Nova Core

DVB → IP streaming headend. One static binary. No ffmpeg, no dependencies.

Turn DVB-S / S2 / T / T2 / C tuners into HTTP-TS and UDP streams with a modern web UI, EPG, and a built-in playlist — on a single Linux binary you install in one command.

A lightweight, self-hosted IPTV streaming server and DVB-to-IP gateway — a free, modern alternative to Astra (Cesbo) and Flussonic for satellite / terrestrial / cable headends.

Features

• Inputs: DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-C (full Linux DVB API, v5 signal stats)
• Outputs: HTTP-TS, UDP / multicast, and a one-click /playlist.m3u
• Modern web UI — tuners, streams, live signal / quality, client sessions, logs, EPG
• EPG — XMLTV harvest and serve, per-source scheduling
• Single static binary — no ffmpeg, no Python, nothing else to install
• One-command install — systemd unit + bootstrap admin, done
• Light on resources — runs a 60+ stream headend on a low-power APU
• Secure by default — IP allow-list and brute-force-resistant admin login
• Architectures — Linux amd64, arm64, armv7

Requirements

• OS: a systemd-based Linux distribution. Tested on Debian 11/12 and Ubuntu 20.04+; works on Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux, openSUSE, Arch, Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) and Armbian. Non-systemd distros (Alpine, Void, Devuan) can run the binary manually but -install needs systemd.
• Kernel DVB drivers with your tuner exposed at /dev/dvb/*.
• CPU: x86-64-v2 (≈2009+) for the amd64 build, or arm64 / armv7.
• root (install writes to /opt/nova-core and registers a systemd unit).
• No ffmpeg, Python, or libc dependency — a single static binary.

Bare-metal recommended for DVB capture: most cards (e.g. NetUP/cx23885) need real PCIe DMA and do not work reliably under virtualization passthrough.

Quick start

# Download the build for your CPU from Releases, verify, then:
tar -xzf nova-core-linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo ./nova-core -install
# Open the URL it prints and log in with the generated admin password.

Uninstall any time with sudo ./nova-core -uninstall.

How it compares

	Nova Core	Astra (Cesbo)	Flussonic
Price	Free core	Commercial	Commercial ($$$)
Footprint	Single binary, no deps	Binary + Lua	Heavy install
DVB-S / S2 / T / T2 / C input	✅	✅	✅
HTTP-TS / UDP output	✅	✅	✅
Built-in modern web UI	✅	partial	✅
EPG (XMLTV)	✅	✅	✅
ARM / low-power	✅	partial	❌

Documentation

Full docs and the project site: novaheadend.com

License

Nova Core is proprietary software, free to use in binary form — see LICENSE. The source is not public. An Enterprise edition with extended integrations is available; get in touch via novaheadend.com.

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_{Nova Core — DVB to MPEG-TS streaming headend · self-hosted IPTV server · Astra / Flussonic alternative · © novaheadend.com}