CSTV (SourceTV)

Professional broadcasting and demo recording for your CS2 server.

Pro Feature

CSTV is available exclusively on Pro servers.

What is CSTV?

CSTV enables live broadcasting of matches with a short delay, allowing spectators to watch games without participating. This is the same technology used in professional Counter-Strike tournaments for observer streams. Broadcasts can be automatically recorded for replay.

Most server owners enable CSTV for one of two reasons:

• Demo recording. Every match is saved as a .dem file you can download and review afterwards.
• Spectating. People can watch a live match from inside CS2 without taking a player slot.

Enabling CSTV

CSTV is switched on from the panel. You do not need to run any console commands to get it working.

Step 1: Open Your Server Settings

1. Go to fshost.me/pro/servers
2. Click on your server name
3. Open the Settings tab, or click Edit in the top right. Both open Game settings
4. Scroll down to the CSTV section

Step 2: Enable and Save

Set Enable CSTV to Yes, then click Save changes. The CSTV port is assigned automatically, so there is no port to fill in. To keep spectators out, fill in CSTV password (optional) with 4 to 20 letters and digits. Leave it empty for an open broadcast.

Step 3: Restart the Server

CSTV starts with the server process, so the change applies on the next restart. Restart from the panel.

That Is the Whole Setup

Once CSTV is enabled and the server has restarted, demo recording works on its own. The commands in the next section are optional adjustments, not required steps.

Configuration

The panel handles the settings that matter for a normal setup. Use the commands below only when you want to change the defaults, for example to rename the broadcast or change the broadcast delay.

Basic Settings

Command	Description
tv_name "name"	Set broadcaster name shown in server browser
tv_delay 90	Broadcast delay in seconds. The default is 90
tv_record "filename"	Start recording a demo
tv_stoprecord	Stop current demo recording

Example Configuration

// CSTV Settings
tv_enable 1
tv_name "FSHOST Match Server"
tv_delay 90 // Broadcast delay in seconds, 90 is the default
tv_maxclients 10 // Max spectators

Connecting to CSTV

As a Spectator

Via Console:

connect SERVER_IP:CSTV_PORT

Example:

connect 123.45.67.89:27020

Finding Your Port

Open the Files tab on your server's page in the Pro Panel. The CSTV box shows the full connect command under Spectate server, including the CSTV port. The CSTV port is not the same as your game port.

Spectator Commands

Once connected to CSTV:

spec_mode // Cycle spectator modes
spec_next // Next player
spec_prev // Previous player
spec_player NAME // Spectate specific player

Demo Recording

Recording Demos

Manual Recording:

tv_record match_de_dust2_team1_vs_team2
tv_stoprecord

Demo Playback

Enable voice chat in demos:

tv_listen_voice_indices -1
tv_listen_voice_indices_h -1

Play demo:

playdemo yourdemo.dem

Demo File Location

Demos are saved to your server's demos directory:

/game/csgo/demos/yourdemo.dem

Advanced Spectating

Camera Positions

Save current spectator position:

spec_pos

Requires sv_cheats 1

Teleport to coordinates:

spec_goto x y z pitch yaw

Example:

spec_goto 1234.5 -678.9 100.0 0 90

Demo Management

Accessing Demos

Recorded demos are listed under Demo files on the Files tab of your server's page. The list is refreshed every minute and demos are deleted after 7 days, so download the ones you want to keep. Copy feed URL gives you a JSON feed of the same list for your own tools.

Demos are not available over FTP yet. CS2 FTP access covers the addons and cfg folders only, see FTP Access.

Playing Downloaded Demos

Windows Installation Path:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo\

Steps:

1. Open Steam
2. Right-click Counter-Strike 2
3. Select Properties → Installed Files → Browse
4. Navigate to game/csgo/ folder
5. Place your .dem file here
6. Launch CS2 and use console: playdemo filename

Troubleshooting

My demo is not in the Demo files list

Work through these in order:

1. Wait a minute. The Demo files list on the Files tab refreshes every minute, and a demo only appears once tv_stoprecord has run or the map has ended.
2. Check the age. Demos older than 7 days are deleted automatically. See CS2 Demo Retention Change.
3. Check that CSTV is enabled. Without CSTV nothing is recorded. See Enabling CSTV.

Still missing? Open a ticket on Pro Support with the server number and roughly when the demo was recorded.

Demo file won't play

Error Message:

[Demo] Requesting playback of 'demo.dem'
CDemoFile::Open: couldn't open file demo.dem for reading

Solution:

1. Delete the corrupted file
2. Re-download from your server
3. Verify file is in the correct directory: .../game/csgo/
4. Ensure file has .dem extension

No voice chat in demo

Enable voice indices before playback:

tv_listen_voice_indices -1
tv_listen_voice_indices_h -1
playdemo yourdemo.dem

Cannot connect to CSTV

Verify:

• CSTV is enabled in the panel
• Using the port shown under Files → CSTV → Spectate server, not the game port
• Server is running
• No firewall blocking connection

CSTV + Discord Integration

For automatic demo uploads to Discord, see the DiscordDemoURL Plugin documentation.