BETA: Custom Channels via M3U Playlists

[Mik3]

@ctalbot

How to add PlutoTV

Add Source: select M3U Playlist
Give it a nickname: e.g. PlutoTV
Leave HLS as default stream
Leave Source as URL
Enter this URL: https://techzyon.com/epg/plutotv.m3u

Once the source is added, click on trash icon.
You should see an option "Pick Guide Provider", click on this button.
Under the dropdown where it shows USA, select Custom URL. Enter this URL:
https://techzyon.com/epg/plutotv_guide.xml
Click on save.

The PluoTV channels should now show up in the guide.

This source doesn't seem to work anymore. I keep getting an access denied when trying to browse to it via chrome.

[carterbunch]

If you look at this post you can use this docker image locally to create the playlist you need for channels source.

BETA: Custom Channels via M3U Playlists

OK, as promised, here's a cool little project you can prop up with Docker and get a Channels optimized M3U playlist and EPG for Pluto. This differs from other Pluto M3Us as it utilizes the extended tags we created to let you add richer data and art into the UI allowing for what you see in the screenshots I posted above. https://hub.docker.com/r/jonmaddox/pluto-for-channels All ya gotta do is launch this docker container and it will sit on a port and serve out the M3U and EPG. It updates every …

[Mik3]

@carterbunch

If you look at this post you can use this docker image locally to create the playlist you need for channels source.

OK, as promised, here's a cool little project you can prop up with Docker and get a Channels optimized M3U playlist and EPG for Pluto. This differs from other Pluto M3Us as it utilizes the extended tags we created to let you add richer data and art into the UI allowing for what you see in the screenshots I posted above. https://hub.docker.com/r/jonmaddox/pluto-for-channels All ya gotta do is launch this docker container and it will sit on a port and serve out the M3U and EPG. It updates every …

Working... I've never really used docker. I understand it's it's self contain apps, kind of like a VM for apps.

I assume if I reboot I will have to start this manually?

[carterbunch]

Yes.

[photosmike]

The docker log has this:

mv: can't rename 'playlist.m3u': No such file or directory

mv: can't rename 'epg.xml': No such file or directory

Last ran: Fri Nov 20 15:33:09 UTC 2020

Any thoughts on what is the problem?

Thanks

[johnluber]

Just tried this and it works! But, is there a way to have it scheduled so that we don't have to manually update the guide info? Either in the DVR natively or through an api call? Thanks for all the new features!

[tmm1]

@photosmike

Any thoughts on what is the problem?

There should be more error messages earlier indicating the initial failure.

@johnluber

But, is there a way to have it scheduled so that we don't have to manually update the guide info?

Not yet. You could replicate the API call that happens when you click that button for now, but we plan to continue making improvements in this area.

[Mik3]

@johnluber

@johnluber

But, is there a way to have it scheduled so that we don't have to manually update the guide info?

Not yet. You could replicate the API call that happens when you click that button for now, but we plan to continue making improvements in this area.

Hang on, the guide data isn't auto-refreshed? How do we kick off a API call to do this ?

[tmm1]

Guide data is refreshed every morning. If your M3U/XMLTV requires more often refreshes, there is now a button to do so. In the future, custom refresh intervals will be supported.

[johnluber]

Thanks Aman! It seems like PlutoTV needs to be refreshed more often than that. It looks like I'm getting about 6 hours worth of guide per pull.

[scottuf]

For sources such as Pluto or Stirr, how ofter would we need to reload the m3u, or is it just the guide data that needs frequent reloading? Reason asking is that it would be nice if the channel numbers related better to the numbers in their system. If I see a commercial showing something is on channel 150 I could edit to m3u to have that channel listed as 9150 rather than the current 9041 that it's currently mapped to.

[john9527]

@Mik3

I assume if I reboot I will have to start this manually?

After you've started the container enter
docker update --restart always pluto-for-channels

should automatically start on a reboot

[crackers8199]

what is the api call to click the button (if for example we wanted to set up a cron to do it more often)?

[crackers8199]

also, i'm still using an older version of the docker container because i wanted to keep the pluto channels at 9000. if i update now is it going to change the channel numbers inside the DVR?

[Mik3]

What’s the maximum channels that are allowed to be imported?

I’ve added an m3u and it’s pulling 499 of a lot more channels..

[tmm1]

500 is the max

[tmm1]

@alai

I keep getting a javascript error on the latest prerelease while trying to re-map one of my M3U channels. It shows the error page as soon as I type anything in the "Filter..." field.

What guide data source is set at the top?

@AeroR1

can you also do that for local guide data xml files?

In v2020.11.20.2123 you can enter a file path for xmltv file instead of a URL.

@johnluber

But, is there a way to have it scheduled so that we don't have to manually update the guide info?

This is available in v2020.11.20.2123:

There is also a new option to refresh the M3U url/file daily.

[johnluber]

Awesome! Thanks for doing this so quick!

[Fofer]

I love this new feature so much and am exploring lots of additional content, mostly from Pluto.tv. Thanks again, Channels developer team.

I'd appreciate an explanation for the "stream limit" setting (under options?) I see we can choose from "no limit" or any number from 1 to 8. What is this for? This makes me wonder, does Pluto (or any of the other content providers we might add this way) have a stream limit per user or household? Do streams get cut off if (for example) we're watching different Pluto content on multiple devices while also recording a Pluto channel on Channels DVR? How does this work, exactly?

[Chief]

Thanks for the option to set a update time period on the guide data, I really appreciate it. I understand this is pre-release, but I noticed I had to re-add the guide data link to have access to that setting, would be nice to have that editable without having to re-add. Not a huge deal, as we'll likely only set this once, but might make it easier in case someone finds the need to adjust it later.

You guys are the most prolific and attentive developers I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with, thanks for all you do! You've enabled us to put together one hell of an outstanding entertainment system!

Chief