5: Watch TV

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NOTE: The wiki documentation is deprecated and quickly becoming out of date. Please visit fieldstation42.com for complete documentation.

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Watching TV with FieldStation42

1. Start the Player

From the top level of your FieldStation42 folder, activate the Python virtual environment:

source env/bin/activate

Then start the player:

python3 field_player.py

The player will automatically begin playing the scheduled content for the first configured channel.

Note: Make sure you have already generated catalogs and schedules using station_42.py before starting the player.

2. Changing Channels

FieldStation42 offers several ways to change channels:

A. Web Server API

By default, the player starts a web server on port 4242 (unless you use the --noserver option). You can change channels by visiting or calling these URLs:

• http://localhost:4242/player/channels/up  →  Tune channel up
• http://localhost:4242/player/channels/down  →  Tune channel down
• http://localhost:4242/player/channels/42  →  Direct tune to channel 42

B. Plain Text File Commands

The player monitors the file runtime/channel.socket for channel change commands. You can:

• Change to channel 3:

  echo '{"command": "direct", "channel": 3}' > runtime/channel.socket

• Or, open runtime/channel.socket in a text editor and enter:

  {"command": "direct", "channel": 3}

• Tune up or down:

  {"command": "up", "channel": -1}

  {"command": "down", "channel": -1}

3. Remote Control & Scripting

FieldStation42 includes a built-in web-based remote control. See the Web-Based Remote guide for setup and usage.

You can also integrate with external scripts and programs:

• Web Console and API
• Connecting A Remote or App