Questions, answered dryly.

It turns your Plex library into a 1990s cable box. Instead of scrolling a grid deciding what to watch, you turn it on and take what's on. You build channels once; dumbTV runs them as continuous broadcasts and you join whatever's already airing.

Yes — a Plex Media Server on your network, with some shows or movies in it. (Jellyfin works too.) You can try dumbTV without one using the built-in demo.

Yes. On first launch with nothing configured, dumbTV runs a built-in demo lineup off a bundled clip — real channels, real guide, join-in-progress — with a DEMO chip in the corner. Link Plex whenever you're ready.

iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. You can also self-host on a Raspberry Pi or Windows.

No account, ever. No sign-up, no cloud. (Price: [confirm — free].)

Because it's live TV — what's on is on. That's the entire idea, not a missing feature. Those keys just flash a ⊘. It's the antidote to endless choice and "are you still watching."

iPhone/iPad: swipe up/down to change channels; double-tap for channel info and the Guide/Mute/CC controls.
Apple TV: arrows/swipe to change channels; press select for info, again for the guide.
Mac: ↑/↓ (or ⌘↑/⌘↓) to change channels; space for info; G for the guide; type a number to jump.

A Prevue-style grid — channels down the side, time across the top, a red line at "now," and what's on next. Highlight a channel and select it to tune.

No. Nothing is marked watched, and nothing is added to Continue Watching. dumbTV never touches your Plex history.

Anything in your library that direct-plays. dumbTV never transcodes — that's what keeps channel changes and join-in-progress instant. Most standard formats play fine; a few exotic containers may be skipped and logged.

In the web setup page (opened from your phone or laptop): Channels → New → give it a number and name → Add content (search your library) → pick an ordering mode → Create. dumbTV builds a two-week schedule instantly.

In order (sequential), Release order (by air date), Shuffle (mixed but deterministic — the printed guide is always true), and Marathon (long blocks of one thing).

Either. One show, a themed grab-bag, a movie channel — your call.

As many as you like.

Yes — drop your own retro ad clips/bumpers into the media folder and toggle Run Ads on a channel (it's off by default) for breaks between programs.

Yes. Kids Mode locks the TV to channels you've marked kid-safe, and a household PIN protects the settings. There's also a Bedtime / dark-hours option so channels go dark overnight.

On your phone or laptop. The TV shows a setup URL + QR code; you do everything in that web page. Nothing to type on the TV itself.

Yes, and you should allow it. That permission is how dumbTV reaches your Plex server and serves its setup page. Denying it prevents setup from connecting.

No. No analytics, no tracking, no ads, no account. It runs on your device and your network and talks only to your own media server. Your Plex token never leaves your device. (See the Privacy Policy.)

It needs your local network and your media server. There's no cloud dependency — it plays from your own server.

Make sure your phone/laptop is on the same network as the TV, and that you allowed local-network access on iOS. Re-type the exact address on the SET UP card.

Enter the code at plex.tv/link while signed into the same Plex account that owns the server, and make sure the server is on and on your network.

Colour bars mean it's still tuning. "Please stand by" means nothing is scheduled right now — the channel is empty or inside your Bedtime window. Add content in the web config or check dark-hours.

Contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL] or open an issue on GitHub.