ParallaxTV help
On this page: Install · Connect your server · Watching · Channels · Pro · Troubleshooting · Contact
Install the app
- On your LG TV, open the LG Content Store (called Apps on newer TVs) and search for ParallaxTV.
- Choose Install, then open it from the TV’s home screen.
ParallaxTV runs on LG smart TVs with webOS. It has been tested most on webOS 6 (2021 models). A version for Samsung TVs is coming. The app doesn’t come with any movies or shows: it plays the ones on your own Plex, Jellyfin, Emby or Kodi server, or folders served by the Hub.
Connect your server
The first time the app opens, it asks which kind of server you have. You can add more later from the home menu › Sources › Add source. The TV and the server need to be on the same home network (a server you reach over the internet by its web address works too).
Plex
- Choose Connect Plex. The TV shows a four-character code.
- On your phone or computer, go to plex.tv/link, sign in to Plex, and enter the code. The TV moves on by itself.
- Choose your server. If the TV can’t reach it, it asks for an address:
enter the server’s address on your network, such as
192.168.1.10.
Jellyfin
- Choose Connect Jellyfin and enter the server’s address,
such as
192.168.1.10. The app adds Jellyfin’s usual port, 8096, if you don’t type one. For a server with a web address, type it in full, such ashttps://jellyfin.example.com. - If your server offers Quick Connect, the TV shows a code: in the Jellyfin app or website, open Settings › Quick Connect and enter it. Or choose Use a password instead.
- To sign in with a password, enter your Jellyfin username and password. Show password under the field shows what you typed.
Emby
- Choose Connect Emby, enter the server’s address (the app adds port 8096 if you leave it out), then your Emby username and password.
Kodi
- On the Kodi device, turn on Settings › Services › Control › Allow remote control via HTTP.
- Also turn on Settings › Media › Videos › Extract video information from files, then update the library. ParallaxTV needs to know how long each video is.
- On the TV, choose Connect Kodi and enter the Kodi device’s
address, such as
192.168.1.30(the app adds Kodi’s port, 8080). Leave the password empty unless Kodi’s web server has one; videos only play when it doesn’t.
Then
Choose which libraries to use (all of them are ticked to start with). The app reads them and builds a starter set of channels, then starts playing. Reading a big library can take a few minutes the first time.
Watching
| Channel Up / Down, or Up / Down | Change channel |
|---|---|
| Number keys | Go straight to a channel number |
| OK | Show or hide what’s on now and next |
| Left / Right | Peek at the next channel; OK switches to it |
| Blue | The program guide |
| Yellow | Your channels |
| Green or Info | More about what’s on |
| Red | Shuffle this channel’s schedule (it asks first) |
| Play / Pause | Pause; playing again jumps back to what’s on now |
| Back | The home menu: Guide, Channels, Sources, Settings and more |
Every channel runs on a schedule, like broadcast TV, so when you tune in, a program is already partway through. With the Magic Remote you can also point and click.
Channels
Open Channels (Yellow, or the home menu › Channels). Choose New channel to build one from a whole library, a show, genres, a mood, a decade, a custom filter or titles you pick, and set its order, name and number. You can also renumber, rename, reorder and switch off channels there. The free version has up to 8 channels; Pro has no limit.
Pro
Buy Pro
- On the TV, open the home menu › Upgrade to Pro. The TV shows a QR code and a short code.
- Scan the QR code with your phone, or go to parallaxtv.app/activate on a phone or computer and enter the code.
- Pay (the payment is handled by Stripe). The TV unlocks by itself within a few seconds, and your license key arrives by email. Keep that email.
Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and covers up to five TVs in your household. Changed your mind? Email us within 14 days for a full refund (terms of sale).
Add Pro to another TV
On that TV: home menu › Upgrade to Pro › I already have a license key, enter the key from your email, and choose Unlock.
Move Pro to a different TV
If the key is already on five TVs, open Settings › License on a TV you no longer use and choose Deactivate this TV. That frees its place. Reinstalling the app on the same TV doesn’t use another place. If the old TV is gone, email us and we’ll free it.
Troubleshooting
The app shows a short message when something goes wrong. Find it below.
Connecting
| “The TV could not reach the server” | Check the server is on, and that the TV and the server are on the same network (not a guest Wi-Fi). Check the address: open it in a browser on a phone on the TV’s Wi-Fi, such as http://192.168.1.10:8096 for Jellyfin or Emby. |
|---|---|
| “The server took too long to answer” | The server may be busy or asleep. Wake it, wait a moment and try again. |
| “That username or password was not accepted” | Use Show password to check what you typed. Jellyfin and Emby usernames are the ones you sign in to their website with. |
| “That server is not one ParallaxTV can use” | The address reached something that isn’t Plex, Jellyfin, Emby or Kodi. Check the address and port. |
| Plex: the code doesn’t work | Codes expire after a few minutes. Go back and start again for a new one, and enter it at plex.tv/link while signed in to the Plex account that owns the server. |
| Kodi: “Kodi did not say how long any of its movies or episodes are” | Turn on Settings › Media › Videos › Extract video information from files in Kodi, update the library, then choose Try again. |
| “That server returned no playable items” | The libraries you picked are empty, or hold only music or photos. Choose Try again after checking them on the server. |
| “The sign-in has expired” or “was not accepted”, later on | The server’s password or sign-in changed. Open Sources, choose the server, and sign in again. |
Watching
| “This TV cannot play that video”, or a video won’t start | Open Settings and turn on Prefer transcoding, so the server converts videos into a format every TV plays. Choose Skip ahead to move on meanwhile. |
|---|---|
| Video stutters or keeps loading | The network is slower than the video. In Settings, lower Maximum bitrate, or move the TV or router so the Wi-Fi is stronger. A network cable helps most. |
| “Source offline” on a channel | The server that channel plays from isn’t answering. The channel comes back by itself within about 30 seconds of the server returning. |
| No captions, or the wrong ones | Press Back › Captions, or open Settings › Captions to choose the language and size. Some servers draw captions into the picture, which takes a moment to start. |
| “No channels yet” | Choose Channels and make one with New channel. If you have no server yet, choose Add a server. |
| The guide shows a different day than you expect | Each channel’s day starts at the hour in Settings › Day starts at. Change it if you want the day to begin earlier or later. |
Pro and license
| “That code was not accepted” | Check the license key against your email; it looks like PXTV-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Copy it rather than retyping if you can. |
|---|---|
| “This key is already used on 5 TVs” | Free a place on a TV you no longer use: Settings › License › Deactivate this TV. If that TV is gone, email us. |
| “Couldn’t verify your license — will retry” | The TV can’t reach the internet right now. Pro keeps working offline for a while; it checks again by itself when it’s back online. |
| Paid, but the TV didn’t unlock | Leave the Upgrade to Pro screen open for a few seconds, or enter the key from your email with I already have a license key. If that fails, email us with the address you paid with. |
| Lost the license key | Email us from the address you paid with, and we’ll send a new one. |
Still not working?
Turning the TV off and on at the wall, then opening ParallaxTV again, clears most one-off problems. Settings › Debug log shows the last things the app did, which helps us if you write to us.
Contact
Email support@freeradicalsgroup.com with your TV’s model, your server type (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby or Kodi) and what you see on screen. A person reads every message.