r/tunarr

Hey fellow tv fans! I have set up 7 channels to play all my media and I absolutely love it! I have a channel for classic cartoons, sci-fi, sitcoms and a few others.

Now I'm looking to add some filler to make it feel more like classic tv. What I'd really like is some of the old YTV segments that used to play between shows but I can't imagine that's easy to find. So what's everyone using as filler and where did you get it? Is there like a torrent of old commercials or something? Or is there a better suggestion I haven't considered?

Curious what people are using to host logos so they show up properly in Plex. I know some people host on Github but was curious if there were any better options that people have found.

There guide only shows the names of the channels. It doesn’t show what is playing. The channels open fine, and play fine, it sit that the guide in JF is blank. The guide in the tunarr UI shows everything fine. I don’t if there’s a setting or something that I’m missing.

Hi - I'm just getting started with Tunarr, seems cool. I'm running it on a Mac Mini M2 that I use as a headless server for Plex and the ARR suite, which runs great. I've got Tunarr up and running two channels so far. Unfortunately, those streams often hang up, stall, or fail. It will play for a while, and will play a few commercials/bumpers, but eventually it always fails. I've tried watching the stream through Chrome browser, as well as UHF IPTV app on my Mac laptop and AppleTVs - same experience. Anyone have success with MacOS? Any tips or tricks a newbie should be aware of? Happy to answer any other questions. Thanks!

I've been having this error constantly with Tunarr ever since I started using it. It doesn't matter what channel, Plex will always crash & tell me about a playback error. Either "Unexpected problem has occurred" or "Could not tune channel", etc...

Every time I look at the logs, I keep seeing an error pop up every time Plex shows an error. I'm not sure what to do about this. I'm thinking it's more of a Windows problem than it is Tunarr. I'm guessing Microsoft is purposefully slowing down My PC because I'm still on Windows 10. That might be affecting it. Anyone have any solutions? I've posted two logs down below.

"2026-08-14T06:04:27.407Z [info]: channel-8-concat exited. (signal=null, code=1, expected?=true) {"args":"-nostdin -hide_banner -threads 1 -loglevel error -nostats -fflags +genpts+discardcorrupt+igndts -reconnect 1 -reconnect_at_eof 1 -rtbufsize 15M -readrate 1 -i http://localhost:8000/stream/channels/029ec95d-51df-49b9-87dc-beef1c4b4370.m3u8?mode=hls -map 0 -c copy -metadata service_name=\"Nickelodeon - Copy\" -metadata service_provider=\"Tunarr\" -f mpegts pipe:1"}"

or

"2026-08-14T06:11:15.189Z [info]: channel-8-transcode exited. (signal=null, code=1, expected?=true) {"args":"-threads 1 -nostdin -hide_banner -nostats -loglevel warning -fflags +genpts+discardcorrupt+igndts -init_hw_device cuda -hwaccel cuda -ss 586005ms -hwaccel_output_format cuda -readrate 1 -readrate_initial_burst 60 -i F:\TV Shows\George Lopez\Season 4\George Lopez - S04E05 - Leave It To Lopez.mkv -filter_complex [0:0]scale_cuda=format=p010le:passthrough=1[v];[0:1]aresample=async=1,apad[a];[v]scale_cuda=format=yuv420p[vpf] -map [vpf] -map [a] -muxdelay 0 -muxpreload 0 -flags cgop -movflags +faststart -t 706161ms -video_track_timescale 90000 -b:v 2000k -maxrate:v 2000k -bufsize:v 4000k -c:v h264_nvenc -rc-lookahead 20 -bsf:v h264_metadata=crop_bottom=8 -c:a aac -b:a 192k -maxrate:a 192k -bufsize:a 384k -ar 48k -g 96 -keyint_min 96 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*4) -f hls -hls_time 4 -hls_list_size 0 -segment_list_flags +live -hls_segment_type mpegts -hls_segment_filename C:\Users\Documents\ffmpeg-8.1.1-full_build\bin\Transcode\stream_029ec95d-51df-49b9-87dc-beef1c4b4370\data%06d.ts -hls_base_url /stream/channels/029ec95d-51df-49b9-87dc-beef1c4b4370/hls/ -master_pl_name playlist.m3u8 -hls_flags program_date_time+append_list+independent_segments+omit_endlist C:\Users\alter\Documents\ffmpeg-8.1.1-full_build\bin\Transcode\stream_029ec95d-51df-49b9-87dc-beef1c4b4370\stream.m3u8"}"

I have been using Tunarr for a bit now and am really liking what it does. This is the perfect complement to my library and we are having some fun with building channels. I developed some ideas about Tunarr and what I wanted to do was get an idea of what was planned for V2 as a roadmap and start a conversation about it. I'd be willing to help on stuff, especially the ffmpeg stuff. But here we go, my observations/suggestions for V2

# Log file viewer

This sounds petty, and after re-reading, I agree, probably is, but it is the one thing in Tunarr that actively pisses me off. Like legitimately, I can feel actual rage building every time it catches me.

When you build a log viewer into an application, its supposed to let you view the logs. Not just say there was an error. I already know there was an error Mr Obvious. I'm fully aware there was an error. The fact there was an error is the reason I came to the screen. So when I am lying in bed at 1am and a stream fails, and I pull up my phone to check the system to see whats going on, and the Tunarr log screen gives me the exact same information that my TV just did, with the added, "download the log file here" ON MY PHONE, I get actively pissed off because I'm already not in a great mood because it didn't work to begin with.

Update the log file viewer so you can actually view logs. Its not hard, just write the log files in json and have the screen read the log file, parse it, and display the data. When you click on the record, open up and show the raw json entry. Thats all it needs to do. I don't have the words to adequately express how much the current screen pisses me off because it makes doing the very simple thing its supposed to let you do simmering rage level frustrating at best, impossible most of the time.

Ok, thats off my chest, I feel better now.

# FFMpeg

How this manages ffmpeg has easily been my second biggest frustration. Trying to debug gpu issues with Tunarr running in a Proxmox LXC on an Intel iGPU has been very hard. This has been because of several reasons:

• There is no way to view current streams. Yes, in the Channel view, you can see the streams and connections, but there is no way of viewing what its actually doing. In order to do that, you have to go to the log screen (we have established my feelings on this screen), download the log file, then find the stream in the log, then decipher what is going on, assuming you know what all the hundreds of ffmpeg parameters are doing.
• Even if you have an error, the log isn't enough because in the end, all it says is there was an error in an external tool and for more details go see this other file that doesn't exist. Not sure if it was never created, or garbage collected or what. But the log files are very insistent that there is another level of ffmpeg log files that don't exist.
• If you parse things out enough, you can rebuild something pretty close to the ffmpeg command that failed, and can try to run it again from the console in an attempt to debug it. Maybe. But man does it take forever to get to that point.
• The troubleshooting screen is kinda useful, but not really because you can't replicate scenarios. My tv was playing just fine and hit this file and failed, why? You can't replicate that failure scenario using the existing troubleshooting screen because you can't specify the stream parameters you are requesting. My Jellyfin connection was failing because I had Jellyfin wanting things in 8 bit color, but Tunarr and the GPU chokes on files with 10 bit color. I have no way of replicating that failure scenario because when i try to debug using the troubleshooting screen, I can't select a specific file, and I can't select an output format. So all it does is remux to the browser.

Even if I found a solution to that specific problem, currently, there is no mechanism to say "if you encounter a 10 bit file, do this"

And no, I am not re-encoding my entire collection.

For the record, after all that, and more hours of trying than I care to admit, I still can't gpu transcode to an iOS device and some tv's. And pass-thru audio doesn't work. Not sure why, can't debug it. CPU works great. at about 70% server load

## Debugging streams system.

Debugging ffmpeg should not be this hard. Jellyfin and Plex have the same issue and this could be an opportunity to show the Jellyfin guys how its supposed to be done. In my many, many, hours of frustration, I designed a new troubleshooting system for Tunarr. Here is how I would build out an improved streams system.

Think event driven model-ish. The application views calling ffmpeg as an event that is maintained over its life cycle, not simply an os.exec call. This new streams system tracks those events from birth to deletion.

New tab on the left under "Channels" called "Streams". Clicking on that takes you to a screen that displays all the currently running streams in the system. Since streams are events, they have states. "running", "finished", "errored". The UI will have all the bells and whistles to display various filters of streams in the database as you heart wishes to build.

On the stream would be a button "Stream Details" or something, clicking on that takes the ffmpeg command that is currently running that stream, parses it, and displays it in a workflow chart like this project

• https://lav.io/notes/ffmpeg-explorer/
• https://ffmpeg.lav.io/
• https://github.com/antiboredom/ffmpeg-explorer/

This gives the user a very clear picture of what is currently going on. Is it actually transcoding or remuxing? is it cpu transcoding or gpu transcoding? If it tried to be a gpu transcode and errored and fell back to a cpu transcode?, that should be indicated. I will have a button to download the ffmpeg command. This will be used to send to other people in bug reports or whatever, so I can share the details quickly. I should be able to click copy command, then go to a console on Tunarr, paste the command and run it. Exactly the same way Tunarr did.

The screen will hold transcode histories for some kind of time period, probably configurable with a default of 7 days or something, but all stream attemps are logged. The UI will let you filter failed streams. When you pull up the Stream details of a failed stream, you will also get all the error messages. It won't just stop with error with external tool, good luck!!, it will give you the physical error.

For failed streams, there will be a "Debug Stream" button. If I am having problems, for example streaming to an iOS device. I see the failed stream and I click on "Debug Screen" I'm taken to a screen that has the FFMpeg command broken out visually, with descriptions of what all the steps are doing (think ffmpeg man page descriptions, don't really need more). The screen should then allow you to modify the ffmpeg command and retry with different settings, seeing the outputs, trying to debug and possibly fix what the issue is.

Hell, in todays age, I should have a Claude button too. I should have a button that I click that sends all the information on a failed stream with hardware configurations and anything else needed to debug to Claude or ChatGPT to let that system debug what is going on and why it failed, right there in the debug screen. Never leave Tunarr.

Now at this point, it leads to more theoretical ideas. I don't know if this is possible yet. You have the ffmpeg config. Then you have the ffmpeg profile, where you can select cpu or gpu transcoding. That gets assigned to a channel. What i don't know at this point is if a way in the streaming standard exists to "broadcast" available profiles. I hope it does because now, if I am in my debugger and I find a combination that reliably transcodes my specific collection GPU for iOS, I want to be able to save that configuration as an available stream format. Basically say "If someone is requesting iOS on this channel, use this specific ffmpeg config". Not sure if that is allowed in the standard, but man, it would solve a great many of my issues.

## Reports

Now that streams are events, we can give a quick dashboard or report. Doesn't need to be much, All I want to see is a graph that shows number cpu transcode, gpu transcode, remux, maybe a few other things. but we now have the data. Drill in on errored streams. Normal stuff.

# Backups

Add a routine to guess the size of the backup before doing the backup to prevent maxing the drive. Take an average of existing backups plus 5% would be a good guess. but have a setting for a minimum drive size and if there isn't enough space, don't do the backup. This will halt the machine. In case you are wondering, the current backup will in fact run to drive to 0 bytes and then look at you like an idiot. Fun fact for all you non Linux admins. When you run a system drive to 0 bytes, you can no longer SSH into the machine. You see, when you SSH into a machine, SSH create a log entry. If the drive is full, SSH can't create the log entry, and rejects the connection. The only way to fix it is to go to the machine's console and free up space from there. Isn't system admin fun?

# Library

I really like the lack of metadata management. I have other systems for that and honestly, the Tunarr container has read only access to the media share so I have zero use for it. But it would be nice to be able to delete things out of the library. For example, When I open up my library and view the stuff in it, I have directories that I deleted weeks ago still listed. It would be nice to have a delete button to clean that up.

## Library scans

On machines that have to cpu encode with large collections, the scanner can saturate the machine. Add some kind of throttle setting so it doesn't halt the encoding while scanning would be nice. I fixed it by adjusting my schedule to only do library scans once a day while I'm asleep. Maybe do something like do the scan but wait for the ffprobe commands till the stream ends? something like that. But library scans shouldn't halt the streams.

Prefer nfo data. I get a lot of errors saying that it can't parse certain file names when the info it should be using is in the NFO file. The scanner should have a setting to prefer NFO data.

## Trash Can

If you are streaming while you empty a large trash can. You will halt the system. Again, throttling. This shouldn't halt anything.

Also, The trash can should purge. I constantly see things in the log files where it is referencing some guid that isn't in the database anymore. If I renamed/deleted a file, its gone. emptying the trash can should trigger a complete schedule recompilation and all references to those files in any of the schedules should be removed.

## Slot editor

Playing with slots really opened my eyes to how things have changed over the years. I already recreated the channels of my youth and started building more updated channels of what I watch today and i realized I am working less and less with broadcast content where everything is a reliable 23 minutes in a episode and x episodes in a season, to more "Well produced podcasts". We are collecting instagram videos, youtube channels, podcasts, etc. Now, take how I organize. I pull down a youtube channel, I pull the whole thing as a tv series with publish years as seasons and date as episode numbers. Works reliably for me. Now, the problem that presents is if I choose the series in Tunarr slots, I get everything in that season. What if I only want "episodes" that are longer than 2 minutes (real world effect, filters out shorts in a downloaded Youtube channel)? What if I have an NFL collection and I only want to run Monday night games? You can't do that with the current slot selector, which of all the different ways to schedule, has become my preferred method. I know you can accomplish this with smart collections, create a smart collection with your filters and pull that into a slot. But now i'm administering it in 2 places and bouncing back and forth between 2 different screens to manage the collections. I would take the existing "Edit Slot" screen, and add the same filter function you have in your smart collection screen. Let me drill more deeply into specifically what I want out of that season, not just the blind season. The existing season include/exclude can be eliminated completely and replaced with the filters.

## Episode Trailers

I saw a request on Reddit that got my brain going and I ended up really liking it. The request was to play the commercial for a specific episode in the upcoming lineup. I like that idea, I think you could have a lot of fun with it, but the first problem is to figure out how to organize commercials. The Kodi directory structure everyone uses already has trailers in it for movies and TV Series, but not episode trailers. So my idea was why not introduce episode trailer sidecar files. for example

• Season 01/myshow - s01e01 - my title.mkv
• Season 01/myshow - s01e01 - my title-thumb.jpg
• Season 01/myshow - s01e01 - my title-trailer.1.mp4
• ...
• Season 01/myshow - s01e01 - my title-trailer.5842.mp4

I don't see a reason not to add them to the episode NFO so you can add descriptions for them there as well

This way, when Tunarr is scheduling, it realizes that a trailer exists for an episode X hours in the future and inserts the trailer for that episode in the fill slot. But if the episode has already played, it doesn't play the trailer. This is a really cool way to do episode trailers

# Trailers in general

I just spent months refining my collection and downloading trailers and such to expand my metadata. The Tunarr scanner should already see these trailer files. A really cool feature to put in would be the ability to play a trailer for something in my media collection. I would want it to be intelligent so it doesn't play the same one over and over again, but in collection my size, its easy to forget what you have and that could be a really cool thing to go, hey, i remember that movie, let me flip to jellyfin and watch it.

I don't have any ideas on how to filter or select the trailer yet, but it would be cool. It be neat to be watching a horror channel I put together and see trailers for horror movies I have in my collection.

# UI

Lets do a UI thats better for watching streams. Lets make the dashboard a full blown TV Guide style guide. Since its not a tv, we can have a little fun with it. But the idea was the realization that I was watching my streams thru jellyfin on my browser for absolutely no reason. when i closed jellyfin and started watching thru tunarr, the stream cleaned up, ran smoother, and had less of a load on the server. Lets update the dashboard section more of a full featured IPTV Client than a status dashboard and make this a bit better viewing experience

Thats the ideas so far. Like i said, i would like to help if we get on the same page, but right now i just kinda want to know what you have planned for this. I like what it is and am having fun with it. But everything can be better.

What do you think?

I'm trying to slowly but surely migrate my way from ersatz TV onto Tunarr, but I'm finding it incredibly difficult. There are loads of settings that seem like brilliant ideas on the surface, but in my experience it seems that they only work in isolation, and if you try to run other settings, they completely negate anything you've done previously.

For example I'm trying to get a television channel to run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. using block shuffle, with padding set to the nearest 15 minutes. I've been doing this for about 2 hours now, and I can't get those three settings to work inside a single channel. Every time I get one of them to work the next settings change deletes the previous setting.

Is there a specific order that I need to follow for the settings so that each setting builds upon the last rather than completely counteracting it?

Just got started with Tunarr - really cool, thanks! Are you still updating the macOS version? I noticed the last couple of updates were only for Docker/Windows. I chose Tunarr because it could be installed on macOS and leverage the GPU (VideoToolbox) for transcoding. Thoughts on this?

Hello everyone,

I've been playing around with tunarr. It's a fantastic concept and my compliments to the people behind it.

I would like to setup a tv channel,a fun little project for my toddler with kids shows, that would have three things:

The most important: everytime I click on the channel a custom intro video would start off the channel, then 30-60 mins of content and then finish with a custom outro.

- it would play only when I click on it, but I would set it up for 7pm

- it would be usable with Android tv jellyfin.

I am mainly concerned about the first thing, setting up a custom intro and outro with randomised content every day.

The idea behind this project is to ride the nostalgia train with my kid and have the experience I had 30 years ago, when our regular tv channels would show stories for children in the evening before bed.

Would this be achievable with tunarr?

Thank you