StreamTray

Tiny Python tray-server that converts any RTSP camera/DVR
into lightweight MJPEG feeds for browsers & mobile apps.

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Table of Contents

1. About The Project
   • Built With
2. Key Features
3. Getting Started
   • Prerequisites
   • Installation
4. Usage
5. API Reference
6. Roadmap
7. License
8. Contact

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About The Project

StreamTray is a zero-config micro-server that sits in your system-tray, opens an RTSP connection once per camera, and re-streams frames as multipart/x-mixed-replace; boundary=frame.

This format is universally compatible, allowing any browser <img> tag or mobile framework (like Flutter) to render low-latency video feeds without complex players or HLS latency.

Architecture

┌────────────────────────┐
│                        │
│ RTSP/H-264│   Camera   │
│ streams ► │ DVR / NVR  │
└────────────────────────┘
            │
            ▼ (single connection per cam)
┌──────────────────────────┐
│    StreamTray Server     │
│  ▸ SQLite DB of streams  │
│  ▸ OpenCV Capture Engine │
│  ▸ MJPEG HTTP Endpoint   │
└──────────────────────────┘
            │
            ▼ (multiple clients)
  Browser ▸ <img src=/video_feed/uuid>
  Dashboard (localhost:5050)
  Mobile App (PixPulse Viewer)

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Built With

• 
• 
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Key Features

• 🚀 Zero Config: Runs instantly from System Tray.
• 🎥 Universal Compatibility: Converts RTSP to MJPEG for valid display in any HTML <img> tag.
• 💻 Modern Dashboard: Manage streams, rename cameras, and preview feeds via a sleek Web UI.
• 🏎️ High Performance: Centralized encoding engine ensures the camera is only polled once, regardless of client count.
• 📦 Portable: Single executable (Windows .exe or macOS .app) with persistent SQLite storage.
• 🌑 Dark Mode: Beautiful, responsive user interface with custom styling.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• RTSP Enabled Camera

Installation

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/zEhmsy/StreamTray.git
   cd StreamTray

2. Install Python packages

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the application

   python streamtray.py

   Or build the standalone app:

   # MacOS
   ./build_mac.sh

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Usage

1. Start the application. The StreamTray icon will appear in your system tray / menu bar.
2. Click Open Dashboard (or go to http://localhost:5050).
3. Click + Add Stream.
4. Enter a "Friendly Name" (e.g., Front Door) and the RTSP URL (e.g., rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.10:554/stream).
5. The stream will immediately appear in the list.

Dashboard Preview

Use the Play button on any stream to open the live lightbox preview.

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API Reference

The server exposes a RESTful API for integration.

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/streams	List all configured streams [{id, url, name}].
POST	/api/streams	Add a stream. Body: {"url": "...", "name": "..."}.
PUT	/api/streams/<id>	Update a stream.
DELETE	/api/streams/<id>	Remove a stream.
GET	/video_feed/<id>	MJPEG Live Stream. Embed as src in <img>.
GET	/api/snapshot/<id>	Single JPEG frame.

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Roadmap

• Basic RTSP to MJPEG bridging
• Web Dashboard for management
• Persistent SQLite Storage
• Custom Stream Naming
• MacOS .app Packaging
• User Authentication (Login)
• HLS / WebRTC Support
• Docker Container

See the open issues for a full list of proposed features (and known bugs).

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License

Distributed under the Apache 2.0 License. See LICENSE for more information.

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Contact

Project Link: https://github.com/zEhmsy/StreamTray

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