A new approach to making IPTV behave more like traditional tuners

[EODCrafter 186]

I'm not sure why @PowerCC hasn't released yet.

[Fyb3roptik 4]

Correct, they are separate things here. Kernel is currently at 0.8.20 (the last of the 0.8.x branch) 0.9.0 should drop by the end of the week! 

[Fyb3roptik 4]

43 minutes ago, EODCrafter said:

I'm not sure why @PowerCC hasn't released yet.

His initial release will come in Kernel 0.9.0, after which he will make it publicly available. We wanted to make sure it was working well with Kernel before releasing

[PowerCC 44]

XCstream Custom Match Slate — In Action

Here's a short video demonstrating XCstream's new Custom Match Slate feature.

A Custom Match Slate is a user-supplied video, up to 10 seconds long, that XCstream automatically prepares to match the incoming stream's video and audio characteristics, including codec, resolution, frame rate, and bit depth.

These assets are generated in the background, persistently cached, and reused whenever a compatible stream is encountered.

When an upstream interruption can no longer be absorbed, XCstream transitions to the appropriate Custom Match Slate, loops it during the outage, and returns to live playback once the stream recovers.

The original stream remains pass-through, with DVR recording preservation taking priority.

Behind the scenes, XCstream's Validator monitors stream health while the resilience engine makes the decisions about continuity, Slate activation, and recovery.

The video demonstrates the results better than I can describe them.

The stream paused. We didn't.

I'm also getting closer to the first binary releases. If the remaining qualification goes as planned, I'm targeting macOS and Linux beta binaries within the next two weeks, with Windows to follow.

XCstream v0.9.10-beta — still undergoing qualification.

 

 

[PowerCC 44]

After eight months of development, testing, and more than a few unexpected challenges, XCstream v0.9.10-beta is finally available for public download!

When I started this project, I had one question: Why should a temporary upstream interruption mean a failed recording or a terminated playback session?

That question eventually became XCstream, a standalone MPEG-TS continuity and recovery engine designed to keep downstream sessions alive when upstream sources become unreliable.

What's Included

• Native MPEG-TS pass-through — Original video and audio are preserved without transcoding.

• Intelligent buffering and recovery — Absorbs short interruptions and manages longer outages.

• Matched and Custom Slate — Maintains stream continuity when the upstream stops delivering usable media.

• Watchdog and Validator — Monitor actual media progress and stream health.

• Improved Setup and tuner management — Guided configuration, source validation, and controlled session cleanup.

Six native packages are available for macOS, Linux, and Windows, covering both ARM64 and AMD64 architectures.

FFmpeg and ffprobe are taken care of.

Every package includes Jellyfin FFmpeg and ffprobe binaries. XCstream can also automatically discover and qualify an installed compatible FFmpeg/ffprobe pair from the same FFmpeg release, so you're not limited to the bundled executables.

No separate Python installation or Docker environment is required.

KMS and Emby Integration

Kernel Media Server (KMS): Nick (Fyb3roptik) and I have been collaborating on XCstream's integration into the upcoming KMS 0.9.0 release. XCstream's Direct interface allows KMS to hand off upstream sources while XCstream manages continuity, recovery, and tuner lifecycle.

Emby: Luke and I are in discussions about a potential direct integration using XCstream's existing Direct interface. Nothing has been finalized, but I'm looking forward to exploring the possibilities.

Importantly, XCstream remains a standalone application. Neither integration is required, and XCstream can already be used with Emby through its existing M3U Live TV interface.

Finally Available!

For those who have been following XCstream's development and asking when the binaries would be available...

Well, now you can!

Download XCstream v0.9.10-beta:

https://github.com/Xboxilla/XCstream/releases/tag/v0.9.10-beta

XCstream is proprietary beta software, available at no charge for evaluation. The release includes installation instructions, platform limitations, and technical qualification information.

Feedback and Bug Reports

Found a problem or have a suggestion? Please open an issue on GitHub:

https://github.com/Xboxilla/XCstream/issues

Include your operating system, a description of the problem, and any relevant diagnostics. Please remove credentials and private source URLs before sharing logs.

I'm especially interested in learning how XCstream performs with unstable sources and extended Emby recordings. Your feedback will help shape what comes next.

Keep the stream alive. Preserve continuity. Recover cleanly.

[horstepipe 434]

I‘d be interested in how much cpu consumption this takes for one or more parallel streams.

Can somebody provide some example yet from testing?

[PowerCC 44]

XCstream is designed to be extremely lightweight. It doesn't transcode video; it's an MPEG-TS pass-through engine focused on stream continuity and recovery.

CPU requirements are naturally influenced by the number of concurrent streams (tuners) and their bitrates, but the goal has always been to run efficiently on modest hardware without requiring a powerful machine.

For a typical 1080p stream running around 5–10 Mbps, I'd expect CPU usage to be roughly 10–20% of a single core as a ballpark estimate. Obviously, that varies with the hardware, bitrate, and number of active tuners.

I'm beginning to think XCstream could run on a toaster. All it needs is a CPU, some storage, and a network connection to keep those DVR recordings rolling reliably. At this point, the heating elements are optional.