chore: update readme

This commit is contained in:
Trevor Mears
2026-01-17 17:02:54 -08:00
parent 0c797dad7a
commit 81d5f6e61e
+52 -22
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@@ -18,8 +18,9 @@ nodecast-tv is a modern, web-based IPTV player featuring Live TV, EPG, Movies (V
- Support for Xtream Codes and M3U playlists.
- Manage hidden content categories.
- Playback preferences (volume memory, auto-play).
- **🔊 Audio Transcoding**: Optional FFmpeg-based audio transcoding for Dolby/AC3/EAC3 compatibility.
- **📦 Stream Remux**: Lightweight FFmpeg remux for raw MPEG-TS streams from IPTV middleware.
- **🎛️ Hardware Transcoding**: GPU-accelerated transcoding with NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel QuickSync, and VAAPI support.
- **🔊 Smart Audio**: Configurable 5.1→Stereo downmix presets (ITU, Night Mode, Cinematic) with automatic passthrough for compatible sources.
- **📦 Stream Processing**: Auto-detection of stream codecs with smart remux/transcode decisions.
- **🐳 Docker Ready**: Easy deployment containerization.
## Screenshots
@@ -96,9 +97,9 @@ The application will be available at `http://localhost:3000`.
## Browser Codec Support
nodecast-tv is a web-based application, which means **video decoding is handled by your browser**, not by the server. The server simply proxies the stream data - it does not transcode or re-encode video.
nodecast-tv is a web-based application. By default, **video decoding is handled by your browser**. However, nodecast-tv includes optional **server-side transcoding** to convert incompatible codecs (HEVC, Dolby) to browser-friendly formats (H.264, AAC).
This means codec support depends entirely on what your browser can decode natively:
Without transcoding enabled, codec support depends on what your browser can decode natively:
| Codec | Chrome | Firefox | Safari | Edge |
|-------|--------|---------|--------|------|
@@ -119,14 +120,14 @@ This means codec support depends entirely on what your browser can decode native
- The stream codec may not be supported by your browser
- Try a different browser (Safari for HEVC/Dolby, Chrome/Edge for VP9/AV1)
- Check if your IPTV provider offers alternative stream formats
- For Dolby audio issues, enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Streaming
- For Dolby audio issues, enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Transcoding
### Audio Transcoding
For streams with Dolby Digital (AC3/EAC3) audio that browsers can't decode natively:
1. Install FFmpeg support: `npm install ffmpeg-static` (included as optional dependency)
2. Enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Streaming
2. Enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Transcoding → Stream Processing
3. Audio will be transcoded to AAC while video passes through unchanged
**Note:** For ad-stitched live streams (like Pluto TV), transcoding may struggle to keep up. These streams typically use AAC audio already, so the built-in HLS discontinuity handling manages audio transitions without transcoding.
@@ -140,16 +141,45 @@ nodecast-tv is optimized for **HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)**.
- **⚠️ High Latency/P2P**: For sources like Acestream, prefer HLS output (`.m3u8`) over raw TS streams to avoid timeouts during buffering.
- **❌ RTMP/RTSP**: Not supported natively by browsers.
## Streaming Settings
## Transcoding Settings
All streaming settings are found in **Settings → Player → Streaming**.
All transcoding and stream processing settings are found in **Settings → Transcoding**.
### Hardware Encoder
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| **Hardware Encoder** | Auto, NVENC, AMF, QSV, VAAPI, Software | GPU-accelerated encoding. Auto detects best available. |
| **Max Resolution** | 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p | Limit output resolution (lower = faster). |
| **Quality Preset** | High, Medium, Low | Encoding quality/speed tradeoff. |
| **Audio Mix Preset** | Auto, ITU, Night Mode, Cinematic, Passthrough | 5.1→Stereo downmix mode (see below). |
### Audio Mix Presets
| Preset | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **Auto (Smart)** | Copies stereo AAC as-is, uses ITU downmix for 5.1+ |
| **ITU-R BS.775** | Industry-standard balanced downmix |
| **Night Mode** | Boosted dialogue, reduced bass for quiet viewing |
| **Cinematic** | Wide soundstage, immersive surround feel |
| **Passthrough** | No processing (may cause errors on 5.1/Dolby sources) |
### Stream Processing
| Setting | What It Does | When to Enable |
|---------|--------------|----------------|
| **Force Backend Proxy** | Routes streams through the nodecast-tv server, adding proper CORS headers | When streams fail with "Access-Control-Allow-Origin" errors, or when using IPTV middleware |
| **Force Audio Transcode** | Transcodes audio to AAC using FFmpeg (video passes through unchanged) | When you have video but no audio (Dolby/AC3/EAC3 streams) |
| **Force Remux** | Remuxes MPEG-TS to MP4 container using FFmpeg (no re-encoding, very lightweight) | When using raw `.ts` streams from m3u-editor, dispatcharr, or similar middleware |
| **Stream Output Format** | Controls whether Xtream API requests use HLS (.m3u8) or TS format | Try TS if you experience buffering issues with HLS |
| **Auto Transcode (Smart)** | Probes streams and only transcodes/remuxes when needed | Recommended for most users (default ON) |
| **Force Audio Transcode** | Transcodes audio to AAC (video passes through) | When you have video but no audio (Dolby/AC3/EAC3) |
| **Force Video Transcode** | Full transcode of both audio and video | For HEVC/VP9 sources on unsupported browsers |
| **Force Remux** | Remuxes MPEG-TS to MP4 (no re-encoding) | For raw `.ts` streams from middleware |
| **Stream Output Format** | HLS or TS for Xtream API requests | Try TS if HLS causes buffering |
### Network
| Setting | What It Does | When to Enable |
|---------|--------------|----------------|
| **Force Backend Proxy** | Routes streams through the server for CORS headers | When streams fail with CORS errors, or using middleware |
## Troubleshooting
@@ -157,7 +187,7 @@ All streaming settings are found in **Settings → Player → Streaming**.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---------|--------------|----------|
| Black screen, `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` error | CORS blocked | Enable **"Force Backend Proxy"** in Settings → Streaming |
| Black screen, `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` error | CORS blocked | Enable **"Force Backend Proxy"** in Settings → Transcoding |
| Black screen with `MEDIA_ERR_DECODE` or `fragParsingError` | Unsupported codec (likely HEVC) | Try a different browser (see Codec Support table) |
| Loading forever (no error) | Decoder hung on unsupported codec | Try Safari or Edge; stream likely uses HEVC |
@@ -165,7 +195,7 @@ All streaming settings are found in **Settings → Player → Streaming**.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---------|--------------|----------|
| No audio at all | Dolby/AC3/EAC3 audio | Enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Streaming |
| No audio at all | Dolby/AC3/EAC3 audio | Enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** in Settings → Transcoding |
| No audio on some channels | Codec mismatch | Try Safari (best Dolby support) or enable transcoding |
| Audio out of sync | Stream encoding issue | Try changing stream format to TS in Settings |
@@ -181,7 +211,7 @@ If you're running nodecast-tv behind a reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy, Traefik) wit
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---------|--------------|----------|
| Streams fail with `fragLoadError` | Mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP streams) | Enable **"Force Backend Proxy"** in Settings → Streaming |
| Streams fail with `fragLoadError` | Mixed content (HTTPS page loading HTTP streams) | Enable **"Force Backend Proxy"** in Settings → Transcoding |
| Streams work on HTTP but not HTTPS | Reverse proxy not passing headers correctly | Ensure `X-Forwarded-Proto` header is set (see examples below) |
**Caddy example:**
@@ -220,9 +250,9 @@ If you're using IPTV middleware like **m3u-editor**, **dispatcharr**, **Threadfi
| Setting | Location | When to Enable |
|---------|----------|----------------|
| **Force Backend Proxy** | Settings → Player → Streaming | Always recommended when using middleware |
| **Force Remux** | Settings → Player → Streaming | For raw `.ts` streams (lightweight, no re-encoding) |
| **Force Audio Transcode** | Settings → Player → Streaming | If you have no audio (Dolby/AC3/EAC3 streams) |
| **Force Backend Proxy** | Settings → Transcoding → Network | Always recommended when using middleware |
| **Force Remux** | Settings → Transcoding → Stream Processing | For raw `.ts` streams (lightweight, no re-encoding) |
| **Force Audio Transcode** | Settings → Transcoding → Stream Processing | If you have no audio (Dolby/AC3/EAC3 streams) |
---
@@ -232,7 +262,7 @@ m3u-editor includes an internal proxy that remuxes streams to MPEG-TS.
**Setup:**
1. In m3u-editor, configure your playlist and enable the proxy if needed
2. In nodecast-tv, enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Streaming (for raw .ts streams)
2. In nodecast-tv, enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Transcoding (for raw .ts streams)
3. If audio doesn't play, enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** instead
**Note:** m3u-editor's proxy preserves original codecs. If your source has HEVC or Dolby, you'll need transcoding or a compatible browser (Safari).
@@ -245,7 +275,7 @@ dispatcharr uses FFmpeg stream profiles to process streams. By default it output
**Setup:**
1. In dispatcharr, streams are proxied by default via stream profiles
2. In nodecast-tv, enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Streaming (for raw .ts streams)
2. In nodecast-tv, enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Transcoding (for raw .ts streams)
3. If audio doesn't play, enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** instead
**Custom dispatcharr profile for browser compatibility:**
@@ -263,7 +293,7 @@ These HDHomeRun emulators work similarly to other middleware.
**Setup:**
1. Add your Threadfin/xTeVe M3U URL as an M3U source in nodecast-tv
2. Enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Streaming (for raw .ts streams)
2. Enable **"Force Remux"** in Settings → Transcoding (for raw .ts streams)
3. If needed, enable **"Force Audio Transcode"** instead for Dolby audio
### TVHeadend
@@ -271,7 +301,7 @@ These HDHomeRun emulators work similarly to other middleware.
If you're using TVHeadend as your source, you may need to configure a few settings for streams to play correctly in nodecast-tv:
**Option 1: Enable Force Backend Proxy (Easiest)**
- In nodecast-tv, go to **Settings → Player → Streaming**
- In nodecast-tv, go to **Settings → Transcoding → Network**
- Enable **"Force Backend Proxy"**
- This routes streams through the server, bypassing browser CORS restrictions