PlexRelay

A complete IPTV solution that combines a Python bridge service with xTeVe to provide sports streams in M3U and XMLTV formats for Plex and other IPTV players.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

1. Plex Pass Subscription

   • Required for Live TV & DVR functionality
   • Available at plex.tv/plans

2. PPV.wtf VIP Account

   • Required for accessing the sports streams
   • Available at ppv.wtf
   • Alt links @ ppv.zone

3. Docker and Docker Compose

   • Required for running the services
   • Installation instructions available at docs.docker.com

Table of Contents

• Quick Start
• Getting Your Auth Token
• Connecting to Plex
• Features
• Components
• Endpoints
• Docker Commands
• Notes

Quick Start

1. Create the directory structure:

mkdir -p /mnt/<yourpool>/plexrelay
mkdir -p /mnt/<yourpool>/xteve

2. Create a docker-compose.yml file and paste the following content:

version: "3.9"

services:
  plexrelay:
    image: ghcr.io/timelessfun/plexrelay:latest
    container_name: plexrelay-bridge
    ports:
      - "8880:8880"
    volumes:
      - /mnt/<yourpool>/plexrelay:/app/data
    environment:
      - PPV_AUTH_TOKEN=your_auth_token_here
    restart: unless-stopped

  xteve:
    image: alturismo/xteve:latest
    container_name: xteve
    environment:
      - PUID=568  # change to match your user ID
      - PGID=568  # change to match your group ID
      - TZ=America/Vancouver  # change to your timezone
    volumes:
      - /mnt/<yourpool>/xteve:/config
    ports:
      - "34400:34400"  # xTeVe web interface
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - plexrelay

3. Replace the following in the docker-compose.yml:

   • your_auth_token_here with your PPV.wtf auth token (see below for instructions)
   • <yourpool> with your actual storage pool name

4. Start the services:

docker-compose up -d

5. Access the services:

• Bridge Status: http://localhost:8880
• xTeVe Interface: http://localhost:34400/web

6. (Optional) Verify M3U playlist works using

curl http://localhost:8880/playlist.m3u

You should see something like the following:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="7304" tvg-name="Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Guardians" tvg-logo="https://i.imgur.com/DnxoXh3.png" group-title="MLB",Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Guardians
https://LINKTOSTREAM

7. Configure xTeVe:
   • Go to http://localhost:34400/web
   • Navigate to Settings → M3U/XSPF
   • Add M3U Playlist:
     • Name: "PlexRelay"
     • URL: http://plexrelay:8880/playlist.m3u
     • EPG URL: http://plexrelay:8880/epg.xml
   • Click Test, then Save
   • Go to Mappings to configure your channels
   • Save your configuration

Getting Your Auth Token

1. Go to PPV.wtf and log in to your account
2. Open your browser's Developer Tools (F12 or right-click -> Inspect)
3. Go to the Network tab
4. Refresh the page
5. Click the first element that appears
6. Click the "Cookies" section
7. Copy the value of the "ThugSession" value including the quotations - this is your auth token
8. Replace your_auth_token_here in the docker-compose.yml with your actual token

Connecting to Plex

1. In xTeVe (http://localhost:34400/web):

   • Go to Settings → M3U/XSPF
   • Note the "M3U URL" and "XMLTV URL" values
   • These will be something like:
     • M3U: http://localhost:34400/playlist.m3u
     • XMLTV: http://localhost:34400/epg.xml

2. In Plex:

   • Go to Settings → Live TV & DVR
   • Click "Set Up Plex DVR"
   • Choose "M3U Playlist" as the source
   • Enter the M3U URL from xTeVe
   • Enter the XMLTV URL from xTeVe
   • Click "Next"
   • Select the channels you want to include
   • Click "Next"
   • Choose your DVR settings (recording quality, etc.)
   • Make sure that you change the Guide Refresh Interval to be 1 hour This ensures that the listings will show up on plex as they are added
   • Click "Next"
   • Review your settings and click "Finish"

3. Accessing Live TV:

   • In Plex, go to the "Live TV" section
   • Your configured channels should now be available
   • You can watch live streams and schedule recordings

4. Troubleshooting:

   • If channels don't appear, verify the M3U and XMLTV URLs are accessible
   • Check xTeVe logs for any stream issues
   • Ensure your Plex server can reach the xTeVe container
   • Try refreshing the guide data in Plex if EPG is not showing

Features

• Fetches and caches sports streams (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) from PPV.wtf
• Provides M3U playlist and XMLTV EPG data
• Updates stream data every 6 hours
• Caches MPEG-TS URLs to reduce API calls
• Filters out expired games automatically
• Integrates with xTeVe for channel management and EPG

Components

PlexRelay Bridge

• Python-based service that interfaces with PPV.wtf
• Provides M3U and XMLTV endpoints
• Accessible at port 8880

xTeVe

• Channel management and EPG integration
• Provides a unified M3U playlist for Plex
• Web interface for configuration
• Accessible at port 34400

Endpoints

Bridge Service

• / - Status page showing service information
• /playlist.m3u - M3U playlist of available streams
• /epg.xml - XMLTV EPG data for the streams

xTeVe

• /web - Web interface for configuration
• /playlist.m3u - Final M3U playlist for Plex
• /epg.xml - Final EPG data for Plex

Docker Commands

• Start all services: docker-compose up -d
• View logs: docker-compose logs -f
• Stop all services: docker-compose down
• Restart all services: docker-compose restart
• View logs for specific service: docker-compose logs -f plexrelay or docker-compose logs -f xteve

Notes

• This installation guide was designed for a TrueNAS Scale docker installation.
• The bridge service caches stream data and MPEG-TS URLs to reduce API calls
• Streams are automatically filtered to show only NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL games
• Expired games are automatically removed from the playlist
• The service updates every 6 hours to fetch new streams and remove expired ones
• This service is designed for those with VIP status in PPV.wtf
• xTeVe provides the final M3U playlist that should be used in Plex

Storage and Caching

The PlexRelay service stores its cache data in the /mnt/<yourpool>/plexrelay directory. This includes:

• Stream information cache
• MPEG-TS URL cache
• All cached data is automatically refreshed every 6 hours

This persistent storage ensures that:

• The service starts up quickly using cached data
• Stream information is preserved across container restarts
• API calls are minimized by using cached data