Always On TV

Your 24/7 VOD streaming companion

Always On TV is a powerful tool that allows you to manage YouTube videos and playlists and stream them continuously. It functions as an OBS Browser Source, making it easy to integrate with your streaming setup. With Always On TV, you can queue videos and playlists, ensuring non-stop entertainment for your viewers.

Features

• Video and Playlist Management: Easily organize and manage your YouTube videos and playlists within Always On TV.
• Queue System: Queue videos and playlists that will play continuously. Once the queue is empty, Always On TV can randomly select videos from a default playlist.
• Local File Support: Scan and add video files directly from your server's local storage. The system automatically detects video duration and generates thumbnails using FFmpeg.
• Twitch Integration: Always On TV automatically updates your Twitch streaming title and game based on the currently playing video. This feature requires a Twitch connection to be set up.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (Version 26.3 or higher recommended)
• NPM (usually included with Node.js)

Quick Start (Automated)

To make installation as easy as possible, we have provided an automated script that handles the installation of dependencies for both the Client and Server, builds the frontend, and copies the necessary files to the server.

1. Download the latest release or clone the repository.
2. Open a terminal or command prompt in the project root directory (where the Client and Server folders are located).
3. Run the following command:

   npm run setup

This command will install all dependencies, build the frontend, and copy the necessary files to the server.

Usage

To start Always On TV, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have completed the installation procedure above.
2. In the terminal (in the project root directory), run:

   npm start
   

   By default, Always On TV starts a web server on port 8085. You can configure the port in the Server/config.json file.

The first time you launch Always On TV, a default configuration will be created. The default password to access the web interface is "AlwaysOnTV". You can change it, or turn the password off for local use, under Settings > Web Password.

Opening the web UI

To access the Always On TV web interface, follow these steps:

1. Ensure Always On TV is running. (npm start).
2. Open your web browser and navigate to localhost:8085 (or the port set in the config.json file).

Use your own Cookies (Optional)

YouTube sometimes answers requests from servers with "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot", which stops videos from being added or played. Providing cookies from a logged-in YouTube account avoids this. They are used for video and playlist lookups, DASH streaming and downloads.

1. Install a browser extension that allows exporting cookies in Netscape format (e.g., "Get cookies.txt LOCALLY").
2. Log into your YouTube account in that browser and export your active cookies.
3. Name the exported file exactly as cookies.txt.
4. Place this file directly inside your server component directory at: /Server/cookies.txt.

The file is picked up on the next request, so no restart is needed. If the bot check comes back later, your cookies have expired; export them again.

Twitch Integration

To enable Twitch integration, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Twitch developer console at https://dev.twitch.tv and sign in with your Twitch account.
2. Create a new application and obtain the client ID and client secret.
3. Set the callback URL to <your server address here>/auth/connect/twitch/callback in the Twitch application settings. For example, when running with default settings locally, the callback URL should be http://localhost:8085/auth/connect/twitch/callback.
4. Copy the client ID and client secret from the Twitch developer console.
5. Open the Always On TV web interface and navigate to the Settings tab.
6. Paste the client ID and client secret into the corresponding fields and click save.
7. The "Connect With Twitch" button will now be clickable, allowing you to establish the Twitch connection.

Update Notifications

Always On TV checks GitHub for a new release on startup and then once every 24 hours. When one is out, the web interface shows a banner linking to the release. "Don't remind me of this update" hides it until the next release. To turn the check off completely, use Settings > Updates.

Contributions

Contributions to Always On TV are welcome! If you encounter any issues or have ideas for improvements, please submit an issue or a pull request on the GitHub repository.

License

Always On TV is released under the MIT License.