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Channel servers and SurfRewind.
ErsatzTV, dizqueTV and Tunarr are excellent open-source projects that turn a media library into live channels. SurfRewind solves the same wish a different way. Which is right depends on whether you want to run a server or just open an app.
The short version
Channel servers run on a computer next to your media server, build the channels there, and publish them as a tuner or an IPTV playlist with an XMLTV guide. You then watch through another app — Plex Live TV, Jellyfin Live TV, Emby, or an IPTV player. One schedule, many TVs, a lot of control, and some plumbing.
SurfRewind is the app on the TV. It signs in to Plex, Jellyfin or Emby directly and builds the schedule on the device. Nothing extra to host, no playlist or guide file to wire up — and the guide, the CRT looks and the remote behaviour are part of the same app.
| SurfRewind | Channel servers (ErsatzTV, dizqueTV, Tunarr) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you install | An app on the TV or PC | A server (often Docker) plus a client that can play its output |
| Where the schedule lives | On each device | On the server, shared by every client |
| How you watch | SurfRewind’s own guide and player | Plex/Jellyfin/Emby Live TV or an IPTV app, via HDHomeRun emulation or M3U + XMLTV |
| Media sources | Plex, Jellyfin, Emby | Varies by project: Plex, Jellyfin, Emby and local folders |
| Channel building | Built automatically from your library (you choose which kinds stay); pickers with counts; dayparts, marathons, play order | Very flexible schedules, filler, watermarks and blocks, configured in a web UI |
| Retro presentation | CRT cabinets, scanlines, static, info banner, rooms | Depends on the client you watch with |
| Transcoding | Your media server’s, only when needed | Usually the channel server streams continuously and may transcode |
| Price | Free; optional cosmetic themes | Free and open source |
Choose a channel server if…
- You want one schedule that every TV and every family member sees at the same moment.
- You already use Plex, Jellyfin or Emby Live TV, or an IPTV player you love.
- You enjoy configuring schedules, filler and bumpers in detail and are happy to keep a server running.
Choose SurfRewind if…
- You want channels tonight without Docker, playlists or guide files.
- You want the old-TV feel — cabinets, static, number keys — not just a playlist.
- You watch on a Google TV, Fire TV or Windows PC and want the app and the channels to be the same thing.
They can coexist, too: plenty of people run a channel server for the household and SurfRewind for the den. Comparisons describe the general approach at the time of writing; each project changes quickly, so check its own documentation for current features.