AerialTV Server: Live TV Recording Setup Guide

What the AerialTV Server Is

AerialTV Server records programmes on an always-on computer or NAS at home. Your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac schedules and plays the recordings, while the server does the capture. The app does not need to stay open. It is experimental, and this first release is for your home network only.

• Keep the server running and awake for scheduled recordings.
• Recording uses stream copy and does not transcode the video.
• Remote access and native Windows installation are not included in this release.
• The server trusts devices on your local network. Do not forward its port to the internet.

Choose Where to Run It

Pick one computer or NAS that stays on. Downloads and a simplified install walkthrough are on the AerialTV Server download page.

• Mac with an Apple M-series chip — native menu bar app, no extra software needed. Intel Macs are not supported.
• Intel/AMD Linux or a compatible NAS — Docker, linux-amd64 image.
• ARM64 Linux or compatible NAS — Docker, linux-arm64 image.
• Windows x64 — Docker Desktop with Linux containers and WSL 2.

Install on a Mac

The macOS app includes everything it needs.

1. 1Extract the macOS ZIP and move AerialTV-server.app to Applications.
2. 2Open the app. Accept the normal macOS downloaded-app confirmation and, if prompted, allow incoming connections.
3. 3The app appears in the menu bar and starts the server. Its setup page opens in your browser. Use Open Admin UI from the menu if needed.
4. 4Follow the recording setup. No playlist import or account link is needed for the recording-only setup.

Install with Docker

Use this for Linux, a NAS, or Windows with Docker Desktop.

1. 1Install Docker Engine with Compose, or your NAS container runtime. On Windows, use Docker Desktop with Linux containers and WSL 2.
2. 2Extract the Docker starter ZIP into a folder and put the image archive for your architecture in it.
3. 3Load the image with docker load, using the archive that matches your hardware.
4. 4Start the server with docker compose up -d, then check it with docker compose ps.
5. 5Open http://localhost:8080 on that computer, or http://SERVER-LAN-IP:8080 from another device.

Connect the Apple App

Keep the Apple device and the server on the same home network.

1. 1In Aerial TV, open Settings > Recordings.
2. 2Select your server if it is discovered.
3. 3If discovery shows no server, enter its address manually, such as http://192.168.1.127:8080. Use the actual LAN address and port.
4. 4Allow Local Network access if the device asks.
5. 5Check the Recording providers list. It shows each provider and how many simultaneous recordings it allows.

Schedule a Recording

Use your normal playlist and guide in the app. The server captures the stream and time window you send it.

1. 1On Apple TV, hold Select on a programme in the guide to see its recording options. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, use the programme’s context menu.
2. 2Choose the recording option, for example record once.
3. 3Check its status under Recordings. Rules show the provider, schedule and an On/Off switch.

Watch and Manage Recordings

Recordings appear in the Recordings list in the app, grouped as Completed and Partial recordings. Select one to play it. Playback supports seeking and resuming from where you stopped.

• A partial recording is kept when a capture stopped early. The list shows it as Stopped · Partial recording available. It is not a completed recording.
• iPhone, iPad and Mac can also download recordings for offline playback.
• The server web Library shows scheduled, active, completed and failed recordings, and lets you download files.

Recording Settings and Provider Limits

Under Settings > Recordings, choose TS or MP4 output, a resolution cap and an audio language for future captures. Existing files keep their format.

• Set each provider’s simultaneous-recording limit to match your subscription.
• Watching live on other devices can use the same connections, so recordings may fail if the limit is exceeded.
• MP4 is created where the source can be converted safely. Otherwise a TS copy is kept.

Upgrade and Back Up

Wait for active recordings to finish before you stop or upgrade the server, and back up first. Database migrations can stop an older version from opening an upgraded database.

• Mac: quit from the menu bar, copy ~/Library/Application Support/AerialTV/, replace the app, then reopen it. Include any separately configured recording location in your backup.
• Docker: stop the container, back up the aerialtv-recording-data volume, load the new image, update the tag in compose.yaml and run docker compose up -d. Keep the same volume name.

Troubleshooting

Most problems come from the network, the provider connection limit or disk space.

• No server found — open the admin page by its LAN address on the Apple device. Check the firewall, port, Local Network permission, guest Wi-Fi isolation and VPN. Enter the address manually.
• Nothing records — check the server is awake, disk space, stream credentials and provider limits. Read the failure message and Logs in the server web UI.
• Recording stalls — confirm the provider stream still produces data and no other device is using up its connection allowance.
• Docker stopped after a reboot — start Docker Desktop or the runtime, then check docker compose ps.
• Need help — save the server Logs download, your platform and the release version. Treat logs as private. They can describe your provider and viewing activity.