PlutoForChannels-Windows

A native Windows bridge for integrating Pluto TV channels into Channels DVR. It should work with other media players too. This application replaces the need for Docker by providing a standalone .exe that runs in your system tray, manages M3U playlists, and automatically updates EPG data. Username and Password fields have been added to the dashboard to work with the latest changes to the Pluto API.

Features

• Native Windows App: No Docker or WSL required.
• System Tray Integration: Runs silently in the background with a "Minimize to Tray" feature.
• Region Selection: Choose specifically which Pluto TV regions (US, CA, UK, etc.) you want to pull feeds from.
• Automated EPG: Background scheduler automatically generates and refreshes XMLTV files every 2 hours.
• Dynamic Links: Dashboard provides copyable links for M3U and EPG feeds based on your selected regions.
• Settings Persistence: Remembers your selected regions between restarts via a local configuration file.

Installation

1. Download the latest PlutoForChannels.exe from the Releases section.
2. Move the .exe to a folder of your choice (e.g., C:\PlutoForChannels).
3. Run the application. Windows may show a "SmartScreen" warning; click "More Info" and "Run Anyway."

Setup in Channels DVR

1. Open the PlutoForChannels dashboard from your system tray.
2. Select the regions you wish to use (e.g., "us_east", "ca").
3. In your Channels DVR Web Admin, go to Settings > Sources > Add Source > Custom Channels.
4. M3U URL: Copy the M3U link from the PlutoForChannels dashboard (e.g., http://localhost:7777/pluto/all/playlist.m3u).
5. XMLTV URL: Copy the EPG link from the dashboard (e.g., http://localhost:7777/pluto/epg/all/epg-all.xml).
6. Set the format to MPEG-TS and Refresh Interval to "6 hours."

How to Update

When a new version is released follow these steps to upgrade:

1. Check for Updates: Open the dashboard by right-clicking the system tray icon and selecting Show Dashboard. Click the Check for Updates button.
2. Download the New Release: If an update is available, click Yes on the prompt. This will open your default web browser to the latest GitHub release page. Download the new PlutoForChannels.exe file.
3. Shutdown the Current Server: Close the dashboard window. Then, right-click the system tray icon again and select Quit Server to completely stop the background process.
4. Replace the Executable: Locate your newly downloaded PlutoForChannels.exe and move it into your existing application folder, replacing the old file.
5. Relaunch: Double-click the updated PlutoForChannels.exe to start the server again. The dashboard should now display the new version number in the top right.
6. Refresh Guide Data (Channels DVR): To immediately apply the new EPG fixes to your guide, force an XMLTV update:
   • Go to your Channels DVR Web Admin page.
   • Navigate to Settings > Sources.
   • Locate your Pluto Custom Channel, click the Manage dropdown menu, and select Redownload XMLTV.
   • Once the download finishes, your guide data will be updated.

Build from Source

If you want to build the executable yourself using the .NET 10 SDK:

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true -p:ApplicationIcon=icon.ico

How it Works

This application acts as a middleware bridge. It fetches channel metadata from Pluto TV's API and translates it into the M3U and XMLTV formats that Channels DVR expects. When you play a channel, the app provides a redirect to the official Pluto TV stream with the necessary session tokens and device parameters.