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ErsatzTV Legacy gets you from zero to a live, streaming IPTV channel in under fifteen minutes. This guide walks you through every step: starting the server, connecting a media library, configuring encoding, building a schedule, creating a playout, and pointing your IPTV client at the finished channel. By the end you will have a working M3U playlist and XMLTV EPG URL you can add to any compatible player.
This guide assumes ErsatzTV Legacy is already installed and accessible. If you have not installed it yet, see the Installation guide first.
1

Open the ErsatzTV Legacy web UI

With the server running, open your browser and navigate to:
You will see the ErsatzTV Legacy dashboard. The left-hand sidebar contains the main navigation: Media Sources, Libraries, Collections, Channels, Schedules, Playouts, FFmpeg, and Settings.
If ErsatzTV Legacy is running on a different host or port (e.g. a NAS or VM), replace localhost:8409 with that host’s IP address and your configured port.
2

Add a media library

ErsatzTV Legacy needs at least one library so it has content to schedule. You can use local files or connect an existing Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby server.
  1. In the sidebar, go to Media Sources → Local.
  2. Click Add Local Library.
  3. Give it a name (e.g. Movies) and choose the Media Kind: Movies, Shows, Music Videos, or Other Videos.
  4. Click Add Library Path and enter the path to your media folder as it appears inside the ErsatzTV Legacy host (e.g. /media/movies).
  5. Click Save. ErsatzTV Legacy will begin scanning the folder and indexing metadata.
Wait for the scan to complete — you can monitor progress in Settings → Logs or watch the item count increase in the library view.
3

Create an FFmpeg profile

Every channel requires an FFmpeg profile that defines the output resolution, video codec, audio codec, bitrate, and (optionally) hardware acceleration.
  1. In the sidebar, go to FFmpeg → Profiles.
  2. Click Add Profile.
  3. Fill in the profile settings:
  1. Click Save.
Hardware transcoding (NVENC, QSV, VAAPI, AMF, VideoToolbox, RKMPP) requires additional Docker flags or host-level driver setup. See the Hardware Acceleration guide for platform-specific instructions before enabling a hardware accelerator in your profile.
4

Create a channel

Channels are the virtual broadcast stations that viewers tune into.
  1. In the sidebar, go to Channels and click Add Channel.
  2. Configure the channel:
  1. Optionally upload a Channel Logo (a square PNG). Logos appear in EPG grids and IPTV client channel lists.
  2. Click Save.
5

Create a schedule and add content

A schedule determines what plays on the channel and in what order. The simplest schedule type is Classic.
  1. In the sidebar, go to Schedules and click Add Schedule.
  2. Give the schedule a name (e.g. Classic Movies Schedule) and click Save.
  3. You are now in the schedule editor. Click Add Item.
  4. Configure the item:
  1. Click Save Item, then Save the schedule.
You can add multiple schedule items to build complex programming blocks — for example, a fixed 8pm movie followed by a flood of TV episodes for the rest of the night.
6

Create a playout

A playout is the live running instance that ties a channel to a schedule and generates the actual timeline of items.
  1. In the sidebar, go to Playouts and click Add Playout.
  2. Select:
    • Channel → the channel you created in Step 4
    • Schedule Kind → Classic
    • Schedule → the schedule you created in Step 5
  3. Click Save.
ErsatzTV Legacy will immediately begin building the playout timeline. You can click the playout to see the upcoming items — what is scheduled to air and when. If the timeline is empty, confirm your library scan completed and has media items.
7

Stream to your IPTV client

With a playout running, your channel is live. Add these URLs to any IPTV-compatible application:Replace localhost:8409 with the IP address and port of your ErsatzTV Legacy host if the client is on a different device.Compatible clients include:
  • Channels DVR — add as a Custom Channels source
  • Plex DVR — via HDHomeRun emulation (see the Tip below)
  • Emby Live TV — add as an M3U tuner
  • Jellyfin Live TV — add as an M3U tuner
  • Kodi — via the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on
  • VLC — open the M3U URL as a network stream
  • Infuse — add as a streaming service
ErsatzTV Legacy also emulates an HDHomeRun network tuner, which allows Plex DVR, Emby Live TV, and other HDHomeRun-aware apps to auto-discover your channels without manually entering M3U URLs. Your ErsatzTV Legacy instance will appear as a network tuner on your LAN. See the HDHomeRun Emulation guide for details on how to configure Plex and Emby to use this feature.

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Next Steps

Now that you have a working channel, explore the more advanced features of ErsatzTV Legacy:

Hardware Acceleration

Speed up transcoding with NVENC, QSV, VAAPI, AMF, or VideoToolbox.

Block Schedules

Build weekly grid programming with time-block based scheduling.

Filler & Watermarks

Fill gaps between shows with short clips, bumpers, or black frames.

HDHomeRun Emulation

Let Plex DVR and Emby discover ErsatzTV Legacy as a tuner device.