What is Chinachu?
Chinachu is an open-source Japanese TV DVR application that handles scheduling, recording, and playback of Japanese broadcast TV. Mirakurun was originally built as the tuner backend for Chinachu, so the two work together seamlessly out of the box.
How Mirakurun and Chinachu Work Together
The relationship is simple: Mirakurun manages the tuner hardware and exposes an API. Chinachu connects to that API to request streams for recording or live viewing. You never need to manage tuner hardware inside Chinachu itself.
Prerequisites
- Mirakurun already running and accessible at your server IP on port 40772
- Chinachu installed via Docker or npm on the same or a different machine
Step 1 — Verify Mirakurun Is Running
Before connecting Chinachu, confirm Mirakurun is live:
You should get a JSON response with the Mirakurun version number.
Step 2 — Configure Chinachu to Use Mirakurun
In Chinachu's config.json, set the Mirakurun API endpoint:
If Chinachu and Mirakurun are on different machines, replace localhost with the Mirakurun server IP address.
Step 3 — Start Chinachu and Verify Connection
Start Chinachu and open its web UI. Navigate to the tuner status page — connected tuners from Mirakurun should appear automatically. If channels are not showing, trigger a channel scan from the Chinachu UI.
Step 4 — Schedule Your First Recording
Once tuners are visible in Chinachu, browse the EPG (Electronic Program Guide), select a program, and schedule a recording. Chinachu will request the stream from Mirakurun at the scheduled time.