Install Tanso TV on Linux

Applies to 64-bit distributions with glibc 2.28+ · Tanso TV 1.0.0

What you'll need

• A 64-bit Linux distribution (glibc 2.28 or newer — covers Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 33+, Arch, and most others)
• An OTA antenna, positioned to receive local broadcast signals
• A compatible USB TV tuner (MyGica®/Geniatech® A681 or A681B) connected to the antenna and to your computer
• A few GB of free disk space for recordings (HD recordings run ~3–6 GB/hour)

Installation steps

1. Set up your tuner first. Connect the antenna to the tuner's antenna input, plug the tuner into a USB port, and confirm via the tuner's own setup that it receives channels.
2. Download the Linux archive from the downloads page (TansoTV-1.0.0-linux.tar.gz) and verify the checksum:

   shasum -a 256 TansoTV-1.0.0-linux.tar.gz

   Compare the output with the SHA-256 value on the downloads page.
3. Extract it somewhere sensible, e.g. /opt/tansotv for system-wide use or ~/apps/tansotv for a single user:

   sudo mkdir -p /opt/tansotv
   sudo tar -xzf TansoTV-1.0.0-linux.tar.gz -C /opt/tansotv

4. Make the binary executable (if it isn't already):

   chmod +x /opt/tansotv/tansotv

5. Allow local network access. Other devices on your home network connect to Tanso TV to watch TV, so if you run a firewall (ufw, firewalld), make sure it isn't blocking the app. A quick test with the firewall temporarily off will tell you if it's the culprit.
6. Launch Tanso TV (/opt/tansotv/tansotv), let the setup wizard find your tuner, and run the channel scan.
7. Choose a recording folder with plenty of space, then start recording — see Using Tanso TV for the full tour.

Optional: desktop shortcut

Create ~/.local/share/applications/tansotv.desktop so Tanso TV shows up in your app launcher:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Tanso TV
Exec=/opt/tansotv/tansotv
Icon=/opt/tansotv/icon.png
Type=Application
Categories=AudioVideo;Video;

Uninstalling

Delete the extracted folder (and the .desktop file if you made one). Your recordings remain in your recording folder unless you delete them.

Next: using Tanso TV →