Sling TV Web Player

A self-hosted, browser-based streaming interface for your Sling TV account, with full remote control support.

This application provides a clean, "10-foot UI" for streaming your Sling TV channels on any device with a modern web browser. It uses a high-performance Python backend that handles authentication, decryption, and on-demand streaming via WebSockets for a smooth, low-latency experience.

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✨ Features

• 📺 Modern Web Interface: Access your channels from any browser on your network.
• ⚡ On-Demand Streaming: A stream is only active when a client is connected, saving server resources.
• 🚀 Low-Latency Playback: Utilizes a direct WebSocket-to-MSE pipeline, avoiding the higher latency of HLS/DASH for a more "live" feel.
• 🎮 Full Remote Control: Navigate the UI, select channels, seek, and toggle fullscreen using only a keyboard or remote.
• 🧩 Single-File Backend: The entire server logic is consolidated into a single, easy-to-update app.py file.
• ✅ Easy Setup: Get up and running in minutes with minimal configuration.

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🏗️ Architecture Overview

The system is designed for efficiency. A client's request initiates a dedicated, end-to-end streaming pipeline that is torn down automatically upon disconnection.

                  [Sling TV Servers]
                        ▲
                        │ (Encrypted DASH Segments)
                        │
┌ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┐
                        │
│                 [Python Backend]            │
                        │
│     SlingStreamer ◀────▶ FFmpeg (decrypts)  │
│          (manages)      │
└ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─│─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ┘
                   │ (Decrypted fMP4 Chunks)
                   ▼
           [WebSocket Server]
                   │
                   │ (Binary Video Data)
                   ▼
        [Browser Frontend]
 (Media Source Extensions API)

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🚀 Getting Started

Follow these steps to set up and run your own instance of the Sling Player.

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.8+
2. FFmpeg: Must be installed and available in your system's PATH.
3. A WVD.wvd File: Your personal Widevine device file is required for DRM decryption.

Installation

For experienced users, here's the quick start:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/sling-player.git
cd sling-player
python -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
export SLING_JWT='your_jwt_here'
# Place your WVD.wvd file in this directory
python app.py

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Step-by-Step Installation Guide

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/sling-player.git
cd sling-player

2. Place Your WVD File Place your WVD.wvd file into the root of the sling-player directory you just cloned.

3. Install Dependencies It's highly recommended to use a Python virtual environment.

# Create and activate the environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use: .\venv\Scripts\activate

# Install required packages
pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set the SLING_JWT Environment Variable This is the most critical step. The application needs your Sling TV JWT for authentication.

Click here for instructions on how to get your JWT

1. Open your browser (Chrome/Firefox recommended) and log in to sling.com.
2. Open the Developer Tools (usually the F12 key).
3. Go to the Application (in Chrome) or Storage (in Firefox) tab.
4. Under the Local Storage section, select the entry for https://www.sling.com.
5. Find the key named persist:root. Its value will be a very large block of JSON text.
6. Copy the entire value and paste it into a text editor.
7. Search for the "jwt" field within that text. Copy the long string that is its value (inside the double quotes). This is your JWT.

Now, set this value as an environment variable in your terminal:

• macOS / Linux:

  export SLING_JWT='paste_your_long_jwt_string_here'

• Windows (Command Prompt):

  set SLING_JWT="paste_your_long_jwt_string_here"

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🎮 Usage & Controls

1. Run the Server Make sure your virtual environment is active and the JWT is set, then run:

python app.py

2. Access the Player Open your web browser and navigate to: http://127.0.0.1:8000

Remote Control Guide

The player has two focus modes: Sidebar and Player. A glowing blue border indicates which area is currently active.

Key	Sidebar Action (Default)	Player Action
⬆️ / ⬇️	Navigate channel list	N/A
Enter	Start streaming selected channel	N/A
⬅️ / ➡️	N/A	Seek backward/forward 10s
Space	N/A	Play / Pause
f	N/A	Toggle Fullscreen
Backspace	N/A	Return focus to Sidebar

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⚙️ Configuration

All major configuration variables (ports, hostnames, WVD path) are located at the top of the app.py file for easy modification.

# --- 1. CENTRALIZED CONFIGURATION ---
WVD_FILE = 'WVD.wvd'
HTTP_HOST = '0.0.0.0'
HTTP_PORT = 8000
WEBSOCKET_HOST = '0.0.0.0'
WEBSOCKET_PORT = 8765

🤔 Troubleshooting

• Server exits immediately on start: You have likely forgotten to set the SLING_JWT environment variable or the WVD.wvd file is missing. The terminal will show a FATAL ERROR message.
• Channel list does not load: Your SLING_JWT is likely expired or invalid. Follow the steps again to get a fresh one.
• Stream connects but video is black: This is almost always a mimeCodec mismatch. The stream's video/audio codec does not match the one hardcoded in templates/index.html. You may need to inspect the channel's DASH manifest (.mpd) to find the correct codecs="..." string and update it in the HTML file.

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This project is intended for educational and personal use only. Accessing and restreaming content in this manner may violate the Sling TV Terms of Service. The developers of this project are not responsible for how it is used. Please use it responsibly and at your own risk.