Watch web channels on a Smart TV in Viewpoint

Check the platform and the intended mod

The original Workshop item is 3831834885, Mod ID ActuallyWatchTV. These instructions cover Build 42.21, single player and author-described hosted multiplayer. Linux/macOS are planned, not available in the checked helper instructions. Dedicated-server behavior was not verified.

The description says Viewpoint and Interface are optional, although the Workshop required-items sidebar lists them. Viewpoint is needed for the first-person world-screen workflow here; the helper and ZombieBuddy are still required. Follow the actual dependency prompt instead of assuming a sidebar proves every combination was tested.

For ordinary tapes or radio batteries, use the device-slot workflow. Smart TVs does not turn a VHS tape into a web channel.

Install only the author-linked browser helper

1. Close the game. Open the helper repository linked from the original Workshop description and review its current release and instructions.
2. The author distributes SmartTVsHelper.zip. Extract the whole archive; its documented installer action is running LiveChannelsHost.exe once.
3. The helper copies its files to %LOCALAPPDATA%\LiveChannels\bin and reports completion. The author says the game then starts and closes it automatically.
4. Check that Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is installed. It is present on Windows 11 and most Windows 10 systems according to the author.
5. Enable the intended mods, start a test world and review the specific Java approval. An approval is permission to run code, not a safety certificate.

This is a separate executable outside Workshop. We did not install, execute or audit it. Windows may warn because it is not code-signed; these instructions do not require bypassing that warning or disabling protection. Stop if you cannot establish the file's origin and decide whether to trust it.

For an explicit “helper too old” message, compare the current author release and repeat its documented update process with the game closed. Reinstalling ZombieBuddy does not update this browser helper.

Choose a channel, then focus the world screen

1. In Options → Mods → Smart TVs!, give one of the six channel slots a name and a web address.
2. Use a powered television and select that channel in Device Options. Confirm the intended page opens before adding more channels.
3. The window provides browser controls, tabs and a full-screen view. For Viewpoint first person, close the window to see supported content on the television itself.
4. Near the TV, choose Focus on TV to hold the view and free the cursor. Click and type on the screen; check an ordinary page before trying a login or video service.

Success is the chosen page responding on the intended window or TV screen. A powered set with the wrong channel, a missing helper and an unfocused cursor are different failures. Record which checkpoint failed before changing files.

▶ YouTube · Smart TVs browser and first-person TV · HollowmarkPlay on this page▶ Play on this pageYouTube · Smart TVs browser and first-person TV · Hollowmark

DRM, shared viewing and saved browser data

Copy-protected services are documented as window-only: the 3D TV cannot display DRM-protected video. A stream that works in the window but not on the world screen therefore does not automatically mean Viewpoint is broken.

Server administrators can configure shared channels. The author's Watch TV with action synchronizes a screen and its play/pause position with another player. This is not a demonstrated guarantee for every website, account, DRM service or dedicated server.

TV volume still attracts zombies. Keep a safe test location and use the volume or mute controls. The author describes distance-based pausing; it is not proof that playback continues when you leave.

The browser stores logins, cookies and logs in %LOCALAPPDATA%\LiveChannels. Deleting that whole folder is the author's removal process after quitting the game, and also removes those browser data. Do not use that broad deletion as the first repair for one channel.

If it still fails, report Windows/game/mod versions, helper message, whether the window works, chosen channel and world-screen focus state. Never include cookies, passwords or private session addresses in a public report.