It started as a grid.
A couple of months later, I tuned into a movie one night that was already in progress. That was when the idea started to feel like television.
I have been curious about computers and gadgets for as long as I can remember. Over time, that curiosity spread into design, development, home networking, and Plex. Bunny Ears TV gave me a place to bring all of those interests together.
At first, I only wanted to know whether a Plex library could behave more like television. The first working version was a simple grid with no customization and not much polish. It made channels. That was about it.
About two months into development, I opened one of those channels and landed halfway through a movie. I had not browsed for it or deliberately started it. It was simply what happened to be on. That small moment was the first time the app felt real.
I liked the discovery, but I also wanted channels to be intentional. A limited lineup can give adults more control over what younger viewers might encounter while still leaving room for a surprise. You decide what belongs in the library, and the app finds new ways to play it.
Channel 19 is probably the clearest example of my own taste making its way into the app. I spent plenty of late nights switching between music videos and video games growing up, and I still like putting on a block of music videos and letting it run.
The Radio stations came from the same place. I now use them through CarPlay and listen on my phone while walking. Bunny Ears TV started as a television experiment, but it has gradually found its way into other parts of my day.
What I Care About
Privacy Is a Boundary
Some decisions are settled. Bunny Ears TV will not become a place for third-party advertising or user tracking. It uses Plex and the Apple services needed for the features you choose, while your media remains on your Plex server.
New Things Take Time
I care about speed and polish, so I tend to take my time with new platforms and large features. There is still a lot I want to add. I would rather roll it out gradually than cram unfinished ideas into one release.
I Use It Every Day
Bunny Ears TV is not a side project I never open. I use it on Apple TV and iPad, through CarPlay, and on walks with my iPhone. That daily use has a way of finding rough edges.
Feedback Reaches Me
One beta tester wrote because a loading icon was slightly out of alignment. His family members had noticed it too and asked if I could fix it. I fixed it, and I loved to hear beta testing had become a family affair.
A library with 100,000 items changes the problem.
Small and very large Plex libraries behave differently. Importing more than 100,000 items requires batching, memory monitoring, and careful throttling based on how the Apple TV is handling the work.
Training the channel classifier became a separate project of its own. I built a custom command-line tool for it and continue to train it as new metadata becomes available.
Most of that work stays out of sight, but it explains why I do not rush releases. A feature can look finished long before it is ready for the range of libraries and devices people actually use.
I'm proud of where it is.
I can still see plenty I want to add or improve. I take it one day at a time, and I am thankful for the early adopters and beta testers who have helped Bunny Ears TV get this far. Ready to give it a try with your library?
