Not So Live TV Support & Help
Welcome to Not So Live TV! This guide will help you get the most out of your personalized TV guide experience on Apple TV.
Getting Started
What is Not So Live TV?
Not So Live TV turns your Jellyfin media server into always-on TV channels. Build channels from your shows and movies, and they run continuously on a schedule — tune in and something is already playing, just like real cable. Flip through a TV guide, catch shows mid-episode, and (optionally) add retro commercial breaks and holiday programming.
Requirements
- Apple TV running tvOS 18.5 or later
- A Jellyfin media server on your network (or reachable over the internet via HTTPS)
Setup Guide
Step 1: Open Not So Live TV on your Apple TV
Step 2: Enter your Jellyfin server details: Server URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:8096), username, and password
Step 3: Create your first channel — pick shows, movies, or both from the poster browser, then accept a suggested name (or type your own)
Step 4: Enjoy your personalized TV experience!
Creating Channels
Press Create Channel from the guide. The two-step wizard:
- Pick content: Browse your library with the Shows and Movies tabs. Use genre chips to filter, the sort toggle for A–Z or Recently Added, and Select All to grab a whole genre. Your selections appear in a strip at the top. Picking both shows and movies makes a Mixed Channel.
- Name & configure: Accept a suggested name or enter your own, review the summary, and configure Movie Mix and Holiday Takeover if you like.
Movie Mix (Mixed Channels)
When a channel has both shows and movies, choose how movies are woven in:
- Shuffled — episodes and movies in one random deck
- Percentage — movies fill a target share of airtime (or match your selection's natural balance)
- Movie Blocks — a movie after every 2/3/4/6 hours of episodes (Advanced Movie Modes unlock)
- Movie Hour — a movie starts near a chosen hour each day, like a nightly feature (Advanced Movie Modes unlock)
Seasonal Channels & Holiday Takeover (Seasonal Channels unlock)
- Go to Settings → Seasonal and open Manage Holiday Collections
- Enable a holiday (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, 4th of July), choose how many weeks early it starts, and curate its collection — movies, whole shows, or specific episodes
- Use ✨ Find Episodes to auto-detect holiday episodes by title, or tag items in Jellyfin (e.g., a
christmas tag) to make them detectable
- Optionally pick a holiday commercials folder per holiday — holiday spots replace regular commercials during the season
- On any channel, turn on Holiday Takeover and choose an amount: a fixed percentage, or 📈 Ramp Up, which builds from ~15% a month out to 100% on the holiday itself
Channels only air specials from shows they carry (unless you choose All Specials), and you can allow all holiday movies, hand-pick them per channel, or exclude movies entirely — so your kids' channel stays kid-appropriate.
Free vs. Premium
The core experience is free: up to 5 channels (show, movie, or mixed), the TV guide, shuffled and percentage movie mixing, and continuous live-style playback. Optional one-time unlocks:
| Unlock | What it adds |
|---|
| Unlimited Channels | Removes the 5-channel limit |
| Retro Commercials | Commercial breaks during and between shows, from your own library |
| Seasonal Channels | Holiday collections, takeover, progressive ramp, and holiday commercials |
| Advanced Movie Modes | Movie Blocks and Movie Hour scheduling |
| Player Extras | Picture-in-Picture guide browsing and the Mini Guide |
| Full Version | Everything above, plus all future premium features |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why can't I connect to my Jellyfin server?
A: Check that the URL includes the protocol and port (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:8096), the server is running, and your Apple TV can reach it. Try opening the same URL in a web browser first. Servers accessed over the internet should use HTTPS with a valid certificate.
Q: Why are my shows playing out of order?
A: Not So Live TV shuffles content to simulate live TV — variety is the point! Channels maintain a continuous schedule rather than playing series in order.
Q: Why does an episode start partway through when I tune in?
A: That's the live TV simulation working. Each channel runs on its own schedule whether you're watching or not; when you tune in, you join the broadcast in progress — just like flipping to a real channel.
Q: What do the purchases include, and what happens if I buy features separately?
A: Each unlock is a one-time purchase covering the features in the table above. If you buy some features individually, the store's top option becomes Unlock the Rest — priced as the total of only the features you're missing (Apple confirms each unlock separately). Owners of the original paid app automatically have everything.
Q: How do I restore my purchases on a new Apple TV?
A: Settings → Premium → Restore Purchases, signed in with the same Apple ID. Purchases are one-time and tied to your Apple ID, not the device.
Q: An episode without "Christmas" in the title isn't detected for my holiday collection.
A: Auto-detect matches episode titles and Jellyfin tags. Open the episode in Jellyfin's web interface, add a tag like christmas (or halloween, thanksgiving, valentine, july4), then run ✨ Find Episodes again.
Q: When do commercials play?
A: Depending on your placement setting: between shows, mid-show (episodes 20+ minutes, at the halfway point), or both. Movies only get between-movie breaks. During an active holiday season, channels with Holiday Takeover substitute holiday spots at the same intensity as their holiday content.
Q: Where do I get commercials for my library?
A: You source your own commercial content — public domain collections such as the Internet Archive are a common choice. You must have the legal right to use any content you add. Organize files in a dedicated Jellyfin folder as either full pre-compiled breaks or individual spots, and match that choice in Settings → Commercials.
Q: What do the player gestures do?
A: While watching: swipe down shows episode info, swipe left/right changes channels, swipe up opens the Mini Guide (Player Extras), and press Menu twice returns to the guide. The PiP button lets you keep watching while browsing the guide (Player Extras).
Troubleshooting
Connection Issues
- Verify your server is running and reachable from a browser
- Include
http:// or https:// and the port in the URL
- Check firewall rules between your Apple TV and server
- For HTTPS servers, the certificate must be trusted (e.g., Let's Encrypt)
Playback Issues
- Confirm the file plays in Jellyfin's own player
- Check your Jellyfin server's transcoding settings and resources
- Restart the app; check Jellyfin server logs for errors
Commercials Not Playing
- Confirm the Retro Commercials unlock and the Enable toggle in Settings → Commercials
- Select a commercial library folder and verify it contains playable videos
- Match the format setting (full segments vs. individual spots) to your files
- Mid-show breaks only occur in episodes longer than 20 minutes
Holiday Content Not Appearing
- Check the holiday is enabled and today falls inside its window (Settings → Seasonal shows "ACTIVE NOW")
- Make sure the collection has content and the channel's Holiday Takeover is On
- Remember channels default to specials from their own shows — switch to All Specials or adjust the Movies setting if you expected more
- Existing queued programming plays out first; holiday content weaves in as the schedule refills
Tips & Tricks
- Recreate a childhood channel: mix a network's shows with its movie library, set Movie Hour to 8 PM, and add era-appropriate commercials
- Use Ramp Up for December: your channels get more festive every day without touching anything
- Tag once, use forever: tagging specials in Jellyfin makes every future auto-detect find them
- Genre chips + Select All build an "All Sitcoms" channel in two clicks
- Percentage mixing at "Match My Selection" keeps movies and episodes in the same balance you picked
Contact Support
App Information
Version: 2.0
Compatibility: tvOS 18.5+
Last Updated: July 2026
Developer: Brent Burroughs
Thank you for using Not So Live TV! If you're enjoying the app, please consider leaving a review on the App Store.