# shane-mason/FieldStation42

Broadcast & Cable TV simulator

Repository: https://github.com/shane-mason/FieldStation42
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/fieldstation42
Language: Python
License: MPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-08-25T01:23:46+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 68/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 54
- inputs: {"age_days": 767, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1599, forks 132 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:09.401751+00:00)

## What it is
FieldStation42 is a broadcast and cable TV simulator that turns a Linux computer or Raspberry Pi into a retro television experience with scheduled programming, commercials, and station bumps. It plays channels on their own real-time timelines so you flip channels rather than pick content, with a web console, web remote, and REST API for control.

## Use cases
- simulate old-school cable TV with scheduled channels on a Raspberry Pi
- build TV channel lineups with prime time blocks and marathons
- add commercials and station bumps between shows
- change channels from my phone with a web remote
- control playback and channel switching via a REST API
- use an IR remote to flip channels like a real cable box
- run IPTV streams and looping displays as channels

## When to choose
- you want a nostalgic channel-surfing experience instead of on-demand viewing
- you have a spare Raspberry Pi or Linux box to dedicate to a TV simulator
- you want scheduled programming with commercials and bumps on a real timeline
- you need API or remote-control integration for your media setup

## When to avoid
- you just want on-demand playback of your media library
- you need a production IPTV/headend broadcasting solution
- you are on macOS or Windows natively without WSL
- you want a lightweight media player rather than a full scheduling system

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: video-processing, streaming, http-server, scheduling, cli
- domain: media, entertainment, self-hosted, cross-platform
- platform: python, self-hosted
- tags: tv-simulator, retro-tv, raspberry-pi, iptv, media-server, channel-surfing, commercials, rest-api, linux, desktop

## Member repositories
- shane-mason/FieldStation42 (main) score 68

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.401751+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:53:14.339963+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/shane-mason/FieldStation42 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.401751+00:00, sha 6bf1633cec83)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.