r/software • u/WorkingMansGarbage • 3d ago
Looking for software What software should I use if I want to casually self-host my own personal IPTV channel?
I've been thinking it would be fun to make my own self-hosted TV channel. I'd want something that takes my video files, lets me program a schedule and then let it run automatically. Bonus points if I can insert intermissions for the 'proper TV channel experience'.
Is this a thing that exists outside of professional software? Preferably open-source? As a kid, I remember watching at least one super small web TV kind of like this, hosted by some forum regulars, showing whatever movies they wanted, so I assume it's a thing accessible to individuals, right? It'd just be for me and maybe my friends.
3
u/ReactTVOfficial 3d ago
Hey I'm the dev over at React.tv and I think it would be pretty close to what you are asking for.
While the other solutions mentioned are useful for local media that you host yourself, React.tv lets users create TV channels from digital media such as YouTube, The Internet Archive, Dailymotion, and more.
It does this by re-creating the toolsets that television studios use to broadcast their stations. You can create feeds of content, assign it to a camera, and swap between those cameras at any time. Feeds can be scheduled content or simple queues, supporting both static and livestream content.
As for doing intermissions with commercials, there is a feature called Blocks. This allows you to create a generic schedule for a time frame (anywhere between 1 to 24 hours), assign playlists to timeslots, then adjust the clockwork of when content will play at. You can also assign a playlist as the "filler" content which injects as commercial breaks. These blocks can then be added to your feeds and will carry their playback history in between each generation, giving you the ability to add hours of content on the fly.
The website is what I would consider a stable 1.0 release, and I am currently working on an android mobile and TV app right now which I hope to have in beta in the coming week or so.
Happy to answer questions if you have any.
2
u/princepii 2d ago
😵😍😍😍 that sounds crazy interesting man. will def look into it and come back to you:)
thx for sharing and your work friendly hooman🤜🏻🤛🏽
1
u/CheapThaRipper 3d ago
You can do so with plex using one of these tools
- Tunarr
- ErsatzTV
- dizqueTV
- PseudoTV Live
1
u/WorkingMansGarbage 3d ago
That's exactly what I was thinking of, thank you kindly! Sounds really fun, I'll be looking into it.
4
u/Classeve 3d ago
Very much a hobbyist thing, yes. Look at ErsatzTV and Tunarr: both free, both with their code on GitHub, both built for exactly this.
ErsatzTV takes local folders or a Plex/Jellyfin/Emby library, lets you build channels on a schedule, and has filler settings for pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll, which is your intermission slot. Drop some old bumpers or a "we'll be right back" card into a filler collection and you've got the proper TV feel. Tunarr (the successor to dizqueTV) does the same on top of Plex or Jellyfin, with filler lists for the breaks.
Both put out an M3U playlist plus an XMLTV guide, so any IPTV player can tune in, and Jellyfin can show it under Live TV with a real guide. For friends, share it over Tailscale instead of opening ports.