PC Caster

Cast live HLS / .m3u8 video streams from your Windows PC to a Roku TV — no phone required.

PC Caster finds the real stream behind a web page, works around the header/TLS protections those streams use, and plays them on your TV through a tiny Roku channel that the app fully controls.

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Table of contents

• What it is
• What it does
• How it works
• Requirements
• Installation
• First-time TV setup (one time)
• Daily use
• Running it without a console window
• Project layout
• Configuration & data
• Troubleshooting
• Legal / responsible use

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What it is

A small Windows desktop app (Python + Tkinter) that casts video — especially HLS live streams (.m3u8) — from your PC to a Roku TV on the same network. It bundles:

• a stream finder that detects the .m3u8 behind a web page (like the "video detector" apps on phones),
• a local proxy that makes header/TLS-locked streams playable by a TV,
• a custom Roku channel it installs and drives directly,
• quality-of-life extras: PC playback test, live proxy indicator, branded icon, and a log file.

What it does

• Find streams – Open a page (e.g. a sports stream page), click the server you want, and PC Caster watches the network and captures the real .m3u8 URL plus the Referer header the player used.
• Unlock streams – Many streams reject anything that isn't a real browser (they check the HTTP Referer and the TLS fingerprint). PC Caster's proxy re-requests the stream with a real Chrome TLS fingerprint and the right Referer, so a device that can't send those (like a Roku) can still play it.
• Cast to TV – It plays through a custom "PC Caster" Roku channel that the app installs once and then controls every time.
• Test on PC – Play the (proxied) stream in VLC first to confirm it's good before sending to the TV.
• (Legacy) Basic Fire TV casting via ADB, and an experimental "use the stock Castify channel" mode.

How it works

  Web page ──(1) Find .m3u8──▶  PC Caster captures stream URL + Referer
                                        │
                                        ▼
  Roku TV ◀─(4) plays─ "PC Caster" channel ◀─(3) launch with proxy URL
                                        ▲
                                        │ (2) re-fetch with Chrome TLS + Referer
                                  Local HLS proxy  ──────▶  Stream CDN
                                  (http://<PC-IP>:8011)

1. Find .m3u8 – A real browser opens; you click the server. PC Caster sniffs all network requests and grabs the .m3u8 (the adaptive index.m3u8) and the Referer.
2. Local proxy – PC Caster runs a small HTTP server on your PC (port 8011). For every request it re-fetches the real resource from the CDN using curl_cffi (impersonating Chrome's TLS/JA3 fingerprint) and injects the captured Referer/Origin headers. It rewrites the playlist so the video segments also flow through the proxy.
3. Cast – PC Caster launches its Roku channel via the Roku ECP API and hands it the proxy URL (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:8011/p.m3u8?...).
4. Playback – The Roku plays from your PC over plain HTTP — it never has to send any special headers, so it just works. A Windows Firewall rule (added automatically) lets the Roku reach your PC.

Why the proxy is necessary: the stream URL itself returns 403 Forbidden to anything that isn't a real browser — wrong/missing Referer = 403, non-browser TLS fingerprint = 403. That's why pasting the raw .m3u8 into VLC or a Roku fails. Only the proxied URL works.

Requirements

Requirement	Notes
Windows 10/11	Uses Windows-specific bits (taskbar icon, firewall, pythonw).
Python 3.9+	Install from https://www.python.org/downloads/ and check "Add Python to PATH".
Python packages	requests, playwright, curl_cffi, Pillow — installed automatically (see below).
Playwright Chromium	One-time browser download for the stream finder. Installed automatically.
Roku in Developer Mode	Needed for the custom "PC Caster" channel. One-time setup (below).
Same network	PC and Roku must be on the same LAN / Wi-Fi.
VLC (optional)	Only for the "Test on PC" button. https://www.videolan.org/

Installation

1. Install Python 3.9+ (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Put the PCCaster folder anywhere (e.g. your Downloads).
3. Double-click run.bat. On first run it will:
   • pip install the dependencies from requirements.txt,
   • download the Playwright Chromium engine,
   • generate the brand icons,
   • launch the app (windowless).

That's it for the PC side. (You can re-run run.bat anytime to update dependencies.)

First-time TV setup (one time)

The custom TV channel needs Roku Developer Mode:

1. On the Roku remote, press in order: Home ×3, Up ×2, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right.
2. The Developer Settings screen appears → Enable installer, set a password, accept the agreement. The TV reboots.
3. In PC Caster, click 📺 TV App → enter the Roku IP and the dev password → Install / Update channel.
4. Make sure the receiver mode is "My TV App (recommended)".

The "PC Caster" channel now appears on your Roku home screen, and the app can drive it.

Daily use

1. Launch PC Caster.
2. Scan for devices (or ＋ Add IP and type the Roku's IP).
3. Select your Roku in the list.
4. Click 🔍 Find .m3u8. A browser opens — click the server/quality you want and press play if needed. The stream appears in the scanner.
5. Select the index.m3u8 (adaptive) entry → Use selected.
6. (Optional) 🖥 Test on PC to preview in VLC.
7. ▶ Cast to TV. The match plays through your channel.

Keep the app open while watching — the proxy runs inside it. The status bar shows ⚡ Streaming to TV · N reqs while the Roku is actively pulling. If playback stops, the stream's token likely expired — just Find .m3u8 again.

Running it without a console window

• PC Caster.vbs – double-click to launch with no console window (portable; survives folder moves).
• Create Desktop Shortcut.bat – run once to put a branded PC Caster icon on your Desktop (you can pin it to the taskbar). Re-run if you move the folder.
• run.bat – use when dependencies need installing/updating (shows a console only during setup, then launches windowless).

Project layout

File / folder	Purpose
pc_caster.py	Main app (GUI, casting, device discovery).
stream_finder.py	Finds .m3u8 streams by sniffing browser network traffic (Playwright).
hls_proxy.py	Local HLS proxy: Chrome-TLS re-fetch, Referer injection, playlist rewriting, firewall rule.
roku_deploy.py	Builds, sideloads, and launches the Roku channel.
roku_receiver/	Source of the PC Caster Roku channel (BrightScript / SceneGraph).
make_icons.py	Generates the app + channel icons from one design.
logger.py	Rotating log file setup.
assets/	Generated icons (app_icon.ico, app_icon.png, …).
requirements.txt	Python dependencies.
run.bat	Setup + launch.
PC Caster.vbs	Windowless launcher.
Create Desktop Shortcut.bat	Makes a branded desktop shortcut.
pc_caster.log	Runtime log (auto-created, self-trimming).

Configuration & data

• Settings: ~/.pc_caster.json (your home folder) — saved devices, last device, Roku dev password, receiver mode. Migrated automatically from the old name if present.
• Log: pc_caster.log next to the app — capped at ~256 KB with 2 rollovers. Open it anytime with the 📄 Log button.
• Proxy port: 8011 (TCP, inbound). The app adds a Windows Firewall rule named "PC Caster HLS Proxy" automatically (one UAC prompt).

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause / fix
TV blinks then nothing plays	Firewall blocking the Roku → allow it (the app prompts via UAC), or run as admin once: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "PC Caster HLS Proxy" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8011 -Profile Private
Played fine, then stopped	Stream token expired (you'll see proxy upstream HTTP 403 in the log). Click 🔍 Find .m3u8 again.
Raw .m3u8 won't open in VLC	Expected — raw links are header/TLS-locked. Always use Test on PC / the proxied URL, never the raw stream link.
"Find .m3u8" finds nothing	The stream only starts after you click a server and press play. Do that in the browser window the scanner opens. First run also needs Playwright: pip install playwright then python -m playwright install chromium.
Scan doesn't list the Roku	Use ＋ Add IP (Roku IP: Settings → Network → About).
Channel won't install	Re-check Developer Mode is fully enabled and the dev password is correct (📺 TV App).
App won't start (windowless)	Run run.bat once to see the error in a console, or open pc_caster.log.
Roku Media Player just shows a file browser	That mode can't play these streams. Switch receiver mode to My TV App (📺 TV App).

Legal / responsible use

PC Caster is a general-purpose casting/relay tool. You are responsible for only using it with streams you are legally entitled to access, and for complying with the terms of service of any website and with copyright law in your jurisdiction. The author provides this for personal, lawful use.

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Built for Luis · June 2026 · v1.1