Most PC Caster problems fall into three categories: Windows Firewall blocking the Roku from reaching the proxy on port 8011, an expired CDN stream token (the source returns HTTP 403), or a missing Playwright browser engine that the stream finder needs on first run. The sections below walk through every known symptom and its fix.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/iluisgm/PC_Caster/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
TV blinks then nothing plays
TV blinks then nothing plays
Cause: Windows Firewall is blocking inbound TCP connections on port 8011, so the Roku can’t reach the local HLS proxy running on your PC.Fix: When PC Caster starts casting it triggers a UAC prompt to add the firewall rule automatically — click Yes to allow it. If you dismissed that prompt or the rule was removed, run this command in an elevated PowerShell window:After running the command, click ▶ Cast to TV again. The rule is named PC Caster HLS Proxy and only opens port 8011 on Private networks.
Played fine, then stopped mid-stream
Played fine, then stopped mid-stream
Cause: The stream’s CDN token has expired. The proxy tries to re-fetch a segment or playlist from the CDN and receives HTTP 403 Forbidden. This is normal for live streams that rotate tokens every few minutes to an hour.Log evidence: Open the log file and look for a line containing:Fix: Click 🔍 Find .m3u8 again on the same page to capture a fresh stream link with a valid token, then click ▶ Cast to TV.
Raw .m3u8 URL won't open in VLC
Raw .m3u8 URL won't open in VLC
Cause: This is expected behavior, not a bug. Raw stream URLs from most live streaming sites require a specific HTTP
Referer header and a browser-like TLS fingerprint (JA3). VLC — and the Roku — cannot send those, so the CDN returns 403 Forbidden.Fix: Always use 🖥 Test on PC to preview via the proxied URL, or ▶ Cast to TV to send the proxied URL to the Roku. Never paste the raw .m3u8 link directly into VLC or another player — only the proxied URL (http://<PC-IP>:8011/p.m3u8?...) works outside of a real browser."Find .m3u8" scanner finds nothing
"Find .m3u8" scanner finds nothing
Cause: The scanner watches network traffic in a real browser window that PC Caster opens. Most streams don’t start loading until you interact with the page — click a server button (e.g. “Server 1”, “HD”, “FOX”) and then press the play button inside the embedded player.Fix: In the browser window that opens, click a server link, then press play. The stream entry appears in the scanner list within a second or two.Sub-cause — first run: The scanner requires the Playwright headless browser engine, which must be installed separately once. If you see a “One-time setup needed” dialog, open a terminal in the PC Caster folder and run:Then click 🔍 Find .m3u8 again.
Scan doesn't list the Roku
Scan doesn't list the Roku
Cause: The automatic scanner uses SSDP multicast (
239.255.255.250:1900) to discover Roku devices. This can fail if multicast is blocked on your router, if the Roku is on a different network subnet, or if your Wi-Fi uses client isolation.Fix: Click ＋ Add IP and type the Roku’s IP address manually. To find the IP on the Roku: go to Settings → Network → About — it is listed there as the IP address.Channel won't install
Channel won't install
Cause: The PC Caster Roku channel is sideloaded via Roku’s Developer Mode HTTP interface. Installation fails if Developer Mode was not fully completed or if the wrong dev password was entered.Fix:
- On the Roku remote, re-enter Developer Mode by pressing: Home ×3, Up ×2, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right.
- Confirm the Developer Settings screen appears, that the installer is Enabled, and note the password you set.
- In PC Caster, open 📺 TV App, re-enter the Roku IP and the exact dev password, and click Install / Update channel.
App won't start (windowless)
App won't start (windowless)
Cause: PC Caster launches via
PC Caster.vbs using pythonw.exe, which suppresses the console window. If a Python import or startup error occurs, the app silently fails to open with no visible feedback.Fix: Double-click run.bat instead. It shows a full console window so any error message (missing dependency, wrong Python version, etc.) is visible. Alternatively, open pc_caster.log in any text editor to read the last error recorded before the crash."Roku Media Player just shows a file browser"
"Roku Media Player just shows a file browser"
Cause: The Roku Media Player receiver mode (
mediaplayer) opens the built-in Roku file browser UI, which cannot play header-locked HLS streams. This mode exists only for testing and is not suitable for streams captured with PC Caster.Fix: Open 📺 TV App and switch the receiver mode to “My TV App (recommended)”. Click Save choice. Your next cast will use the custom PC Caster channel instead.Reading the log file
The log file is the fastest way to understand what went wrong, especially when running windowless. Every cast attempt, proxy upstream request, HTTP error code, and uncaught exception is recorded with a timestamp. To open the log:- Click the 📄 Log button in the PC Caster toolbar — it opens in your default text editor (Notepad).
- Or open
pc_caster.logdirectly from the folder wherepc_caster.pylives.
RotatingFileHandler and is capped at ~256 KB with 2 backup rollovers (pc_caster.log.1, pc_caster.log.2). Each line follows the format: