VidGrid is a website that allows for the simultaneous streaming of multiple videos on the same screen, in one window. Using YouTube videos on the site is pretty self-explanatory; simply copy the URL from YouTube and plop it into one of the URL bars on the VidGrid homepage. The website also packs a hidden but powerful punch that this article seeks to explain.
On the left side of the screen you will see a button to increase or decrease the number of windows available to you. Click the plus sign until you have nine screens.
Open a new tab and navigate to LyngSat-Stream, a website dedicated to compiling and maintaining data on publicly-available livestreams, such as news livestreams and other satellite television networks. Once you find the source you’d like to use, click the “Linear Streaming” button. For our example, we will be using Iran’s PressTV (TV: Middle East -> Iran -> PressTV). Once you arrive at the PressTV livestreaming page, hit F12 to bring up the control panel in your browser. Click the “Network” tab, and wait until you see name that ends in .m3u8 (you may need to hover your mouse over the items as the pop up searching for one).
Once you get it (in our case https://live1.presstv.com/live/iranpress/index.m3u8), navigate back to VidGrid and plop that URL into one of the windows. The results should bring you joy. This method isn’t foolproof and there have been issues getting some sites to work. However, it is a useful tool for the open source investigators, and wider sharing of this potential use can only make better.
