posts:

The term 'mux' is martian .... if it simply means a URL

A 'mux' is standard digital TV terminology for 'multiplexer', it is not a URL. The poster was asking you for info [the URL you were trying to configure], added the specific steps needed to perform the configuration, and instead of supply the requested info, you start ranting about not understanding a term. I'm sure you can do better than this if you try.

I know less than two fifths of stuff-all about digital tv terminology and need to start from the absolute basics. I think it reasonable to expect documentation should cover key terms, especially if it is as critically important as 'mux' seems to be. I can hardly supply information if I haven't a clue what the terms mean. Where do you suggest I locate a dictionary or whatever which explains in detail the key points not covered in documentation ?

Given that I don't want any more bugs than is absolutely necessary, a compile from source is not indicated. No doubt I'd be asked a squillion questions that I wouldn't have a clue about answering.

Another invalid assumption. If your box is set up for compiling it's as simple as unpacking the archive and:
[...]

I've compiled a s***load of applications in the past, but in every case I had at least a working knowledge of what lay behind the questions / options presented. I am extremely wary of compiling something when I know full well that I am completely clueless about the software, as is clearly the case with tvheadend. Just maybe if the documentation is extremely pedantic I would have a go, but in this situation it seems to me to be looking for trouble. I'll go as far as trying a FreeBSD port as I'm more at home with FreeBSD than with ubuntu however I am still somewhat hesitant regarding the combination of FreeBSD and multimedia, issues that have not always been completely compatible.

That said, I can honestly say that I have never once encountered that key nonsense.

Installing a key is normal whenever you use a non-standard [i.e. outside the distribution] repository.

Fair enough, although I've certainly never encountered a key in the past. It may be relatively common in linux land but none of the unix geeks I know admit to having heard about a key for any unix application. I've long lost count of the number of non-standard applications I've installed and none has ever involved a key.

So, my suggestion is to configure your adapter, as it seems you've yet to do that, and take it from there. And if you need more help, ranting about stuff you don't understand and/or we can't fix for you is not likely to make someone give up their time to help out.

That brings me back to where I started. It appears there needs to be more certainty (possibly via additional testing) to verify that the Sony PlayTV is really working with ubuntu / tvheadend as it is supposed to be. Seems to me that the conflicting information from modprobe, w_scan, tvheadend and posts regarding firmware / unofficial tvheadend need to be rationalized. I believe its necessary to start from the very beginning and exclude issues one at a time in a systematic manner before messing around with higher level events that mean nothing if there are elementary problems preventing the thing from working. 'Configure the adaptor' hasn't been accomplished as far as I can tell, at least if the missing 'Force Scan' is any indication. What kind of fault finding is available to check exhaustively whether or not the adaptor is really working with tvheadend, all previous test results notwithstanding ? Surely there has to be a logical reason for the lack of the 'Force Scan' button ?

Edward Kelly wrote:

That brings me back to where I started. It appears there needs to be more certainty (possibly via additional testing) to verify that the Sony PlayTV is really working with ubuntu / tvheadend as it is supposed to be. Seems to me that the conflicting information from modprobe, w_scan, tvheadend and posts regarding firmware / unofficial tvheadend need to be rationalized. I believe its necessary to start from the very beginning and exclude issues one at a time in a systematic manner before messing around with higher level events that mean nothing if there are elementary problems preventing the thing from working. 'Configure the adaptor' hasn't been accomplished as far as I can tell, at least if the missing 'Force Scan' is any indication. What kind of fault finding is available to check exhaustively whether or not the adaptor is really working with tvheadend, all previous test results notwithstanding ? Surely there has to be a logical reason for the lack of the 'Force Scan' button ?

I don't see any conflicting information here.

Modprobe - the module that you thought you needed doesn't appear to be an issue. However if you think you need it, why haven't you installed it?
w_scan - appears to show your tuner is working. No problems there.
firmware - dmesg shows no errors, so this shouldn't be an issue.
tvheadend - you've given no info on how/what you've configured so there's nothing much to go on.

Yes there will be a logical reason - but you need to provide information. Nobody can diagnose the problem without that.

I suggest you post a screenshot of the Configuration/TV adapters/ page [with a specific adapter selected so that the filled-out 'Parameters' box is showing, then do the same for Configuation/Networks with one of the networks selected.

Pro tip: If you can't see something you expect on a screen, diagnosing the problem is greatly facilitated by not only mentioning what you don't see, but also what you do see.