---
title: "Mosaics"
description: "Put up to 9 of your channels on one screen and publish it as a channel of its own."
---

Your clients want to follow several matches, news channels or cameras at the same time without jumping between channels. A **mosaic** puts up to 9 of your channels on one screen and publishes it as a normal channel: it shows in your categories and bouquets, and clients watch it in their apps like any other channel.

::video[Mosaics: up to 9 channels on one screen](mosaics.mp4)

> [!NOTE]
> New in Xtream AI 2.5.0. Requires engine 2.5.0 on your main server.

## Requirements

- Engine 2.5.0 on your main server. If **Mosaics** is not in the **Channels** menu, update it first. See [Update the Engine](/docs/update-the-engine).
- An active **Mosaics** plan. Mosaics is a paid add-on (see "The Mosaics plan" below).
- Admins only. A limited admin needs the **Mosaics** permission. Resellers do not have access.

## Create a mosaic

1. Open **Channels** > **Mosaics** and click **New mosaic**. The preview is on the left and four steps are on the right.
2. **Layout**: choose **4 equal**, **9 equal**, **1 big + 3**, **1 big + 5**, **Side by side** or **Picture in picture**.
3. **Channels**: click a tile in the preview (or its row in the list) and pick the channel with the search box. **Leave empty** keeps that tile blank. The speaker icon marks the tile you hear: click the speaker of another tile to switch the audio, or the same one again to mute the mosaic.
4. **Look**:
   - One of the four color themes.
   - **Title**: optional text at the top, up to 60 characters.
   - **Clock** and **Channel names**: show or hide them.
   - **Background image**: **Upload** an image. It is cropped to 1920×1080 and compressed for you.
   - **Output and quality**: **Resolution** (**1080p**, or **720p**, which uses about 40% less CPU), **Encoder** (**CPU**, or **NVIDIA GPU** when every chosen server has an NVIDIA card ready) and **Clock time zone**.
5. **Publish**:
   - **Name**: also the channel name.
   - **Category**: where the channel appears.
   - **Bouquets**: which clients see it.
   - **Servers**: where the mosaic runs.
6. Click **Save and apply**. The panel creates the mosaic's channel and starts it on the chosen servers. You do not need to create the channel by hand.

**Exact preview** draws the mosaic exactly as it will look, with names, clock and background, on one of the chosen servers. The text under the image says which server drew it.

## Tile snapshots

While you build the mosaic, each tile shows a snapshot of its channel. It is only a reference for the design and does not refresh on its own. While it loads the tile says **Taking snapshot…**. To take new ones, click the refresh button next to "Tiles show a snapshot from".

If a tile shows **Stopped on** a server, or a similar notice, that channel is not running there. If it shows **Not on any server**, no server has that channel on air or on demand, so the tile will have no picture.

## Watch it live, start, stop or restart

Once the mosaic is published, the **On air** block appears at the top of the editor:

- **Channel ID** of the mosaic's channel, with **Open in Edit Stream**.
- **Server**: choose which of the mosaic's servers to watch, with its status (**Live**, **Starting**, **Down**, **Stopped** or **On demand**).
- A player that shows the mosaic exactly as your clients see it on that server.
- **Stop**, **Start** and **Restart** for the mosaic's channel on that server.

## What each result means when you save

Under the button you get one result per server:

- **Channel created** or **Updated live**: done. Design changes apply live without cutting viewers.
- **Restarting**: the change needs a restart on that server, for example a new resolution, encoder or time zone. Viewers reconnect on their own in a few seconds. The panel warns you before saving.
- **Applies automatically**: that server picks up the change by itself in about 30 seconds.
- **Applies on next start**: the channel was not running on that server. It takes the change the next time it starts.
- **Starting** or **Pending**: wait a few seconds and click **Retry**.
- **Error**: the reason is shown under it.

## Where the mosaic's channel lives

- In **Channels** > **Overview**, the mosaic's channel has a **Mosaic** label. Choose **● Mosaics** in the status filter to see only those.
- In the channel editor its source reads **Mosaic:** followed by the mosaic name, with an **Open in Mosaics** link. It is not edited as a URL: change the design in **Channels** > **Mosaics**. Category, bouquets and servers are also set in the **Publish** step.
- Deleting a mosaic from its card deletes its channel on every server too.

## The Mosaics plan

The card at the top of **Channels** > **Mosaics** shows your plan. Choose 1, 3 or 12 months and pay with **Pay with balance** (your Xtream AI balance) or **Pay with crypto**.

| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 month | USD 30 |
| 3 months | USD 81 |
| 12 months | USD 288 |

With an active plan you can turn on automatic renewal from your balance and extend it with **Extend plan**. If the plan expires, your mosaics keep working for a short grace period. After that they become read-only: you can view and delete them, but not create or edit them until you buy a plan again. See [Plugins](/docs/plugins).

## Common problems

- **"Mosaics need engine 2.5.0 on your main server"**: update your main server.
- **"Your Mosaics plan is not active"**: buy or renew a plan from the card at the top.
- **A tile is black or has no signal**: that channel is down, or it is not on air on any server.
- **NVIDIA GPU is not offered in Encoder**: one of the chosen servers has no NVIDIA card ready. The mosaic uses CPU.
- **"Server … cannot run this design"** when saving: that server checked the design and cannot run it. The reason is shown under it. Fix it, for example the background image, or choose another server.
- **"Too many background uploads in the last hour"**: wait a while and try again.
- **"The live preview is not available right now"** in **On air**: click **Try again**. If it continues, check that the server is online.
- **Leaving without saving**: the panel warns you about unsaved changes when you go back to the list or close the tab.

## Related

- [New Arrivals](/docs/new-arrivals)
- [Add a Live Channel](/docs/add-a-live-channel)
- [Plugins](/docs/plugins)
- [Update the Engine](/docs/update-the-engine)
- [Packages and Bouquets](/docs/packages-and-bouquets)