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Channels
A channel is a source Flowtrix pulls and gives out at its own address, /{slug}/index.m3u8 on the edge. Add, edit, start and stop channels under Channels; admins and operators may.
Add a channel
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | Shown in the interface and in the history |
| Sources | The main source, then fallbacks, tried in order: srt://, rtsp://, rtmp://, http(s):// (HLS) or udp:// (MPEG-TS) |
| Path | The slug in its address, made from the name (Das Erste HD → das-erste-hd). Renaming keeps it, so boxes keep their address; changing it moves the channel, and links signed for the old path stop |
| On demand | Pull the source only while someone watches. The first viewer waits a few seconds for the first segment |
| Qualities | Lower qualities beside the source picture: see Qualities. A channel has qualities or is on demand, not both |
| Catch-up hours | How long it is recorded: see Catch-up |
| Public | Plays without a token, e.g. a test card |
Each channel's page has a player, what the source carries, the bitrate in and out, its output addresses, its log and its history.
Fallbacks
When the source in use gives no picture for 10 seconds, Flowtrix moves to the next one, and after the last back to the main one. On a fallback it checks the main source every 5 minutes and goes back as soon as it answers. The history says which source is in use and since when.
Import an M3U playlist
Channels › Import M3U takes a provider's or a panel's channel list, pasted, as a file (up to 5 MB) or from an address:
- The preview lists each entry as new, exists (a channel already has that name or source), duplicate (twice in the playlist) or invalid, with the reason.
- Import N channels adds the new ones, started and on demand unless you choose otherwise, so a long list pulls nothing until someone watches.
Your plan's channel limit is checked for the whole import first: if the new channels do not fit, nothing is added. Up to 5,000 entries at once.
States
| State | Means |
|---|---|
| Live | Picture is coming in |
| No source | Started, but no picture from any source |
| Starting | Started, not carried yet |
| Standby | On demand, nobody watching |
| Stopped | Not carried at all; its address answers "not found" |
The filter on Channels counts each state; Trouble is no source and starting together.
The licence's limit
Your plan sets how many channels a server may have. At the limit, adding and starting more is refused with the plan's sentence; channels already running keep running. See Licence on the server.