hiTV: AI-Powered Movie Streaming Platform

hiTV is a feature-rich movie-streaming web platform that seamlessly combines a robust ASP.NET MVC architecture with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. It delivers lightning-fast page loads, intuitive navigation, and an intelligent search assistant that understands natural language queries to recommend the perfect movie.

Features

• AI-Powered Search: Ask the built-in Gemini AI assistant to find movies based on plot, themes, or mood (e.g., "Show me sci-fi heist films").
• Robust MVC Architecture: Built on ASP.NET MVC, providing a clear separation of concerns, fast content delivery, and scalable performance.
• Personalized Experience: Features user authentication, customizable profiles, watch history tracking, and curated recommendations.
• Dynamic Content Categorization: Easily browse movies by genre, trending status, and featured lists.
• Responsive Design: A sleek, Sakura-inspired interface that works seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices.

Project Structure

• src/hiTV.Web/: The primary ASP.NET MVC web application.
• src/hiTV.AIService/: The Python Flask microservice that interfaces with Google's Gemini AI to power the intelligent search features.
• database/: Contains the SQL scripts for setting up the database schema and initial data.
• data/: Contains static assets and raw movie data files.
• Documentation/: Detailed architectural and system design documentation.

Prerequisites

• Web Application: .NET Framework 4.8.1, IIS (or IIS Express), SQL Server.
• AI Service: Python 3.12+, uv package manager.

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

2. Configure Environment Variables Copy .env.example to .env in the root folder and add your Google Gemini API key:

   cp .env.example .env

3. Start the AI Service You can run the AI service using the provided Makefile:

   make run-ai-service

   Or manually using uv:

   cd src/hiTV.AIService
   uv run main.py

4. Start the Web Application Open src/hiTV.sln in Visual Studio, restore NuGet packages, configure your database connection string in Web.config, and run the project (F5).

Documentation

For a detailed technical overview of the system design and controllers, please see the Architecture Documentation.