> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/koala73/worldmonitor/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Live Video Streams

> Watching live news channels, managing quality settings, and webcam feeds

World Monitor includes **8+ default live video streams** from global news networks, plus **30+ optional channels** and **22 live webcams** from geopolitical hotspots.

## Default Channels

### Full Variant (Geopolitical)

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Bloomberg" icon="building-columns">
    Financial news and markets
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sky News" icon="newspaper">
    UK-based international news
  </Card>

  <Card title="Euronews" icon="globe">
    European perspective, 24/7
  </Card>

  <Card title="DW (Deutsche Welle)" icon="tv">
    German public broadcaster
  </Card>

  <Card title="CNBC" icon="chart-line">
    Business and financial news
  </Card>

  <Card title="France24" icon="tower-observation">
    French international news
  </Card>

  <Card title="Al Arabiya" icon="crescent">
    Middle East perspective
  </Card>

  <Card title="Al Jazeera" icon="building">
    Qatar-based global news
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Tech Variant

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Bloomberg" icon="building-columns">
    Tech and business coverage
  </Card>

  <Card title="Yahoo Finance" icon="chart-mixed">
    Markets and tech news
  </Card>

  <Card title="CNBC" icon="chart-line">
    Tech sector coverage
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sen Space Live" icon="rocket">
    Space and aerospace
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Stream Playback

### HLS Native Streaming

**10 channels** use native HLS `<video>` elements instead of YouTube iframes:

* Sky News
* Euronews
* DW (Deutsche Welle)
* France24
* Al Arabiya
* CBS News
* TRT World
* Sky News Arabia
* Al Hadath
* RT (Russia Today - banned from YouTube, HLS-only)

**Benefits:**

* Bypasses YouTube cookie popups
* No bot detection issues
* Works in WKWebView (desktop app)
* Native browser controls

**Fallback behavior:**

* If HLS fails, 5-minute cooldown triggers
* Automatic switch to YouTube iframe fallback
* Transparent to user

### YouTube IFrame Embedding

Channels without HLS streams use YouTube's IFrame API:

* Auto-discovery of live streams
* 5-minute channel page scraping
* Fallback video IDs when no live stream detected

### Desktop Embed Bridge

YouTube restricts playback in native webviews (error 153). The desktop app:

1. Detects WKWebView environment
2. Routes streams through cloud-hosted embed proxy
3. Bidirectional message passing for controls (play/pause/mute/unmute)
4. Transparent to user

<Info>
  The web version uses direct YouTube iframes. The desktop app uses the embed bridge automatically when needed.
</Info>

## Quality Control

Global streaming quality applies to all channels:

### Quality Levels

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Auto" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Adaptive bitrate (default)
  </Card>

  <Card title="360p" icon="signal-weak">
    Low bandwidth, mobile-friendly
  </Card>

  <Card title="480p" icon="signal-fair">
    Standard definition
  </Card>

  <Card title="720p" icon="signal-strong">
    High definition (requires good connection)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Changing Quality

<Steps>
  <Step title="Locate Quality Selector">
    Find the quality dropdown in the Live Video Streams panel header.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Quality">
    Choose: Auto (default), 360p, 480p, or 720p.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Instant Propagation">
    Quality change applies to all active players immediately via `stream-quality-changed` CustomEvent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preference Saved">
    Selection persists in localStorage across sessions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  720p requires a stable broadband connection. If you experience buffering, switch to 480p or Auto.
</Warning>

## Optional Channels

**30+ additional channels** available from the expandable library:

### By Region

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="North America (7 channels)">
    * LiveNOW from FOX
    * Fox News
    * Newsmax
    * ABC News
    * CBS News
    * NBC News
    * CBC News (Canada)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Europe (11 channels)">
    * BBC News
    * France 24 English
    * WELT (Germany)
    * RTVE 24H (Spain)
    * TRT Haber (Turkey)
    * NTV (Turkey)
    * CNN TURK
    * TV Rain (Russia)
    * RT (Russia Today)
    * TVP Info (Poland)
    * Telewizja Republika (Poland)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Latin America (10 channels)">
    * CNN Brasil
    * Jovem Pan News (Brazil)
    * Record News (Brazil)
    * Band Jornalismo (Brazil)
    * TN - Todo Noticias (Argentina)
    * C5N (Argentina)
    * MILENIO (Mexico)
    * Noticias Caracol (Colombia)
    * NTN24 (Colombia)
    * T13 (Chile)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Asia (7 channels)">
    * TBS NEWS DIG (Japan)
    * ANN News (Japan)
    * NTV News (Japan)
    * CTI News (Taiwan)
    * WION (India)
    * CNA NewsAsia (Singapore)
    * NHK World Japan
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Middle East (5 channels)">
    * Al Hadath (Saudi Arabia)
    * Sky News Arabia
    * TRT World (Turkey)
    * Iran International
    * CGTN Arabic (China)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Africa (5 channels)">
    * Africanews
    * Channels TV (Nigeria)
    * KTN News (Kenya)
    * eNCA (South Africa)
    * SABC News (South Africa)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Adding Optional Channels

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Available Channels Tab">
    Click the "Available Channels" tab in the Live Video Streams panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Browse by Region">
    Channels are organized by geographic region for easy discovery.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click to Add">
    Click any channel to add it to your active channel list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preference Saved">
    Your channel selection is saved to localStorage as `worldmonitor-live-channels`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Removing Channels

<Steps>
  <Step title="Locate Active Channel">
    Find the channel in your active channels list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Remove Button">
    Click the × or Remove button next to the channel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Channel Hidden">
    Channel is removed from active list (can be re-added later).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Live Webcams

**22 live webcams** provide real-time visual monitoring from geopolitical hotspots:

### Webcam Regions

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Iran/Attacks" icon="crosshairs">
    Tehran, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem feeds for escalation monitoring
  </Card>

  <Card title="Middle East" icon="mosque">
    Regional hotspot cameras
  </Card>

  <Card title="Europe" icon="landmark">
    European city feeds
  </Card>

  <Card title="Americas" icon="flag-usa">
    North and South America
  </Card>

  <Card title="Asia-Pacific" icon="globe-asia">
    East Asian monitoring
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Webcam Views

#### Grid View

Display 4 strategic feeds simultaneously:

* 2×2 grid layout
* Synchronized playback
* Region filtering
* Ideal for monitoring multiple locations

#### Single-Feed View

Focus on one webcam:

* Full-size player
* Maximum detail
* Better for specific location monitoring

### Using Webcams

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Webcams Tab">
    Click the "Live Webcams" tab in the panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Region">
    Filter by region: Iran/Attacks, Middle East, Europe, Americas, or Asia-Pacific.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose View Mode">
    Toggle between Grid (4 feeds) or Single-Feed view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Lazy Loading">
    Webcams use Intersection Observer for performance - only visible feeds load.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Iran/Attacks Tab

Dedicated 2×2 grid for escalation events:

* **Tehran** - Iranian capital monitoring
* **Tel Aviv** - Israeli coastal city
* **Jerusalem** - Strategic holy city
* **Additional strategic feed**

Provides real-time visual context during regional tensions.

## Idle-Aware Playback

Video streams automatically pause to conserve resources:

### Idle Detection

* **5-minute inactivity** - Streams pause and are removed from DOM
* **Tab visibility changes** - Streams suspend when tab is hidden
* **Auto-resume** - Streams resume when user returns

### Why This Matters

* **Battery saving** - Prevents drain on laptops and mobile devices
* **Bandwidth conservation** - Stops streaming when not actively watching
* **Performance** - Frees GPU resources for other tasks

<Info>
  Idle detection applies to both live news channels and webcams. Manual play overrides idle state.
</Info>

## Player Controls

### Standard Controls

All video players support:

* **Play/Pause** - Space bar or click button
* **Mute/Unmute** - M key or click volume icon
* **Volume** - Arrow keys or drag slider
* **Fullscreen** - F key or fullscreen button

### Synchronized Quality

Changing global quality affects all active players:

1. Quality change event fired
2. All players receive `stream-quality-changed` event
3. Players reload with new quality setting
4. No page reload required

## Channel Management

### Restoring Defaults

Reset to default channel list:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Channel Settings">
    Find the "Restore Defaults" option in channel management.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Restore">
    Confirm restoration to variant-specific defaults.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Channels Reset">
    Active channels revert to the 8 (or 4 for tech) default streams.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Storage Keys

Channel preferences are stored in localStorage:

* `worldmonitor-live-channels` - Selected channels
* `worldmonitor-stream-quality` - Quality preference
* `worldmonitor-webcam-region` - Last selected webcam region

## Troubleshooting

### Stream Not Playing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Check Live Status">
    Some channels may not be live 24/7. The system auto-detects live streams every 5 minutes.

    **Fallback behavior**: If no live stream detected, a pre-recorded fallback video plays.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Browser Autoplay Policies">
    Modern browsers block autoplay with sound.

    **Solution**: Manually click play on the first video. Subsequent streams will autoplay muted.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="HLS Failure">
    If HLS stream fails, automatic fallback to YouTube iframe occurs after 5 minutes.

    **Check**: Look for fallback indicator in player.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Desktop App Error 153">
    YouTube restricts playback in native webviews.

    **Solution**: Desktop app automatically routes through embed bridge. If issue persists, try restarting the app.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Buffering Issues

<Steps>
  <Step title="Lower Quality">
    Switch from 720p → 480p → 360p → Auto until buffering stops.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check Connection">
    Run a speed test. 720p requires \~5 Mbps, 480p \~2.5 Mbps, 360p \~1 Mbps.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reduce Active Streams">
    Limit concurrent streams to 2-3 if on slower connection.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Clear Browser Cache">
    Old cache entries can cause playback issues. Clear and reload.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### No Video Visible

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Panel Collapsed">
    Ensure the Live Video Streams panel is expanded (not minimized).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Channel Not Added">
    Verify the channel is in your active channels list, not just the available channels library.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Ad Blocker Interference">
    Some ad blockers block YouTube iframes. Whitelist worldmonitor.app.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="News Feeds" icon="newspaper" href="/guide/news-feeds">
    Read and filter RSS feeds
  </Card>

  <Card title="Command Palette" icon="terminal" href="/guide/command-palette">
    Quick search and navigation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Panels" icon="table-columns" href="/guide/panels">
    Customize panel layout
  </Card>

  <Card title="Map Controls" icon="map" href="/guide/map-controls">
    Visualize events on the globe
  </Card>
</CardGroup>