Media Server Integration

StreamSweeper playlists work seamlessly with popular media server platforms like Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex. This guide will walk you through setting up Live TV integration with each platform.

Why Integrate with Media Servers?

Media servers provide several benefits over standalone IPTV players:

Unified Media Library

• Access your IPTV channels alongside your personal media collection
• One interface for movies, TV shows, and live channels
• Consistent experience across all devices

Advanced Features

• DVR Recording: Record live TV for later viewing (Plex Pass, Emby Premiere, or Jellyfin required)
• Program Guide: Beautiful, integrated EPG with channel logos and artwork
• Multi-User Support: Different profiles with separate watch histories
• Parental Controls: Restrict access to specific channels or content

Multi-Device Access

• Watch on phones, tablets, smart TVs, and web browsers
• Apps available for iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and more
• Sync watch progress across devices

Setting Up Emby

Emby provides excellent IPTV support with its Live TV feature:

Prerequisites

• Emby Server installed and running
• Admin access to Emby Dashboard
• Your StreamSweeper M3U and EPG URLs ready

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Log into your Emby Server
2. Go to Dashboard (click the hamburger menu → Dashboard)
3. Navigate to Live TV in the left sidebar
4. Click Tuner Devices
5. Click the + button to add a new tuner
6. Select M3U Tuner from the list
7. Fill in the tuner configuration:
   • Tuner Name: "StreamSweeper" or a descriptive name
   • M3U URL: Paste your StreamSweeper M3U URL
   • User Agent: Leave blank (default)
   • Simultaneous Stream Limit: Set based on your connection (recommend 3-5)
8. Click Save

Adding EPG Data to Emby

1. In the Live TV section, click Guide Data
2. Click + to add a guide provider
3. Select XMLTV
4. Configure the guide:
   • File or URL: Paste your StreamSweeper EPG URL
   • Name: "StreamSweeper EPG"
5. Click Save
6. Click Refresh Guide Data to load initial EPG information

Channel Mapping in Emby

Emby automatically attempts to match channels with EPG data. To verify or adjust:

1. Go to Live TV → Channels
2. Review the channel list
3. Click on individual channels to edit metadata or EPG mapping
4. Enable/disable specific channels as needed

Setting Up Jellyfin

Jellyfin is an open-source media server with robust Live TV support:

Prerequisites

• Jellyfin Server installed (version 10.8 or newer recommended)
• Admin access to Jellyfin Dashboard
• StreamSweeper M3U and EPG URLs

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Log into Jellyfin with an admin account
2. Click the hamburger menu → Dashboard
3. Under Live TV, click Tuner Devices
4. Click + Add (plus button)
5. Select M3U Tuner
6. Configure the tuner:
   • Tuner Type: M3U Tuner
   • File or URL: Paste your StreamSweeper M3U URL
   • User Agent: Leave blank
   • Simultaneous Stream Limit: 3-5 recommended
   • Enabled: Check this box
7. Click Save

Adding EPG Data to Jellyfin

1. In the Dashboard, go to Live TV → Guide Data
2. Click + Add
3. Select XMLTV
4. Configure the EPG source:
   • File or URL: Paste your StreamSweeper EPG URL
   • Enabled: Check this box
5. Click Save

Refresh Guide Data

1. Go to Dashboard → Scheduled Tasks
2. Find Download TV Guide
3. Click the play icon to run the task immediately
4. Wait for completion (may take several minutes)

Setting Up Plex

Plex offers Live TV and DVR features through its Live TV & DVR system:

Prerequisites

• Plex Media Server installed and running
• Admin access to Plex Server Settings
• StreamSweeper M3U and EPG URLs

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Open Plex and log into your server
2. Go to Settings (wrench icon)
3. Click Live TV & DVR in the left sidebar
4. Click Set Up Plex DVR (or Add Tuner if you already have other tuners)
5. Plex will scan for tuners. Wait for it to complete, then select Enter custom URL
6. In the URL field, paste your StreamSweeper M3U URL
7. Click Connect
8. Plex will scan the playlist and display channel count
9. Click Continue

Configuring Guide Data in Plex

1. After adding the tuner, Plex will prompt for EPG source
2. Select Use XMLTV guide
3. Click Browse or enter URL manually
4. Paste your StreamSweeper EPG URL
5. Click Continue
6. Plex will download and process the guide data

Channel Lineup Configuration

1. Plex will display the channel lineup
2. Review detected channels
3. Enable or disable specific channels using the checkboxes
4. Click Continue
5. Complete any additional setup prompts

Adding EPG/XMLTV Guide URLs

Regardless of which media server you use, proper EPG configuration is critical:

EPG URL Format

Your StreamSweeper EPG URL looks like:

Where to Find Your EPG URL

1. Log into StreamSweeper
2. Go to Live TV
3. Find your playlist
4. Click Copy EPG URL

EPG Refresh Frequency

Different servers handle EPG updates differently:

• Emby: Refreshes every 8 hours by default (configurable)
• Jellyfin: Refreshes daily at 2 AM (configurable in Scheduled Tasks)
• Plex: Refreshes every 12 hours (not user-configurable)

Troubleshooting Media Server Connections

M3U Playlist Not Loading

If your media server can't load the playlist:

• Verify URL: Copy and paste the URL into a browser - it should download an M3U file
• Check server connectivity: Ensure your media server can reach external URLs
• Firewall rules: Check if your firewall is blocking the connection
• URL encoding: Ensure no extra characters or spaces in the URL

EPG Data Not Appearing

When program guide information isn't showing:

• Wait for initial load: First EPG download can take 15-30 minutes
• Check EPG URL: Verify you copied the correct EPG URL (not the M3U URL)
• Manual refresh: Trigger a manual guide data refresh in your server settings
• Channel mapping: Verify channels are properly mapped to EPG data

Channels Won't Play

If channels appear but won't play:

• Test in another player: Verify streams work in VLC or another IPTV app
• Reduce stream limit: Lower the simultaneous stream limit in tuner settings
• Check IPTV subscription: Ensure your IPTV service is active
• Server resources: Verify your media server has adequate CPU/RAM

Duplicate Channels Appearing

If you see duplicate channels in your media server:

• Add exclude rules in your StreamSweeper playlist for the quality variants you don't want (e.g., channel name ends with SD)
• Remove and re-add the tuner in your media server
• Clear the media server's Live TV cache

Performance Optimization Tips

Optimize Playlist Size

• Only include channels you actually watch
• Use StreamSweeper filtering to reduce channel count
• Add exclude rules to trim duplicate quality variants
• Smaller playlists load faster and use less memory

Adjust Stream Limits

• Set simultaneous stream limits based on your IPTV provider's restrictions
• Most providers allow 1-5 concurrent streams
• Higher limits can cause playback issues if exceeded

EPG Cache Settings

• Emby: Adjust guide data refresh interval in Live TV settings
• Jellyfin: Modify the "Download TV Guide" scheduled task frequency
• Plex: EPG refresh is automatic and cannot be changed

Server Hardware Considerations

• Live TV streaming is less CPU-intensive than transcoding
• Most streams will direct play without transcoding
• Ensure adequate network bandwidth (10+ Mbps per stream)
• SSD storage helps with DVR recording performance

Channel Mapping and Organization

Manual Channel Mapping

If EPG data isn't automatically matching channels:

In Emby:

1. Go to Live TV → Channels
2. Click on a channel
3. Under "Guide Provider", select the correct EPG entry
4. Save changes

In Jellyfin:

1. Go to Live TV → Channels
2. Click the pencil icon next to a channel
3. Match with correct EPG listing
4. Save

In Plex:

1. Go to Settings → Live TV & DVR
2. Click "View Channel Mappings"
3. Manually map channels to guide data
4. Save changes

Custom Channel Numbers

Most media servers allow you to assign custom channel numbers:

• Edit channel details in the Live TV section
• Set custom numbers to match your preference
• Organize by category (e.g., 100-199 for sports, 200-299 for news)

Channel Logos and Artwork

• Emby & Jellyfin: Automatically download from EPG or add manually
• Plex: Typically auto-detected from guide data
• Custom logos can be uploaded in channel settings

DVR and Recording Features

Emby Premiere DVR

• Schedule recordings from the guide
• Series recording with automatic scheduling
• Commercial skip detection
• Customizable recording quality

Jellyfin DVR

• Built-in DVR functionality (no subscription required)
• Schedule single or series recordings
• Post-processing options
• Recording path configuration

Plex DVR (Plex Pass Required)

• Advanced series recording rules
• Commercial skip (on supported content)
• Automatic compression
• Cloud backup options

Multi-Server Setups

Using Multiple Media Servers

You can use the same StreamSweeper playlist across multiple servers:

• Add the same M3U and EPG URLs to each server
• Each server will independently process the playlist
• Useful for testing different platforms
• No additional StreamSweeper configuration needed

Multiple Playlists on One Server

Add different StreamSweeper playlists as separate tuners:

• Sports-only playlist as one tuner
• News-only playlist as another tuner
• General entertainment as a third tuner
• Each appears as a separate channel source

Best Practices

Playlist Organization

• Create specific playlists for different use cases
• Use StreamSweeper's post-processing for dynamic organization
• Remove dead or inactive channels regularly
• Test changes in a secondary playlist before applying to your main setup

EPG Maintenance

• Verify EPG data refreshes regularly
• Check for channel mapping issues monthly
• Re-map channels if guide data stops appearing
• Keep StreamSweeper connections up to date

User Experience

• Set up separate user profiles for family members
• Use parental controls to restrict content
• Create custom channel lineups for different users
• Enable favorites for quick access to preferred channels

Next Steps

Continue exploring StreamSweeper's features:

• Playlist Creation & Filtering - Optimize your playlists before adding to media servers
• Post-Processing Rules - Create dynamic channel categories for sports and events
• Troubleshooting Guide - Solutions to common issues