Dispatcharr
Dispatcharr is a self-hosted IPTV and stream management server aimed at Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin users who want complete control over their live TV sources. It consolidates streams from multiple IPTV providers into one interface, merges channels with EPG programme data from XMLTV or Schedules Direct, and re-exports the result as M3U playlists, an Xtream Codes API, or an HDHomeRun device that your media server discovers as a live TV source — so it can view and record live channels just like native tuner content.
Key Features
- Multi-provider IPTV consolidation — import, filter and organise thousands of channels from several providers into a single unified source.
- Media centre integration — HDHomeRun emulation adds virtual tuners that Plex, Emby and Jellyfin discover as a live TV source for viewing and recording.
- EPG matching and generation — bring in guides from XMLTV or Schedules Direct, auto-match channels to programme data, or generate custom schedules and export them as XMLTV.
- Built-in DVR — schedule one-off or recurring recordings from the TV Guide, manage series rules, strip adverts with Comskip, and watch recordings while they are still in progress.
- Stream proxy and relay — intercept and proxy IPTV streams with real-time client management and bandwidth control.
- Transcoding and output profiles — configure FFmpeg profiles to reduce bandwidth or normalise audio, transcode to AC3 for media servers and AAC for browsers, and pick fMP4 or MPEG-TS containers.
- Real-time monitoring — track live, VOD and catch-up sessions, client connections and bandwidth, with automatic failover that switches viewers to backup streams when one fails.
- Multi-user access control — granular per-user permissions, network-based restrictions, and safe sharing via M3U playlists or the Xtream Codes API.
- Plugin system — extend the server with custom plugins for automation and integrations.
Why Use Dispatcharr?
IPTV management is normally scattered across raw playlists, EPG files and per-client hacks. Dispatcharr pulls it into one self-hosted server: a single place for your channels, programme data, recordings and stream delivery, with the kind of *arr-style control the community expects — entirely on your own hardware, with no third-party dependencies.
Use Cases
- Combine several IPTV subscriptions into one organised channel list served with a single guide.
- Give Plex, Emby or Jellyfin a virtual HDHomeRun tuner so they can watch and record live TV.
- Record shows on a schedule from the TV Guide, optionally ad-stripped, and keep watching while a recording is in progress.
- Share a curated stream with family or friends via one M3U or Xtream Codes account with granular permissions.
- Route every stream through a single VPN (for example Gluetun) so all clients reach geo-blocked content without individual VPNs.
Platform
Self-hosted web app · runs in Docker (single all-in-one container or modular compose with Celery, Redis and Postgres) · clients connect from any browser
Licence
GNU AGPL v3.0