240-MP is a retro VCR style frontend to play content on Raspberry Pi (preferably hooked up to a CRT TV).

Playback experiences are handled via modules to enable new integrations without requiring major changes to the overall frontend. There are 3 currently included playback modules; one for Local Files, one for Plex and a module similar to art/wallpaper modes on modern tvs called (Ambient:Mode)

It's built to work in conjuction with MPV which will be installed (or updated) as a dependency during the install steps outlined below.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/r-gylGDoELY

Module Selection	Item Detail

Resume Option	Playback	Settings

• Supported file types: "mp4", "mkv", "avi", "mov", "m4v", "webm", "wmv", "flv", "f4v", "mpg", "mpeg", "vob"
• Playlist support using m3u and m3u8 files
• Folder browsing
• Loop playback support
• Playback history options
• Switch audio/subtitle tracks during playback

• Designed for CRT navigation (simple, fast, list browsing)
• Supported library types: Movies, TV Shows, Other Videos
• Server switching
• User profile switching and auto sign in
• Select specific libraries to display
• Continue Watching and Resume
• Hub, Playlist, Collection and Category support
• Movie editions
• Select preferred audio/subtitle track before playback and switch tracks during playback
• Full library browsing by letter
• Show/Season browsing
• Video quality selection: Direct Playback (Default) or Transcode options

• Supported video file types: "mp4", "mkv", "avi", "mov", "m4v", "webm", "wmv", "flv", "f4v", "mpg", "mpeg", "vob"
• Playlist support for audio tracks using m3u and m3u8 files
• Mix video with a different audio track
• Loops forever until you stop it

• On a Raspberry Pi
• On macOS (ARM)

• Why didn't you use Kodi/LibreELEC/OSMC?
  • I've used all of those distros and they are all excellent but I also like making things and wanted something simpler without as many options. Something that felt like a VCR from my youth.
• Should I use 240-MP instead of Kodi/LibreELEC/OSMC?
  • Nope 😄
  • All of those distros are amazing, feature rich, work across a ton of devices and have awesome supportive teams behind them.
  • I on the other hand am just one person making nostalgic things for my own niche use cases. If those use cases match with what you're looking for, then 240-MP is a bunch of fun and I'd be happy for you to try it. Otherwise, the well known distros are spectacular and you should likely open those doors instead.
• Will this work on other Raspberry Pi models? (like the 5, 2 zero, etc...)
  • Sorry, I can't say for sure as I've only tested on the 4b, 3b+ and 3b and don't have plans to test on other devices at this time.
• Where does the name "240-MP" come from?
  • 240 has a double meaning referring to the longest VHS tape length and my primary display target for it of CRT TVs.
  • MP also has a double meaning of "Media Player" and a play on the "SP/LP/EP/SLP" terminology that was used to refer to the recording quality for VHS recordings.
• Does the 240 in the name mean that it outputs at 240p resolution?
  • No and I apologize for any confusion I've caused on this, it's 240 in name only.
  • The output resolution for the menu and video playback when using it on a CRT is 480i.
• Does 240-MP work over HDMI on a modern television too?
  • Yes! The UI was built to scale on modern televisions over HDMI as well.
  • Please make sure you use the config.txt I provide for HDMI and it will output at the proper resolution for a modern tv.

• The VCR OSD Mono font was created by Riciery Santos Leal (a.k.a. mrmanet) https://www.dafont.com/vcr-osd-mono.font
• Because this is a hobby project (and a fairly niche use case), I am using Claude Code to build a large part of the backend C++ code and structure the modules. If you have concerns with that, I am glad to talk through it. Also, please feel free to fork this repo, update any aspects and tailor things to your own use case; that's why the source is fully open and available.
• Thank you to Plex for providing an open and free API with all the endpoints needed for me to make my own custom client
• Thank you to the MPV team for a simple, extensible and cross platform media player
• And thank you to the Raspberry Pi Foundation for helping me fill a drawer with SBCs to tinker with and inspire fun ideas like this project ❤️

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for the full text.

You are free to use, study, and modify this code. If you distribute a modified version, you must also distribute it under GPL-3.0 and make the source available.