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.strm Files for Media Server Integration

Learn how to use M3U Editor's .strm file generation to integrate your IPTV content with Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, and other media servers.

🎯 What are .strm Files?​

.strm files are simple text files containing a stream URL. Media servers like Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby can read these files and play the streams as if they were local media files.

Example .strm file content:

http://your-ip:36400/stream/episode/12345

Benefits​

✅ Organize IPTV content like local media
✅ Use media server features (watched status, collections, etc.)
✅ Better metadata via TMDB integration
✅ Automatic library updates when content changes
✅ Compatible with existing media server workflows

🚀 Quick Start​

1. Enable .strm File Generation​

For Series:

  1. Go to Settings → Streams tab
  2. Enable "Enable .strm file generation" under "Series stream file settings"
  3. Set Series Sync Location: /path/to/your/Series
  4. Configure path structure and metadata options
  5. Click Save Settings

For VOD:

  1. Same location, but under "VOD stream file settings"
  2. Set VOD Sync Location: /path/to/your/Movies

2. Configure a Series/VOD​

  1. Go to your Series or VOD channel
  2. Click Edit
  3. Enable the series/VOD
  4. Click Sync .strm Files (if available)

3. Add to Media Server​

  1. In Plex/Jellyfin/Emby, add new library
  2. Point to your sync location (/path/to/your/Series)
  3. Set library type (TV Shows or Movies)
  4. Scan library

⚙️ Configuration Options​

Path Structure​

Control how folders are organized:

For Series​

Category Folder

  • Example: /Series/Sports/
  • Groups by category/genre

Series Folder

  • Example: /Series/Sports/NBA Games/
  • Individual folder per series

Season Folder

  • Example: /Series/Sports/NBA Games/Season 01/
  • Separate folder per season

Common Patterns:

Series only:
/Series/NBA Games/episode.strm

Series + Season:
/Series/NBA Games/Season 01/S01E01.strm

Category + Series + Season:
/Series/Sports/NBA Games/Season 01/S01E01.strm

For VOD​

Category Folder

  • Example: /Movies/Action/
  • Groups by category/genre

Title Folder

  • Example: /Movies/Action/Movie Title/
  • Individual folder per movie

Common Patterns:

No folders:
/Movies/Movie Title (2024).strm

Category only:
/Movies/Action/Movie Title (2024).strm

Category + Title:
/Movies/Action/Movie Title/Movie Title (2024).strm

📝 Filename Metadata​

Customize what appears in the filename for better media server recognition:

Year​

  • Format: Title (2024)
  • Source: Release date from provider or TMDB
  • Recommended: ✅ Yes - helps media server matching

TMDB ID​

  • Format: Title [tmdb-12345] or Title {tmdb-12345}
  • Source: TMDB integration (must be configured)
  • Recommended: ✅ Yes - ensures correct metadata matching

Resolution (Series only)​

  • Format: S01E01 - 1080p
  • Source: Detected from stream
  • Recommended: ⚠️ Optional - not all streams have resolution info

Examples​

Series with Year + TMDB ID:

/Series/NBA Games/Season 01/S01E01 - Game 1 (2024) [tmdb-123456].strm

VOD with Year + TMDB ID (curly brackets):

/Movies/Action/The Matrix (1999) {tmdb-603}.strm

🔧 Advanced Settings​

TMDB ID Format​

Square Brackets (Default)

  • Format: [tmdb-12345]
  • Better for Plex

Curly Brackets

  • Format: {tmdb-12345}
  • Better for Jellyfin

Replace Character​

Replace special characters in filenames with:

  • Space (default)
  • Underscore _
  • Dash -
  • Nothing (remove)

Name Filtering​

Remove unwanted text from folder/file names:

Examples:

  • DE • - Remove "DE • " prefix
  • EN | - Remove "EN |" prefix
  • [4K] - Remove "[4K]" tag
  • ★ - Remove star emoji

Use Case: Cleaning up provider-added prefixes/suffixes

🎬 Media Server Setup​

Plex Configuration​

Add Library​

  1. Settings → Libraries → Add Library
  2. Select library type:
    • TV Shows for Series
    • Movies for VOD
  3. Add folders: Point to your sync location
  4. Advanced → Scanner:
    • Use Plex Series Scanner for TV
    • Use Plex Movie Scanner for Movies
  5. Advanced → Agent:
    • Select TheTVDB or TMDB for TV
    • Select The Movie Database for Movies
  • ✅ Enable "Update my library automatically"
  • ✅ Enable "Scan my library periodically"
  • ⚠️ Disable "Empty trash automatically" (until stable)

Troubleshooting​

Content not appearing?

  1. Force scan library
  2. Check file permissions
  3. Verify .strm file contents (should be URL)
  4. Check Plex logs for errors

Wrong metadata?

  1. Use TMDB IDs in filenames
  2. Fix series/episode naming format
  3. Manually match in Plex

Jellyfin Configuration​

Add Library​

  1. Dashboard → Libraries → Add Library
  2. Select content type:
    • Shows for Series
    • Movies for VOD
  3. Add folder: Your sync location
  4. Metadata downloaders:
    • Enable TheMovieDb
    • Enable TheTVDB (for Series)
  5. Save
  • Metadata language: Your preference
  • Country: Your country
  • ✅ Save metadata into media folder
  • ✅ Enable "Monitor library"

Emby Configuration​

Add Library​

  1. Settings → Library → Add Library
  2. Select type: TV Shows or Movies
  3. Add folder path
  4. Configure metadata providers (TMDB, TheTVDB)
  5. Save

📂 Sync Location Requirements​

Path Requirements​

Must be:

  • ✅ Absolute path (e.g., /media/Series)
  • ✅ Writable by m3u-editor container
  • ✅ Accessible by media server

Should not be:

  • ❌ Relative path (e.g., ~/Series)
  • ❌ URL or remote path
  • ❌ Temporary directory

Docker Volume Mapping​

Mount the sync location in both containers:

docker-compose.yml:

services:
  m3u-editor:
    volumes:
      - ./data:/var/www/config
      - /path/to/media/Series:/media/Series  # <-- Add this
      - /path/to/media/Movies:/media/Movies  # <-- Add this
  
  jellyfin:  # or plex/emby
    volumes:
      - /path/to/media/Series:/media/Series  # <-- Same path
      - /path/to/media/Movies:/media/Movies  # <-- Same path

Permissions​

# Ensure m3u-editor can write
chown -R 1000:1000 /path/to/media/Series

# Or make world-writable (less secure)
chmod -R 777 /path/to/media/Series

🔄 Syncing Process​

Automatic Sync​

When enabled on Playlist:

  • Automatically creates/updates .strm files after playlist sync
  • Removes .strm files for deleted episodes/VOD

When enabled on Series/VOD:

  • Syncs on save
  • Syncs when fetching metadata

Manual Sync​

Per Series:

  1. Edit Series
  2. Click Sync .strm Files button
  3. Wait for completion notification

Per Playlist:

  1. Edit Playlist
  2. Enable "Auto sync .strm files" in VOD/Series settings
  3. Click Sync Now

Bulk Sync​

# Sync all Series
docker exec -it m3u-editor php artisan app:sync-series-strm-files

# Sync all VOD
docker exec -it m3u-editor php artisan app:sync-vod-strm-files

🎨 Filename Examples​

Series Examples​

Minimal (Series name only):

/Series/NBA 2024/S01E01 - Lakers vs Celtics.strm

With Year:

/Series/NBA 2024/S01E01 - Lakers vs Celtics (2024).strm

With TMDB ID:

/Series/NBA 2024/S01E01 - Lakers vs Celtics [tmdb-123456].strm

Full Metadata:

/Series/Sports/NBA 2024/Season 01/S01E01 - Lakers vs Celtics (2024) [tmdb-123456].strm

VOD Examples​

Minimal:

/Movies/The Matrix.strm

With Year:

/Movies/The Matrix (1999).strm

With TMDB ID:

/Movies/The Matrix (1999) [tmdb-603].strm

In Folders:

/Movies/Sci-Fi/The Matrix/The Matrix (1999) [tmdb-603].strm

🔍 Troubleshooting​

Files Not Created​

Check:

  1. .strm generation enabled in Settings?
  2. Sync location exists and is writable?
  3. Volume mounted in docker-compose?
  4. Check logs: /var/www/config/logs/laravel.log
# Test write permission
docker exec -it m3u-editor touch /media/Series/test.txt
docker exec -it m3u-editor rm /media/Series/test.txt

Files Created but Empty​

Verify:

# Check file contents
cat /path/to/media/Series/Show/S01E01.strm
# Should contain: http://your-ip:36400/stream/episode/12345

Media Server Not Detecting​

Plex/Jellyfin/Emby:

  1. Verify library path matches sync location exactly
  2. Force library scan
  3. Check file permissions (readable by media server)
  4. Ensure .strm extension is recognized

Wrong Metadata​

Solutions:

  1. Enable TMDB integration in Settings → Integrations
  2. Include TMDB ID in filename
  3. Use correct naming format for media server
  4. Manually fix match in media server

Files Not Updating​

When content changes:

  1. Re-sync the playlist
  2. Or manually sync Series/VOD
  3. Trigger media server library scan

💡 Best Practices​

For Best Results​

✅ Use TMDB Integration

  • Get free API key
  • Enable TMDB ID in filenames
  • Ensures perfect metadata matching

✅ Include Year in Filename

  • Helps distinguish remakes/reboots
  • Improves media server matching

✅ Use Consistent Path Structure

  • Decide on folder structure early
  • Stick with it across all content

✅ Test with One Series First

  • Verify paths work
  • Check media server detection
  • Then enable for all content

For Plex:

  • Path: Category → Series → Season
  • Filename: Year + TMDB ID (square brackets)
  • Format: Show Name (2024) [tmdb-12345]

For Jellyfin:

  • Path: Series → Season
  • Filename: Year + TMDB ID (curly brackets)
  • Format: Show Name (2024) {tmdb-12345}

For Emby:

  • Similar to Plex settings
  • Square brackets work well

🔗 Stream URLs​

URL Format​

.strm files contain:

http://your-ip:36400/stream/episode/12345

URL Features​

  • Authentication: Uses playlist credentials
  • Failover: Automatic failover support
  • Proxy: Goes through m3u-proxy if enabled
  • Transcoding: Uses profile if configured on playlist

Direct URLs vs Proxied​

Direct (no proxy):

http://your-ip:36400/stream/episode/12345?proxy=false

Proxied (default when proxy enabled):

http://your-ip:36400/stream/episode/12345?proxy=true

📊 Monitoring​

Check Sync Status​

  1. View notifications for sync results
  2. Check series/VOD edit page for last sync time
  3. Review logs for errors

Verify File Count​

# Count .strm files
find /path/to/media/Series -name "*.strm" | wc -l

# List recent files
find /path/to/media/Series -name "*.strm" -mtime -1

🆘 Getting Help​