ErsatzTV

ErsatzTV transforms a personal media library into scheduled, live TV-style channels with Electronic Program Guide (EPG) support and standard IPTV outputs. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, integrates with Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby, and uses FFmpeg-based profiles for streaming and transcoding.

Key Features

• Create custom, scheduled channels and playlists from local files or synchronized media servers
• EPG support with XMLTV export and M3U playlists for client consumption
• Hardware-accelerated transcoding support (NVENC, QSV, VAAPI, AMF, VideoToolbox) via configurable FFmpeg profiles
• Integrations with Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby for one-way metadata synchronization
• Streaming output compatible with common clients (HLS and MPEG-TS modes) and configurable streaming profiles
• Local library scanning with NFO metadata fallback and path-replacement support for media-server-driven libraries
• Cross-platform packaging and optional containerized deployment

Use Cases

• Build a personalized IPTV lineup to stream your movie/TV/music-video collections to TVs and devices
• Unify multiple media servers (Plex/Jellyfin/Emby) into scheduled channels and EPG-driven guides for client DVR/Live TV features
• Create always-on background or themed channels (music videos, curated shows, tutorials) for home or small deployments

Limitations and Considerations

• Plex client integration requires a Plex Pass on the client side and supports MPEG-TS streaming mode for direct Plex playback
• Hardware transcoding can require careful FFmpeg profile configuration and may exhibit platform- or driver-specific issues (e.g., QSV/encoder edge cases)
• When syncing from Plex/Jellyfin/Emby, only Movies and Shows are supported; other media kinds require local libraries

ErsatzTV is a community-driven, open-source project designed for self-hosted personal media streaming and channel scheduling. It focuses on flexible channel creation, broad client compatibility, and configurable transcoding pipelines to suit a range of home media setups.