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roto31 edited this page Mar 21, 2026 · 4 revisions

Quick Start Guide

Get your first EXStreamTV channel running in under 10 minutes.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

  1. EXStreamTV installed - See Installation Guide
  2. FFmpeg available - Required for transcoding
  3. Media content - Videos to add to your channel

Starting the Server

Option 1: Command Line

# Navigate to EXStreamTV directory
cd /path/to/EXStreamTV

# Activate virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
# or
.\venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1  # Windows

# Start the server
python -m exstreamtv

Option 2: Start Script

./start.sh

Option 3: macOS Menu Bar App (Recommended)

Launch the EXStreamTV app from your Applications folder.

On first launch, the Onboarding Wizard guides you through:

  1. Dependency verification
  2. AI provider setup
  3. Server configuration
  4. Media source connections

See Onboarding Guide for the complete walkthrough.

After onboarding, click "Start Server" from the menu bar icon.

You should see output like:

INFO:     Starting EXStreamTV v2.6.0
INFO:     Configuration loaded, server port: 8411
INFO:     Database initialized
INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://0.0.0.0:8411

Accessing the Web UI

Open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:8411

You'll see the EXStreamTV Dashboard with:

  • Quick Stats - Channels, playlists, media counts
  • System Resources - CPU, memory, disk usage
  • Active Streams - Currently playing channels
  • Quick Actions - Shortcuts to common tasks

Creating Your First Channel

Option A: AI-Assisted Creation (Recommended)

If you configured AI during setup:

  1. Go to Channels in the sidebar
  2. Click + New Channel
  3. Click AI-Assisted tab
  4. Describe your channel:
    • "Classic 80s action movies channel"
    • "Kids cartoons with morning schedule"
    • "Documentary channel about nature"
  5. AI suggests content and schedule
  6. Review and click Create

This creates a complete channel with:

  • Curated content from your libraries
  • Appropriate scheduling
  • Channel branding suggestions

Option B: Manual Creation

Step 1: Navigate to Channels

Click Channels in the sidebar or go to:

http://localhost:8411/channels

Step 2: Create New Channel

  1. Click the + New Channel button
  2. Fill in the details:
    • Channel Number: 1
    • Channel Name: My First Channel
    • Group: Entertainment (optional)
  3. Click Create

Step 3: Channel Settings (Optional)

In the channel editor, you can configure:

  • Logo - Upload a channel logo
  • FFmpeg Profile - Select quality preset (Default 1080p, HD 720p, etc.)
  • Guide Color - Color for EPG display

Adding Content

Option A: Create a Playlist with URLs

  1. Go to Playlists in the sidebar
  2. Click + New Playlist
  3. Name it First Playlist
  4. Click Add Item and enter:
    • Title: Sample Video
    • URL: http://example.com/video.mp4 or a YouTube URL
  5. Repeat for more videos
  6. Click Save

Option B: Add Local Media

  1. Go to Libraries in the sidebar
  2. Click + Add Library
  3. Choose Local Library
  4. Enter the path to your media folder: /path/to/videos
  5. Click Scan to discover media
  6. Create a playlist from the scanned media

Option C: Import from Plex/Jellyfin

  1. Go to Libraries → + Add Library
  2. Choose Plex or Jellyfin
  3. Enter your server details:
    • Server URL: http://localhost:32400 (Plex)
    • Token/API Key: Your authentication token
  4. Select libraries to import
  5. Click Sync

Assigning Content to Channel

Using a Playlist

  1. Go to Channels and select your channel
  2. Click Edit Channel
  3. In the Playlist Panel, click + Add Content
  4. Select your playlist
  5. Click Save

Using the Schedule Builder

For more control over when content plays:

  1. Go to Schedules in the sidebar
  2. Click + New Schedule
  3. Add time blocks:
    • Morning: 6 AM - 12 PM
    • Afternoon: 12 PM - 6 PM
    • Evening: 6 PM - 12 AM
  4. Assign playlists to each block
  5. Apply the schedule to your channel

Watching Your Channel

Option 1: Built-in Player

  1. Go to Channels
  2. Click the Play button on your channel
  3. The video will play in the browser

Option 2: External Player

Copy the stream URL:

http://localhost:8411/channels/1/stream.m3u8

Open in VLC, mpv, or any HLS-compatible player:

# VLC
vlc http://localhost:8411/channels/1/stream.m3u8

# mpv
mpv http://localhost:8411/channels/1/stream.m3u8

Option 3: HDHomeRun/IPTV Client

EXStreamTV emulates an HDHomeRun device. In Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin:

  1. Go to Live TV settings
  2. Click "Add DVR" or "Add Tuner"
  3. It should auto-discover EXStreamTV
  4. Or manually enter: http://localhost:8411

Option 4: M3U Playlist

Download the M3U playlist:

http://localhost:8411/iptv/channels.m3u

Import into any IPTV app (IPTV Smarters, TiviMate, etc.)

Quick Reference

Common URLs

Resource URL
Dashboard http://localhost:8411/dashboard
Channels http://localhost:8411/channels
Guide http://localhost:8411/guide
M3U Playlist http://localhost:8411/iptv/channels.m3u
EPG (XML) http://localhost:8411/iptv/xmltv.xml
API Docs http://localhost:8411/api/docs

Keyboard Shortcuts

Web Player

Shortcut Action
Space Play/Pause (in player)
F Fullscreen
M Mute
← / → Seek 10 seconds

macOS App Channel Switcher

Shortcut Action
Cmd+G Open channel switcher
Cmd+Up Previous channel
Cmd+Down Next channel
0-9 Jump to channel number
Esc Close switcher

Next Steps

Now that you have a working channel:

  1. Configure AI - Set up AI-assisted channel creation
  2. Add more content - Connect local libraries or streaming sources
  3. Enable hardware transcoding - Reduce CPU usage
  4. Create a schedule - Program your channels like real TV
  5. Use the macOS app - Native player and keyboard shortcuts
  6. Customize your setup - Advanced configuration

Troubleshooting

Channel Not Playing

  • Check that FFmpeg is installed: ffmpeg -version
  • Verify the source URL is accessible
  • Check the logs: Settings → Logs

Poor Video Quality

  • Adjust the FFmpeg profile in channel settings
  • Enable hardware transcoding for better performance

Buffering Issues

  • Reduce the output bitrate in FFmpeg profile
  • Check network bandwidth
  • Try a lower resolution preset

Need Help?

Last Revised: 2026-03-20

Documentation

Getting Started

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Reference

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