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Guide · FRITZ!Box Cable
FRITZ!Box cable TV on Fire TV and Android TV
If your FRITZ!Box has a cable tuner, it can stream cable TV to your home network. With tvheadend as a bridge, that becomes a playlist with a TV guide that Nightdeck plays on Fire TV, Android TV, Google TV or an LG TV.
Nightdeck is a player only. It contains no channels, movies or shows and doesn’t arrange providers. Only use it with sources you’re entitled to – for example cable TV through your own tvheadend server, your own media server or a licensed service you pay for.
First: why not directly?
The channel list the FRITZ!Box creates itself (files like tvhd.m3u) contains stream addresses in RTSP format. Nightdeck plays streams over HTTP (HLS and MPEG-TS) and loads playlists from a link. RTSP isn’t supported – so opening the FRITZ!Box list directly doesn’t work.
The solution is tvheadend, a free TV server for Linux. tvheadend uses the FRITZ!Box tuners via SAT>IP and serves the channels as HTTP streams, with a playlist and a TV guide from the cable signal.
What you need
- A FRITZ!Box with a cable tuner (Cable models) on your cable connection. Which channels it can stream to your home network depends on the FRITZ!Box and your cable connection, not on the player.
- An always-on device to run tvheadend – for example a NAS, a Raspberry Pi or a home server.
- Nightdeck on Fire TV with Fire OS, Android TV, Google TV, an LG TV (webOS 4 or newer), a Mac or a Windows PC on the same home network.
- A little time: tvheadend is powerful, but it isn’t a one-click app.
Step by step
Turn on Live TV in the FRITZ!Box
Open http://fritz.box, log in and enable “Live TV” in the TV or DVB-C section. Run the channel scan there as well. Menu names differ by model and FRITZ!OS version.
Install tvheadend
Install tvheadend on your NAS, Raspberry Pi or server. Many NAS systems offer it as a package or container; see the tvheadend documentation. Its web interface then runs on port 9981.
Add the FRITZ!Box as a tuner
In tvheadend the FRITZ!Box shows up under Configuration → DVB Inputs → TV adapters as a SAT>IP tuner for DVB-C. If it doesn’t, the two are often on different networks, or tvheadend needs the address of the FRITZ!Box SAT>IP description at startup (option --satip_xml). Then create a DVB-C network, scan the frequencies and map the services found to channels.
Allow access for your TV
In tvheadend under Configuration → Users, allow streaming access – easiest with an entry limited to your home network’s address range. The playlist is then at http://server-IP:9981/playlist/channels.m3u and the TV guide at http://server-IP:9981/xmltv/channels.
Install Nightdeck
On Fire TV, Android TV or Google TV: install the “Downloader” app from your device’s app store, enter nightdeck.shop/android and install Nightdeck. On an LG TV, Nightdeck comes from the LG Content Store.
Add the playlist in Nightdeck
On first launch choose “M3U playlist”, enter the tvheadend playlist address under “Playlist address (M3U)” and the EPG address under “TV guide (XMLTV, optional)”, then “Connect”. Your channels then appear under Live TV and in the TV Guide.
Tips
- Simultaneous streams: the FRITZ!Box only has a limited number of tuners. If several devices watch at once, you may run out.
- Stuttering picture? Connect the stick or TV via LAN rather than Wi-Fi if you can.
- Several devices: the same tvheadend playlist works on every device with Nightdeck. One licence covers up to 2 devices in your household, mixed platforms allowed.
The general guide for M3U playlists is Play an M3U playlist on an LG TV. All Nightdeck features are on the home page, trial and licence under Pricing: the first 3 days free, then €10.00 per year or €29.99 once.
Take a look at NightdeckSee pricing
Frequently asked questions
Can I open the FRITZ!Box M3U file directly in Nightdeck?
No. It contains RTSP addresses, and Nightdeck only plays streams over HTTP. The way to go is tvheadend, which serves the channels as HTTP streams.
Which Fire TV devices are supported?
Devices with Fire OS. The new Fire TV sticks with Vega OS aren’t supported.
Does it work without Fire TV?
Yes. The tvheadend playlist works the same way in Nightdeck on Android TV, Google TV, LG TVs with webOS 4 or newer, Mac and Windows.
Does it work outside my home network?
This guide is for your home network: the TV or stick has to be on the same network as tvheadend and the FRITZ!Box.
Are channels included?
No. Nightdeck is a player only. The channels come from your own cable connection via your FRITZ!Box.
More guides
FRITZ!Box is a trademark of its owner. tvheadend is an independent open-source project. Nightdeck is not affiliated with either.
Last updated: September 2026