This application provides an interface between locast.org and Plex Media Server (PMS) or Emby by acting like an HDHomerun or an m3u Tuner and an XMLTV provider.
locast2tuner can imitate one or more digital tuners and provides geo cloaking across regions.
locast2tuner is a rewrite in Rust of locast2dvr, which in turn is a rewrite of locast2plex. Thanks to the locast2plex developers for writing it and figuring out how to stitch things together!
I rewrote locast2plex to be able to more easily add functionality, use libraries wherever possible (like HTTP, m3u, starting multiple devices, etc), heavily document, generally write clean code, and provide a better user experience (command line argument parsing, automatic download of FCC facilities, etc). And since python's GIL gave me a headache, I rewrote the whole thing in Rust.
Apart from the fact that everything is Rust now, the big difference between locast2tuner and locast2dvr is that locast2tuner does not require ffmpeg anymore. Actually, I completely dropped support for it and only implemented the direct mode that locast2dvr supports. Next to that, I removed a few debugging features (like --multiplex-debug), that don't seem to be used.
Even though this project started as a locast to PMS interface, it's more focused on integrating locast with Emby, since Emby provides a bit more functionality when it comes to Live TV and Tuner (like m3u tuners, XMLTV, etc).
- Override your location using ZIP code or GPS coordinates
- Multiple digital tuners in a single server, either as separate servers or as one (multiplexing)
- Acts like either an HDHomerun Tuner or m3u tuner
- Provides locast EPG information as an XMLTV guide
This project isn't complete yet. It works, but there are a few things I'd like to get done. These can be found on the Issues page
Before you get started with installing and running locast2tuner, make sure you have an active locast.org account with an active donation.
Ubuntu/Debian packages are available for both amd64 and arm7 (Raspbian):
# Add the PPA key
$ curl -s "https://wouterdebie.github.io/ppa/KEY.gpg" | sudo apt-key add -
$ sudo curl -o /etc/apt/sources.list.d/locast2tuner.list "https://wouterdebie.github.io/ppa/sources.list"
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install locast2tunerCreate a config file in /etc/locast2tuner/config.ini and enable and start the service:
$ sudo systemctl enable locast2tuner
$ sudo systemctl start locast2tunerA Docker image is available from ghcr.io/wouterdebie/locast2tuner:latest and is built from this Dockerfile.
To run:
# Create a config directory (e.g. $HOME/.locast2tuner) and copy the example file in there:
$ mkdir $HOME/.locast2tuner
$ curl -o $HOME/.locast2tuner/config.ini https://github.com/wouterdebie/locast2tuner/blob/main/assets/config.ini.example
# ... edit the file ...
$ docker pull ghcr.io/wouterdebie/locast2tuner:latest
$ docker run -p 6077:6077 -v $HOME/.locast2tuner/:/app/config --name locast2tuner -d ghcr.io/wouterdebie/locast2tuner:latestIf you'd like to use docker-compose you can use the sample docker-compose.yml.
For other operating systems, you will have to compile locast2tuner from source. The only build requirement locast2tuner has is Rust 1.50.0+.
- MacOS:
brew install rust - Linux:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
$ git clone https://github.com/wouterdebie/locast2tuner
$ cd locast2tuner
$ cargo build --releaseYou'll end up with a binary in ./target/release/locast2tuner. You can copy this to the directory of your choosing (/usr/local/bin is a good place to start).
USAGE:
locast2tuner [FLAGS] [OPTIONS]
FLAGS:
--disable_station_cache Disable stations cache
-h, --help Prints help information
-m, --multiplex Multiplex devices
-r, --remap Remap channels when multiplexed
-s, --ssdp Enable SSDP
-V, --version Prints version information
OPTIONS:
-b, --bind_address <bind_address> Bind address (default: 127.0.0.1)
--cache_dir <cache_dir> Cache directory (default: $HOME/.locast2tuner)
--cache_timeout <cache_timeout> Cache timeout (default: 3600)
-c, --config <config> Config File
-d, --days <days> Nr. of days to get EPG data for (default: 8)
--device_firmware <device_firmware> Device firmware (default: hdhomerun3_atsc)
--device_model <device_model> Device model (default: HDHR3-US)
--device_version <device_version> Device version (default: 20170612)
-z, --override_zipcodes <override_zipcodes> Override ZIP codes
-P, --password <password> Locast password
-p, --port <port> Bind TCP port (default: 6077)
--tuner_count <tuner_count> Tuner count (default: 3)
-U, --username <username> Locast username
-v, --verbose <verbose> Verbosity (default: 0)
locast2tuner parameters can be specified as either command line arguments or in a configuration file that can be specified using the --config argument.
The configuration file format is:
option1="<value1>"
option2="<value2>"Example:
username="<Locast username>"
password="<Locast password>"See assets/config.ini.example for more.
By default locast2tuner uses your IP address to determine your location, but it also allows you to override the locast.org location you're creating a Tuner for:
override_zipcodes, which takes a comma separated list of ZIP codes as an argument. E.g.--override_zipcodes 90210,55111for Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
locast2tuner allows starting multiple instances. This is done using the override_zipcodes option. A file with all available locast regions is included in the locast2tuner distribution.
When using multiple regions, locast2tuner will start multiple instances on TCP ports starting at the value that is specified with the port (or the default 6077) argument and incremented by one and it will generate UUIDs for each tuner.
Note: PMS supports multiple devices, but does not support multiple Electronic Programming Guides (EPGs). Emby supports both. I personally use Emby since it allows for multiple EPGs.
locast2tuner can act as both a HDHomerun device or as an m3u tuner. Plex mainly supports HDHomerun, while Emby supports both. In case locast2tuner is used as an HDHomerun device it will copy the mpegts stream from locast to the Media server. When using locast2tuner as an m3u tuner, it will pass on the m3u from locast to the media server without any decoding.
- For use as a HDHomerun tuner, use
IP:PORT(defaults to127.0.0.1:6077) to connect - For use as an m3u tuner, use
http://IP:PORT/tuner.m3u(defaults tohttp://127.0.0.1:6077/tuner.m3u) as the URL to connect.
locast2tuner also provides Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) information from locast. This is served in XMLTV format. Emby and PMS both have support for XMLTV which can be used by adding http://IP:PORT/epg.xml (defaults to http://127.0.0.1:6077/epg.xml) as an XMLTV TV Guide Data Provider.
locast2tuner normally starts an HTTP instance for each Tuner, starting at port (default 6077). But with the option --multiplex, it will start a single HTTP interface multiplexing all Tuners through one interface for both streaming and EPG. Any channels that have the same call sign (like 4.1 ABC) will be deduped.
For example: if you use --multiplex --override_zipcodes=90210,55111, all channels from both ZIP codes will be available, but multiplexed at localhost:6077.
Note: This type of multiplexing makes sense in Emby, since you can add a single tuner at http://PORT:IP or http://PORT:IP/lineup.m3u and a single EPG at http://PORT:IP/epg.xml
When you encounter a bug, please use Github Issues:
- Add a detailed description of the issue you're experiencing.
- Explain what steps can be taken to reproduce the issue.
- If possible, add an excerpt of the log file that shows the error.
- Add a copy of your config. You can get a copy of your running config by opening
/configin a browser (e.g http://localhost:6077/config). This will not expose your locast password. If you can't access/config, please add yourconfig.iniwithout your password. - Before submitting, mark the issue as a "Bug".
When you have a features you'd like to see added, please use Github Issues and mark the issue as an "Enhancement".
If you're so awesome that you want to fix bugs or add features yourself, please fork this repository, code, and create a Pull Request. Please squash your commits into a single commit before sending the pull request.