Navigation Guide
A complete reference guide for navigating the EXStreamTV platform. This guide covers every menu item and feature available in the web interface.
The EXStreamTV dashboard with the reorganized sidebar navigation
- Getting Started
- Interface Overview
- Top-Level Navigation
- Channels Group
- Content Group
- Scheduling Group
- Integrations Group
- System Group
- Help Group
- Diagnostics Group
- Developer Section
- Quick Access Menu
When you first access EXStreamTV, you'll be greeted by the Dashboard - your central hub for monitoring channels, streams, and system status.
- Connect a Media Source - Go to Integrations > Media Sources to connect Plex, Jellyfin, or local folders
- Create Your First Channel - Use Channels > Manage Channels or try AI Create Channel for guided setup
- Configure Streaming - Set up FFmpeg and HDHomeRun settings in the System section
- Test Your Setup - Use Diagnostics > Test Stream to verify everything works
The EXStreamTV interface consists of three main areas:
Located at the top of every page:
- Menu Button (hamburger icon) - Toggle the sidebar on mobile devices
- Quick Launch - Fast access to common actions and channels
- Theme Toggle - Switch between light and dark modes
The left sidebar contains all navigation organized into logical groups. Each group has a header title and expandable content.
The complete sidebar showing all navigation groups
The central area where page content is displayed. This changes based on your current location in the app.
These items appear at the very top of the sidebar and provide quick access to the most commonly used features.
Icon: 📊 | Path: /
Your home base in EXStreamTV. The dashboard displays:
- Quick Stats - Channel count, media items, active streams, schedule items
- Active Streams - Currently playing channels with viewer counts
- Quick Actions - Fast links to common tasks
- Library Breakdown - Overview of your media sources
- Activity Feed - Recent system events and changes
- System Monitor - CPU, memory, and disk usage
Icon: /player
The built-in video player for previewing channels:
- Live channel playback
- Channel switching via dropdown or quick launch
- Playback controls (play, pause, volume)
- Full-screen mode support
Everything related to creating and managing your TV channels.
The channels management page with Add Channel and AI Create buttons
Icon: 📺 | Path: /channels
The main channel management interface:
- View all channels - See channel number, name, logo, group, and status
- Create channels - Click "Add Channel" for manual creation
- Edit channels - Modify name, number, logo, group assignment
- Enable/Disable - Toggle channels on or off
- Delete channels - Remove channels you no longer need
- Preview - Quick preview of channel playback
Toolbar Options:
- Add Channel - Create a new channel manually
- AI Create - Use AI-powered guided channel creation
- Show Disabled - Toggle visibility of disabled channels
Icon: 🤖 | Path: /api/ai/channel
The AI-powered channel creation wizard. Chat with "Max Sterling," a virtual TV programming executive who helps you:
The AI Channel Creator interface with Max Sterling
- Define your channel concept through natural conversation
- Set up scheduling (primetime, daytime, special blocks)
- Configure commercial breaks and filler content
- Choose content from your media libraries
- Generate complex schedules automatically
Best for: Complex channels with scheduling, themed programming, or when you want guidance on best practices.
Icon: ⬆️ | Path: /import
Import channels from other platforms:
- ErsatzTV - Migrate existing ErsatzTV configurations
- Other StreamTV instances - Import from backup files
- Configuration files - Load JSON/YAML channel definitions
Icon: 📋 | Path: /import/m3u
Import channels from M3U playlists:
- Paste M3U playlist URLs or content
- Map imported channels to local media
- Configure channel properties during import
- Support for IPTV playlist formats
Manage your media content, playlists, and collections.
Icon: 📹 | Path: /media
Browse and manage all media in your connected libraries:
- Filter by type - Movies, TV Shows, Episodes, Music Videos
- Search - Find specific titles across all sources
- View details - Duration, resolution, codec information
- Manual refresh - Update metadata for specific items
Icon: 📋 | Path: /playlists
Create and manage playlists of media:
- Create playlists - Manually curated content lists
- Reorder items - Drag and drop to arrange playback order
- Assign to channels - Use playlists as channel content sources
- Smart playlists - Auto-updating based on criteria
Icon: 🗂️ | Path: /collections
Organize media into logical collections:
- Smart Collections - Auto-populate based on filters (genre, year, etc.)
- Manual Collections - Hand-picked content groupings
- Use in scheduling - Assign collections to schedule blocks
Icon: 📚 | Path: /libraries
Manage connections to your media libraries:
- View connected libraries - See all sources and their status
- Refresh libraries - Trigger a rescan of media
- Library statistics - Item counts, last scan time
- Configure mappings - Map remote paths to local paths
Control when and how content plays on your channels.
Icon: ⏯️ | Path: /playouts
Active playback configurations connecting channels to schedules:
- View active playouts - See what's currently playing
- Create playouts - Link a channel to a schedule
- Playout modes - Continuous, scheduled, or looping
- Anchor points - Control episode progression
Icon: ⏰ | Path: /schedules
Time-based programming schedules:
- Create schedules - Define when content plays
- Schedule items - Add content to specific time slots
- Recurring patterns - Set up daily, weekly schedules
- Preview timeline - Visual schedule representation
Icon: 📊 | Path: /blocks
Programming blocks for schedule templates:
- Create blocks - Define themed content groupings (e.g., "Saturday Morning Cartoons")
- Set duration - Define block length
- Content rules - What types of content to include
- Shuffle options - Randomize within blocks
Icon: 📄 | Path: /templates
Reusable schedule templates:
- Create templates - Design standard day layouts
- Apply to schedules - Use templates as starting points
- Clone and modify - Create variations easily
Icon: 🎬 | Path: /filler-presets
Configure commercial breaks and filler content:
- Create presets - Define filler content rules
- Duration settings - How long between content
- Source selection - Which content to use as filler
- Period-appropriate options - Match content era
Icon: ✨ | Path: /deco
Channel branding and overlays:
- Watermarks - Add channel logos
- Bumpers - Intro/outro content
- Overlays - On-screen graphics
- Positioning - Control placement of elements
Connect external services and media sources.
Icon: 🔗 | Path: /settings/plex
Configure Plex Media Server connection:
- Server URL - Your Plex server address
- Authentication - Plex token configuration
- Library selection - Choose which libraries to use
- Path mapping - Map Plex paths to local paths
Icon: 🖼️ | Path: /settings/media-sources
Manage all media source connections:
- Add sources - Connect Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, or local folders
- Test connections - Verify sources are accessible
- Configure priorities - Set source preferences
- Manage credentials - Update authentication
Icon: 📦 | Path: /api/auth/archive-org
Connect to Internet Archive:
- Authentication - Log in with Archive.org account
- Access public domain content - Classic TV, movies, commercials
- Prelinger Collection - Vintage commercials and films
Icon: 📺 | Path: /api/auth/youtube
Connect YouTube for additional content:
- OAuth authentication - Secure login
- Playlist access - Use YouTube playlists in channels
- Search integration - Find content by query
Core system configuration and settings.
Icon: ⚙️ | Path: /settings/ffmpeg
Video transcoding settings:
- FFmpeg path - Location of FFmpeg binary
- Hardware acceleration - Enable GPU encoding (VideoToolbox, NVENC, etc.)
- Default profiles - Output quality presets
- Advanced options - Custom encoding parameters
Icon: 📡 | Path: /settings/hdhr
Virtual HDHomeRun tuner configuration:
- Enable/disable - Toggle virtual tuner
- Tuner count - Number of simultaneous streams
- Device ID - Virtual device identifier
- Network settings - Broadcast address configuration
Icon: 🎛️ | Path: /settings/playout
Global playback settings:
- Buffer settings - Stream buffering configuration
- Error handling - What to do on playback errors
- Transition options - Content transition behavior
- Default behaviors - System-wide playout defaults
Icon: 📱 | Path: /settings/quick-launch
Customize the Quick Launch menu:
- Enable/disable items - Choose what appears
- Reorder items - Set your preferred order
- Channel shortcuts - Add favorite channels
- Reset to defaults - Restore original configuration
Documentation and system health.
Icon: 📚 | Dropdown menu
Access to all guides and documentation:
- Quick Start - Get up and running fast
- Beginner Guide - Comprehensive introduction
- Navigation Guide - This document
- Channel Creation - How to create channels
- Installation Guide - Setup instructions
- Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
Icon: 🏥 | Path: /health-check
System diagnostics and status:
- Service status - Check all components
- Configuration validation - Verify settings
- Resource usage - Memory, CPU, disk
- Connectivity tests - Verify external connections
Troubleshooting and testing tools.
Icon: 💻 | Path: /logs
Real-time streaming activity logs:
- Live log stream - See events as they happen
- Filter by level - Error, warning, info, debug
- Search logs - Find specific events
- Export logs - Download for analysis
Icon: 📺 | Path: /plex-logs
View Plex Media Server logs:
- Plex activity - Transcoding, playback events
- Error tracking - Identify Plex issues
- Filter and search - Find relevant entries
Icon: 🧠 | Path: /ollama
AI-powered error analysis:
- Automatic analysis - AI interprets error messages
- Fix suggestions - Recommended solutions
- Learn from patterns - Improves over time
- Requires Ollama - Local AI model installation
Icon: 📹 | Path: /test-stream
Test channel playback:
- Select channel - Choose what to test
- View output - See actual stream
- Debug information - Detailed playback data
- Error reporting - Identify issues
Advanced tools for developers (hidden by default).
Developer tools are hidden by default. To enable:
- Open browser console (F12 or Cmd+Option+I)
- Run:
toggleDevTools(true) - The Developer section will appear in the sidebar
Or enable permanently:
localStorage.setItem('showDevTools', 'true')Icon: 🔌 | Path: /docs | Opens in new tab
Interactive Swagger UI for the API:
- Explore endpoints - See all available APIs
- Try requests - Test API calls directly
- View schemas - Request/response formats
- Authentication info - How to authenticate
Icon: 📰 | Path: /redoc | Opens in new tab
Alternative API documentation view:
- Clean layout - Easy-to-read format
- Search - Find endpoints quickly
- Code examples - Sample requests
The Quick Access menu provides fast access to common features without navigating through the sidebar.
Click the Quick Launch button in the header bar (shows "Quick Launch" with dropdown arrow).
- All Channels - Go to channel management
- AI Create Channel - Start AI channel creation
- Schedules - View and edit schedules
- Import - Import channels
- M3U Playlist - Download M3U file (external link)
- XMLTV EPG - Download EPG file (external link)
- Settings - System settings
- Health Check - System diagnostics
Go to System > Quick Launch to:
- Add or remove menu items
- Reorder items by priority
- Add channel shortcuts
- Configure which channels appear
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Esc |
Close modals and dialogs |
/ |
Focus search (on supported pages) |
? |
Show help (on supported pages) |
If you need assistance:
- Check the Documentation - Help > Documentation
- Run Health Check - Help > Health Check
- Use AI Troubleshooting - Diagnostics > AI Troubleshooting
- View Logs - Diagnostics > Streaming Logs
Last updated: January 2026
Last Revised: 2026-03-20