A free, open-source desktop IPTV player with a retro CRT interface. Bring your own streams and playlists — M3U, M3U8, XSPF, or local folders. Watch live with EPG schedules, record with DVR, schedule recordings, build your own channels, shuffle your own media with commercial breaks, and enjoy authentic channel-surfing vibes. No subscription. No login. No tracking.
RetroTV is a free, open-source desktop IPTV player and media centre. Add any live stream URL, import M3U/M3U8 playlists, load XSPF files, or point it at a folder of videos. Built on VLC, it plays every modern format without fuss — wrapped in a phosphor-amber CRT interface with EPG guide, DVR recording, scheduled recordings, channel builder, commercial break simulation, sleep timer, and more.
Brand-new first-run experience. Choose curated channels from N5 Networks, import your own M3U/M3U8 playlist from a file or URL, and optionally add an EPG source — all before you even see the main screen.
Build custom channels from video files on your computer. Add files or entire folders, drag to reorder, toggle shuffle and commercial breaks — then save as an M3U playlist that RetroTV loads automatically.
Import channels directly from local or remote M3U/M3U8 playlists. Enter a URL or browse for a file — channel names, stream URLs, and EPG IDs are parsed automatically and added to your lineup.
Full settings dialog: configure commercial break counts, EPG refresh interval, 24-hour clock, hardware acceleration, network buffer size, startup behaviour, always-on-top, screensaver suppression, and curated channel syncing.
Mouse-triggered control overlay in fullscreen. Move your cursor to reveal seek bar, transport controls, volume slider, channel navigation, EPG toggle, and exit — all floating above the video. Auto-hides after 3 seconds of inactivity.
Click any programme cell in the EPG guide to see a detail popup with title, time, category, and description. One-click "Schedule Recording" sets up a DVR capture that starts and stops automatically at the right times.
No EPG data? No problem. Open the DVR Schedule Manager and manually set a recording by picking a channel, date, start time, and stop time. RetroTV arms a background timer and starts ffmpeg when the moment arrives.
8-second watchdog monitors live stream playhead movement. If the stream freezes, RetroTV automatically reconnects with a 10-second safety deadline to prevent infinite retry loops — so you spend less time staring at a frozen frame.
Channel 00 now features a split-screen layout: the bottom two-thirds shows the full EPG grid, while the top third displays a live video preview window playing a random channel from your lineup — complete with channel name and click-to-tune.
Network logos from XMLTV data are automatically fetched and displayed in the EPG guide grid. Icons load in the background and cache in memory, so the guide stays responsive even with hundreds of channels.
Hit ● REC (or press R) to record any live stream in real time. Recordings are saved as .ts files you can play back inside RetroTV or in any video player. ffmpeg is included with the Windows installer.
Browse, play, and delete your DVR recordings from the built-in library manager. Play recordings directly inside RetroTV with full pause and seek support.
Set an auto-shutdown timer from 15 to 120 minutes (or enter a custom duration). If a DVR recording is active when the timer fires, RetroTV mutes and minimizes instead of closing — so your scheduled captures finish cleanly.
Hit 🎲 SURF to jump to a random channel — automatically avoiding your recently watched stations for a true channel-surfing experience. Never know what's coming next.
Your last 10 watched channels are remembered across sessions. Filter the sidebar with ◷ HIST to quickly jump back to stations you were just watching.
Powered by XMLTV data, Channel 00 displays a full-screen electronic program guide with channel icons, now/next indicators, progress bars, and a live video preview. See what's on and what's coming up at a glance.
Recreate the authentic broadcast experience. Place video files in your commercials/ folder or use a commercials.xspf playlist, and RetroTV will automatically insert nostalgic ad breaks between your local tracks.
Add any live stream URL (HLS, DASH, etc.) or load local XSPF and M3U playlists. Import entire channel lineups from M3U files with EPG channel IDs. Mix live streams with your personal media library.
Stay informed with software updates and network announcements via the built-in news modal that checks for new messages on startup.
Instantly find any channel with the built-in search box. Type a name or number and the sidebar filters in real time — no more scrolling through a long lineup.
Press F to star any channel. Favorites appear highlighted with ★ in the sidebar and channel guide, so your go-to stations are always easy to spot. Filter the list to show only your starred channels.
Press G to pull up a live schedule strip for the current channel — showing now-playing and upcoming programmes for live channels, or now/next track cards with progress bars for local playlists.
Add your own XMLTV guide data URLs or local .xml files via the built-in EPG Sources Editor. Your custom sources are merged with the default guide on every refresh.
Add, remove, reorder, and duplicate channels directly in the app. Import M3U playlists with one click. Configure names, URLs, playlists, watermarks, EPG IDs, and shuffle settings — no manual JSON editing required.
Assign transparent PNG watermarks to your channels. Display a logo in the corner of the video for that authentic network broadcast look.
Phosphor-amber UI, scanline overlays, channel static transitions, a resizable sidebar, and a rotary knob dial for an authentic vintage television feel.
Local files automatically retry on error with exponential backoff. Live streams detect freezes (8-second watchdog) and reconnect automatically with deadline-based safeguards — so you spend less time staring at static.
Automatically remembers where you left off for local files. Close the app, come back tomorrow, and continue exactly where you stopped.
Channel lists sync automatically in the background. Hit the ↺ LINEUP button to manually check for updates, or let it happen on its own. Software update notifications keep you on the latest version.
Turn closed captions on or off with the CC button. Subtitle state persists across channel changes so you don't have to re-enable it every time.
Works seamlessly with keyboard media keys and remotes. Change channels, control volume, play and pause without touching the mouse.
Multi-monitor aware fullscreen mode with display sleep suppression and double-click to toggle. Mouse-triggered overlay gives you full control without leaving fullscreen — perfect for a dedicated living room setup.
Detailed diagnostics are captured in a 5×1 MB rotating log. Press Ctrl+L at any time to open the log file for troubleshooting — invaluable for diagnosing stream issues or reporting bugs.
No subscription fees, no account creation, no hidden charges, no tracking. RetroTV is free and open-source software, plain and simple.
Download RetroTV — the Windows installer includes ffmpeg for DVR recording. Just make sure VLC Media Player is also installed. The setup wizard will guide you on first launch.
Use the setup wizard to choose curated channels or import an M3U playlist. Or open the Channel Editor anytime to paste URLs, build channels from video files, or import M3U/M3U8 playlists.
Flip channels with arrow keys, surf with 🎲, check the EPG guide on CH 00, record with ● REC, set a sleep timer, and enjoy the retro TV experience.
Download the installer for your platform, add your streams, and you're watching in under a minute. The setup wizard walks you through everything on first launch. No account. No credit card. No catch.
* Requires VLC Media Player installed on your system. ffmpeg for DVR recording is included in the Windows installer.
RetroTV is built and maintained as a passion project — free for everyone, forever. If you enjoy it, consider buying the developer a coffee. Every contribution helps keep the signal alive and the lights blinking.
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