A few weeks ago, I wrote about an Apple TV 4K app called Coax that turns your Plex library into a live TV platform, complete with an old-school live TV guide menu. It's the type of one-step setup app that really appeals to me, especially for a novelty use case like this.

Now that I've started spending more time with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, I was curious whether there's a live TV app like this for Android. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot out there, whether it's Kodi add-ons, or platforms like ErsatzTV, QuasiTV, DizqueTV, but they're all pretty complicated to get up and running.

If you've read my work before, you'll know that I like to keep things simple, so naturally, I landed on QuasiTV, a free app that's very similar to Coax, but for Android TV and Fire TV Stick devices.

What is QuasiTV anyway?

Turn your Plex or Jellyfin library into your own live TV platform

At a basic level, QuasiTV takes your Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby library of TV shows and movies and generates channels from it. They're organized automatically into a 24-hour schedule that updates every 15 minutes.

The idea behind platforms like QuasiTV is that, rather than scrolling through never-ending menus and getting stuck in analysis paralysis mode, you just stumble across a TV show or movie playing live that you didn't expect to find, or a movie you forgot you even had on your server. You're basically giving up the on-demand control we've all grown to expect from streaming content.

It's a throwback to the digital cable era that a lot of people will likely appreciate on some level, and brings back a more passive way of watching TV shows and movies that disappeared as on-demand streaming apps like Netflix and Disney+ became more popular. If you feel like creating a channel that only features Dragon Ball Z episodes? You can do that. Maybe want The Sopranos constantly playing in the background on your TV as you go about your day. You can make that happen in just a few clicks.

Getting the live TV app up and running is straightforward

You'll be streaming your 24/7 Sailor Moon channel in a matter of minutes

First off, you need an active Plex or Jellyfin server with content on it before you can set up QuasiTV. Next, download the app from the Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore, depending on what type of device you plan to use with the platform. Since I'm setting QuasiTV up on my Fire TV Stick 4K Max, I went with the Amazon Appstore.

After launching QuasiTV, follow the on-screen prompts and connect the app to your Plex server (I needed to input a specific URL and a code). After signing in and selecting your server, all you need to do is wait for Quasi TV to generate channels based on the metadata in your library. You can also create your own channel (up to 10 with the free version of the app), whether you want something focused on Classic Sitcoms, Sci-Fi Movies, or in my case, Sailor Moon.

Once you've done this, you'll be able to browse all of your QuasiTV channels, just like you could with digital cable back in the mid-2000s, complete with a throwback guide that's easily accessible from its left-side menu. The overall experience isn't quite as streamlined, clean, or snappy as I'd like, but it's pretty close and entirely free, unlike Coax, which costs $60 on Apple's App Store. There's also a $5 Pro tier of Quasi TV that allows unlimited custom channels and playlist/collection channels, and the ability to edit pre-made channels, and a higher $9 Premium tier that adds user profiles.

If you're an Android TV or Fire TV Stick user, and you're looking for a nostalgic way to watch content that takes choice out of the equation, QuasiTV is a solid option.