Skip to Content
DocsDashboardStreamingTV Guide

TV Guide

The TV Guide page lays your channels out as a full channel-by-time grid - one row per channel, programmes spread across a time lane - so you can scan what is on across every channel at once. It is the whole-lineup companion to the per-channel Live TV guide panel in the Media Portal: the panel answers “what is on this channel now, next, and later”; the TV Guide page answers “what is on everything, at this hour.”

The guide reads from IPTVBoss, Dispatcharr, or both at once - whichever you have installed - and merges them into one grid. A Dispatcharr install is detected automatically and needs no setup; IPTVBoss needs an XMLTV output enabled in its editor. Either way the guide works the same for Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex - it is built from the guide sources, not from any one media server.

Overview

Channel-by-Time Grid

Every channel as a row, programmes laid across a time lane. The grid fills the page width, and its channel column and time header stay pinned as you scroll

Adjustable Window

Pick a 3, 6, or 12 hour span, then step earlier or later by that length, or jump back to Now

Provider Filter

When IPTVBoss is saving local database backups, narrow the grid to a single playlist source; each provider lists its channel count, and it stacks with the group filter

Group Filter

Narrow the grid to a single channel group from your IPTVBoss lineup, or show all groups at once

Live Now

A summary of who is watching live TV right now - streams, channels, and providers - with an N watching badge on the rows people are on

Trends

Live TV popularity over 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days: top channels, providers, and programmes, plus a weekly viewing heatmap

Channel Search

Find a channel by name as you type; the grid narrows to the matches

Channels per Page

Load 25, 50, 100, or 250 channels at a time; the choice is remembered in your browser for next visit

Hide Empty Channels

On by default, so the grid shows only channels with guide data; turn it off to see the whole lineup

Programme Detail

Click any programme block for its image, title, sub-title, time range, categories, description, and New / Live flags

Moves on Its Own

The now-line and the currently-airing highlight advance about once a minute while the page stays open, without reloading

Where to find it

Navigate to Streaming Dashboard > Control Center > TV Guide in the sidebar.

The TV Guide appears in the Control Center only for server administrators, and only when IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr is installed and the Streaming Dashboard (WSDashboard) is enabled. If any of those is not true, the entry is not in the sidebar. It is not one of the Control Center’s standard tabs - it opens on its own full-width page, the same as the Media Portal and Media Requests.

Admin-only; needs IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr

The TV Guide reads its channels and programmes from IPTVBoss and Dispatcharr. It is a server administrator surface and appears only when at least one of them is installed. Opening the page’s address directly with neither installed lands on a No guide source yet notice rather than an empty grid.

Turning it on

How you turn the guide on depends on which source you have.

With Dispatcharr

There is nothing to turn on. Every QuickBox Dispatcharr install is detected automatically and feeds the TV Guide - no API key and no configuration are needed for the guide. As soon as Dispatcharr has a channel lineup and EPG, its channels appear in the grid. An admin can add, label, or disable Dispatcharr connections (including a remote Dispatcharr) on the Plex Live TV Guide (Dispatcharr) card in Streaming Settings.

With IPTVBoss

The guide needs one thing enabled in IPTVBoss: an XMLTV output.

  1. Install IPTVBoss if you have not already.
  2. Open the IPTVBoss desktop editor (over noVNC or x2go) and turn on an XMLTV output in its output settings. A fresh install ships with no output configured.
  3. Leave the Show guide in Media Portal toggle on (it is on by default). It lives on the IPTVBoss Live TV Guide card in Streaming Settings, and it governs both this page and the Media Portal panel.

Once a Dispatcharr install or an IPTVBoss export exists, the TV Guide fills in on its own. QuickBox only reads your guide sources - it never changes your IPTVBoss output, your Dispatcharr lineup, or anything else.

Using the page

The controls

A control row above the grid holds:

  • Provider filter - when IPTVBoss is saving local database backups, restrict the grid to one playlist source, or All providers. Each provider is listed with its channel count. See The Provider filter below.
  • Group filter - restrict the grid to one channel group, or All groups.
  • Window length - choose a 3, 6, or 12 hour span. The grid shows that many hours at once, and Earlier / Later step by the same length.
  • Channels per page - load 25, 50, 100, or 250 channels at a time (50 by default). Your choice is remembered in your browser for the next visit.
  • Hide empty channels - a switch, on by default, that keeps channels without guide data out of the grid. Turn it off to see the whole lineup.
  • Channel search - type to narrow the grid to channels whose name matches.
  • Range label - the start and end time of the span currently in view.
  • Earlier / Now / Later - step the window back by the chosen length, jump to the current time, or step forward by the chosen length.

On a narrow screen the provider, group, window length, channels per page, and hide empty controls collapse behind a Filters button, while channel search and the Earlier / Now / Later navigation stay visible.

The Provider filter

If you run more than one IPTV provider through IPTVBoss, a Provider filter appears before the group filter. It lists each of your playlist sources with its channel count, so you can narrow the grid to a single provider’s channels. It stacks with the group filter: choosing a provider narrows the group list to that provider’s groups, and if the group you had selected is not one of them it falls back to All groups. When some channels cannot be matched to a source, an Unknown provider option is added at the end.

Your provider and group choices are kept in the page address, so a refresh or the browser’s Back button returns to the same view.

The Provider filter needs IPTVBoss database backups

The TV Guide and its other filters work on every install. The Provider filter appears once IPTVBoss is saving local database backups, because that is where it learns which provider each channel comes from.

The grid

  • The grid fills the page width. It is a two-axis scroll region: its channel column on the left (each channel’s logo, number, and name) and its time header at the top both stay pinned as you scroll - scroll down and the times stay in view; scroll sideways and the channels stay in view.
  • The time header marks the span in half-hour columns.
  • Each programme is a block sized and placed by its start and end time. The one airing now is highlighted, and a now-line marks the current moment across every row.
  • The now-line and the airing highlight advance on their own about once a minute while the page is open - no reload, and your window and filters are left alone.

Empty channels

With Hide empty channels on (the default), the grid lists only channels that actually carry programme data. Turn it off and every channel in the lineup appears; a channel with no guide data then shows a No guide data label across its row instead of an empty lane.

Loading more channels and the summary

The grid loads one page of channels at a time - the size set by Channels per page. A Load more channels button appears below the grid when there are more, and a summary line counts what you are seeing:

  • With Hide empty channels on, it counts how many channels with guide data are shown out of the matching total, and the size of the whole lineup.
  • With it off, it counts the channels shown out of the matching total.

The group filter and search apply to your whole lineup, not just the channels already loaded.

Programme detail

Click any programme block to open a detail popover with:

  • Its image, title, and sub-title (where the export carries one).
  • The time range it runs, and its episode number if present.
  • Category chips (up to six) and a description.
  • New and Live flags where the export marks them.

Above the grid sits a Live now widget with two tabs - Live now and Trends - that you can collapse; the collapsed state is remembered in your browser.

Live now

The Live now tab summarizes who is watching live TV at this moment. It reads the same realtime session feed as the rest of the Streaming Dashboard, so it updates on its own with no extra polling. It breaks down into:

  • Streams - every live TV stream in progress, playing and paused.
  • Channels - the distinct channels being watched, with a viewer count on each; picking one jumps straight to its row in the grid.
  • Providers - the playlist sources those streams are coming from.

On the grid itself, any channel with viewers carries an N watching badge on its row. From the Streams list a server administrator can stop a stream, after the same confirmation as the Live Sessions page.

The Trends tab shows live TV popularity over a window you pick - 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days - and loads only when you open it. It covers:

  • Top channels, providers, and programmes for the period.
  • A weekly viewing heatmap by day of week and hour of day, drawn in your own time zone.
  • Callouts for the busiest hour, the peak concurrent streams, and what is trending now.

Trending now is driven by the crowd watching a channel at the same time. A channel trends when at least 2 people are watching it at once and that is twice its usual audience; a channel with no viewing history yet trends as soon as 2 people watch it together, so a brand-new event channel surfaces immediately. The callout headlines the programme that crowd is on, with the channel named beneath it, and clicking it jumps to that channel in the grid.

Viewing that was recorded before this feature was added is shown separately as unattributed, because those older sessions were not tagged with a channel.

When the guide is unavailable

When the grid cannot show programmes, the page shows a centered notice explaining why rather than a blank screen:

The page saysWhat it means
No guide source yet
The TV Guide reads channels and programmes from IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr. Install either app, or add a Dispatcharr connection in Streaming Settings. (This is also the state a direct URL visit lands on when neither is present.)
No guide yet. Turn on an XMLTV output in the IPTVBoss editor to see what’s on.
IPTVBoss is installed but no XMLTV output is enabled in its editor. Turn one on to populate the guide
The IPTVBoss guide is turned off in Streaming Settings.
The *Show guide in Media Portal* toggle is off in Streaming Settings - it governs this page too. Turn it back on to restore the guide
The guide couldn’t be read right now.
A temporary problem reading the export; the page fills in again on its own once the export can be read
No channels match
No channels match the current group or search. Clear the filters to see the full guide

What it is (and is not)

Use it for

  • Scanning what is on across your whole IPTVBoss and Dispatcharr lineup at a glance
  • Finding a channel by name or group and seeing its schedule beside every other channel
  • Looking a few hours ahead or back across all channels at once

It does not

  • It does not play a channel - it is a schedule view, not a player
  • It does not edit your lineup or export - QuickBox only reads your IPTVBoss and Dispatcharr guide data
  • It is not the per-channel Now / Next / Upcoming panel; that lives on a channel's page in the Media Portal

The TV Guide is a read-only schedule grid over the guide data you already generate. Editing your channels, sources, and EPG stays in the IPTVBoss editor or the Dispatcharr UI; playing a channel stays in your media server.

Best practices

Do

  • Enable an XMLTV output in the IPTVBoss editor, or install Dispatcharr, so both the TV Guide page and the Media Portal panel have data to show
  • Widen the window to 6 or 12 hours to plan further ahead, or keep it at 3 for a tighter view
  • Use the group filter and channel search to cut a large lineup down to the channels you actually watch
  • When you run several IPTV providers through IPTVBoss, use the Provider filter to focus on one source at a time
  • Open the Trends tab to see which channels, providers, and programmes your users actually watch over the last 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days
  • Raise Channels per page for a big lineup you want to see at once, or lower it for a faster first paint
  • Leave the Show guide in Media Portal toggle on unless you deliberately want the guide hidden - it governs this page too
  • Step the window with Earlier and Later to plan ahead, and use Now to snap back

Don't

  • Don't expect the TV Guide without a guide source - it appears only when IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr is installed
  • Don't look for it as a non-admin - it is a server administrator surface in the Control Center
  • Don't assume an empty grid means nothing is on - check the notice for a missing source, or clear an active filter
  • Don't edit your lineup here - change channels, sources, and EPG in the IPTVBoss editor or the Dispatcharr UI; QuickBox only reads your guide data

FAQ

Streaming Dashboard > Control Center > TV Guide in the sidebar. It appears only for server administrators, and only when IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr is installed and the Streaming Dashboard (WSDashboard) is enabled.
IPTVBoss, Dispatcharr, or both at once. A Dispatcharr install is detected automatically and feeds the guide with no API key and no setup; IPTVBoss feeds it once you enable an XMLTV output in its editor. When you run both, their channels merge into one grid. An admin can add, label, or disable Dispatcharr connections on the Plex Live TV Guide (Dispatcharr) card in Streaming Settings.
They read the same guide sources but answer different questions. The Media Portal's Live TV guide panel is per-channel - it shows Now, Next, and up to six Upcoming programmes on a single channel's detail page. The TV Guide page is the whole-lineup grid: every channel as a row, programmes across a time lane, so you can scan what is on across all channels at once.
Three things must all be true: you are a server administrator, IPTVBoss or Dispatcharr is installed, and the Streaming Dashboard (WSDashboard) is enabled. If any is missing, the entry is not shown. It is an administrator-only surface, unlike Media Requests which can be granted to a non-admin.
If you run Dispatcharr there is nothing to turn on - the install is detected automatically and feeds the guide once it has a lineup and EPG. For IPTVBoss, open its desktop editor over a desktop remote such as noVNC or x2go and enable an XMLTV output in its output settings; a fresh install has none, so until then the page reads 'No guide yet'. Keep the Show guide in Media Portal toggle on in Streaming Settings - it governs both this page and the Media Portal panel. QuickBox only reads your guide data; it never changes your IPTVBoss output or Dispatcharr lineup.
It works the same for Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex. The guide is built from your IPTVBoss and Dispatcharr guide data, not from any one media server, so the channel-by-time grid is server-agnostic.
Pick a window length of 3, 6, or 12 hours; the grid shows that span at once. Use Earlier and Later to step the window by the chosen length in either direction, and Now to jump back to the current time. The range label above the grid shows the span currently in view.
The grid loads one page of channels at a time - 25, 50, 100, or 250, set by the Channels per page control (50 by default), and your choice is remembered in your browser. A Load more channels button appears when there are more, and the summary below the grid shows how many of the total you are seeing. The group filter and channel search apply to your whole lineup, not just the channels already loaded.
It is on by default and keeps channels with no guide data out of the grid, so you see only channels that actually have programmes. Turn it off to show the whole lineup; a channel with no data then shows a 'No guide data' label across its row. When it is on, the summary line also reports how many channels carry guide data out of your whole lineup.
A detail popover with the programme's image, title, sub-title, the time range it runs, its episode number if present, category chips (up to six), a description, and New / Live flags where the export marks them.
Yes, when IPTVBoss is saving local database backups. A Provider filter then appears before the group filter, listing each of your playlist sources with its channel count. Choosing a provider narrows the group list to that provider's groups, and if some channels cannot be matched to a source an 'Unknown provider' option is added. Your provider and group choices are kept in the page address, so a refresh or Back returns to the same view.
The TV Guide and its other filters work on every install. The Provider filter appears once IPTVBoss is saving local database backups, because that is where it learns which provider each channel comes from. Until then you still get the full guide, the group filter, search, and everything else.
A collapsible summary above the grid with two tabs. The Live now tab shows who is watching live TV at this moment - streams (playing and paused), the distinct channels being watched with a viewer count on each, and the providers those streams come from - and it updates on its own from the realtime session feed. Channels being watched also get an 'N watching' badge on their grid row, and picking a channel jumps to its row.
Yes. A server administrator can stop a stream from the Streams list in the Live now widget, after the same confirmation used on the Live Sessions page.
Live TV popularity over 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days: the top channels, providers, and programmes for the period, a weekly viewing heatmap by day of week and hour of day drawn in your own time zone, and callouts for the busiest hour, the peak concurrent streams, and what is trending now. It loads only when you open the tab.
The crowd watching it at the same moment. A channel trends when at least 2 people are watching it at once and that is twice its usual audience. A channel with no viewing history yet trends as soon as 2 people watch it together, so a brand-new event channel surfaces right away. The callout headlines the programme that crowd is on, with the channel named beneath, and clicking it jumps to that channel in the grid.
Viewing that was recorded before this feature was added, so those older sessions were not tagged with a channel. Trends surfaces that time separately as unattributed rather than guessing which channel it belonged to.
Yes. The now-line and the currently-airing highlight advance on their own about once a minute while the page stays open, without reloading and without changing the window or filters you have set.
Most often IPTVBoss is installed but no XMLTV output is enabled yet - turn one on in the IPTVBoss editor, or install Dispatcharr, which feeds the guide automatically. Other notices cover there being no guide source at all, the guide being turned off in Streaming Settings, a temporary read problem, or a group filter and search that match no channels. Each notice on the page names which case applies.
Media Portal

The per-channel Now / Next / Upcoming Live TV guide panel on a channel's detail page

IPTVBoss

Install IPTVBoss and enable the XMLTV output that powers this guide

Dispatcharr

A Dispatcharr install feeds this guide automatically - no API key needed

Streaming Settings

The IPTVBoss Live TV Guide card and the Dispatcharr connections list

Control Center

The management hub this page sits in - server health, users, devices, and libraries

Live Sessions

Who is streaming right now, including the programme on a Live TV channel

Join the Community

Media server operators sharing configs, getting support, and shaping the future of QuickBox Pro.

Dedicated Support
Feature Previews
Community Configs
Active Discussions
Join Discord Server
Last updated on
SettingsSystem Administration