Advice for (soon to be former) TiVo user

mjliebowitz · April 3, 2026, 7:55pm

I was able to get CNBC and NBC working through Prism. Can't quite figure out the local ABC channel in my area (Eyewitness News Live Streaming Video - ABC7 New York) but I will keep working on it. I can see via VNC that it brings up the web page but maybe there's too many ads that pop up on the webpage or something.

The CNBC stream looks better than the TVPass M3U version, though not quite as good as the native Verizon broadcast on the TiVo. But it's progress at least.

I posted on the other thread to see if I can get the Verizon website streaming to work. It is only a single URL for every channel though so that might complicate things but I'm learning and will see if I can work around that plus the developer options error I keep getting.

Thanks again. Keep any and all former TiVo tips coming!

jator · April 3, 2026, 10:27pm

Be aware, NBC requires 're-login' after about 4 hours when trying to use NBC.com as the source (that includes Bravo, NBC Sports Local channels, etc). Very frustrating, nothing Prismcast can do to fix that since it's NBC that's driving that.

GTFan · April 4, 2026, 12:16am

I haven't seen that and I use NBC via multiple sources. I have to reauthenticate every few months and that's about it.

GTFan · April 4, 2026, 12:18am

An HD Homerun that handles 3.0 DRM with an HDMI encoder will be a rock solid solution, yeah it requires extra hardware but these encoders have been used for years now by many of us. Totally reliable, I just mentioned that it was a kludge because you have to buy extra hardware.

Kryptonyte · April 4, 2026, 5:03pm

I had a 4 port Uray HDMI encoder that I bought back in 2021 that hasn't been in use for a year or two now, so I broke that thing back out, ordered up (4) of the most powerful Roku sticks I could find, and started using this exceptional Channels DVR / Roku Bridge for YoutubeTV and DirecTV subscribers (this is a native Windows application):

github.com

nuken/Roku-Bridge-Windows/blob/main/GUIDE.md

# Roku Bridge (Windows Edition) - User Guide

## Table of Contents
* [1. Preparing Your Roku Device](#1-preparing-your-roku-device)
* [2. Installing the Application](#2-installing-the-application)
* [3. Configuring Tuners and Channels](#3-configuring-tuners-and-channels)
* [4. Connecting to Channels DVR](#4-connecting-to-channels-dvr)
* [5. Partial YTTV Channels with Gracenotes IDs and Deeplinks](#5-partial-yttv-channels-with-gracenotes-ids-and-deeplinks)
* [6. Partial DirecTv Channels with Gracenotes IDs and Deeplinks](#6-partial-directv-channels-with-gracenotes-ids-and-deeplinks)

---

## 1. Preparing Your Roku Device

Before the bridge can automate your channel surfing, your Roku must be configured to accept network commands.

* **Find Your Roku's IP Address:** On your Roku remote, press the **Home** button, then navigate to **Settings > Network > About**. Note the IP Address.
* **Enable Control by Mobile Apps:** This is critical. On your Roku, navigate to **Settings > System > Advanced system settings > Control by mobile apps** and ensure "Network access" is set to **Default** or **Permissive**.

## 2. Installing the Application

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It's been flawless for 2 weeks, set it and forget it. In fact, it has become my most reliable Channels DVR source (far more reliable than active TVE channels), and I have full access to every_single_channel I subscribe to. The only thing I miss once in a while is being able to flip closed captions on and off. That 4 port Uray encoder was expensive, I think there are much cheaper ways to do the same thing these days. The longest part of getting this configured was just getting the Roku's prepared and all the other software on the Roku uninstalled to get them moving as fast as they can.

Pokemon_Dad · April 4, 2026, 5:25pm

We've replaced TiVo and cable with OTA on Channesl DVR plus an under $40/mo DirecTV MyNews "genre pack", which includes cable news, all our major locals, and a bunch of FAST channels. Included locals vary by region, but regardless that genre pack is a very good deal.

I haven't used TVE in years, because I don't want to be running to support my wife every time there's a login error, or a channel drops off, or something. Fast-forwarding through commercials on the DirecTV cloud DVR is almost TiVo-like, and the nine-month storage limit is just fine for news shows.

mackid1993 · April 5, 2026, 6:02pm

I've had a lot of luck with the various HDMI encoder solutions.
Picture quality tends to be excellent with the right encoder, particularly a LinkPi, and it's pretty easy to set up the helper applications in Docker, whether it be ADBTuner or ah4c.

system · May 5, 2026, 6:02pm

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