Dr. Bill | The Computer Curmudgeon

Setting up Locast2Plex as a Windows Service

These instructions use a different utility to set up the Service. Unlike the “HowToGeek” article, it uses one called “NSSM” available at this link: NSSM – the Non-Sucking Service Manager rather than SrvStart. Microsoft also has instructions to deal with services here: Create a user-defined service

The advantage to NSSM is that it does provide a way to more gracefully handle failure of the application running as a service. Here is a link to that program. https://nssm.cc/ And, here’s more detailed instructions on it’s use here: https://nssm.cc/usage

Because I am not in a supported DMA, I could not (yet) test this with Locast2plex, as I would need access to having Locast use specific local ports (6077 and 1900) which must “connect” to my PC’s IP address. Hopefully if Locast ever supports the Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point DMA, I will be able to set this up.

Earlier this week, Locast announced that Cleveland can now receive Locast supplied channels over the Internet! If you live in the Cleveland DMA (Designated Service Area) for TV, you can connect and use Locast.

https://www.locast.org/

The Roku Channel is coming up in the world. Roku has long offered it’s own “Free Channel” to Cord Cutters. Now, they are debuting their first exclusive content. This is related to their buying Quibi’s content. They will be showing more of Quibi’s shows on the Channel as well. See the trailer below for more info:

Plex & Locast: Recording Local TV Without the Antenna

Locast says of themselves: “Locast is a public service to Americans, providing local broadcast signals over the Internet in select cities. All you have to do is sign up online, provide your name and email address, and certify that you live in, and are logging on from, one of the select US cities (‘Designated Market Area’). Then, you can select among local broadcasters and stream your favorite local station.

Locast.org is a ‘digital translator,’ meaning that Locast.org operates just like a traditional broadcast translator service, except instead of using an over-the-air signal to boost a broadcaster’s reach, we stream the signal over the Internet to consumers located within select US cities.

Ever since the dawn of TV broadcasting in the mid-20th Century, non-profit organizations have provided ‘translator’ TV stations as a public service. Where a primary broadcaster cannot reach a receiver with a strong enough signal, the translator amplifies that signal with another transmitter, allowing consumers who otherwise could not get the over-the-air signal to receive important programming, including local news, weather and of course, sports. Locast.org provides the same public service, except instead of an over-the-air signal transmitter, we provide the local broadcast signal via online streaming.

You need a broadband Internet connection for optimal performance. Using a laptop, smartphone, or computer connected to the Internet, point your browser to www.Locast.org to sign up. You then can choose which local broadcast station to watch from your Internet-enabled device.”

This article linked above shows how to set up Plex to use Locast (assuming you have Locast in your area) to view “local” TV channels via Plex through Locast, and using the Plex DVR function. I do not have Locast for my DMA (“Designated Market Area”) for TV, so I couldn’t try it, but it looks cool!

This is a re-post by Lon Seidman of the original video I saw (which he later pulled down, and has now reposted) on Locast2Plex: