Channels DVR as PLEX tuner

I always have preferred separating OTA and Cable. On my Cable lineup I do not have the Broadcast Channels enabled.

Yes this fixed the new Problem also adding the year to the Series folders.

Ok, just looked at my Plex server and noticed since I have xmltv as guide I can’t add a regular guide on my had homerun tuner. Guess I have to delete and start over to get set up again. We’re you able to get the tve channels from different time zones to match up in the guide?

I am working on TVE now...

If anybody cares this is how I run multiple instances of XTEVE on windows ... add to task scheduler to run at startup.

XTEVE32768.bat
START /B /HIGH /W C:\XTEVE\xteve.exe -config=C:\XTEVE\Config -port="32768"

XTEVE32769.bat
START /B /HIGH /W C:\XTEVE\xteve.exe -config=C:\XTEVE\Config2 -port="32769"

Is there a way to get the xmltv file from channels and play with it then save it again so that I can figure out the new episode issue I am having with plex and Jellyfin? if I did save it where does it save to so that I can use it?

You have several options .

  1. Plex is not going to change what they require Jellyfin should as EMBY already fixed this.
  2. Post exactly what plex is looking for and maybe someone can write a script to manipulate the Channels DVR XML.
  3. Post what Plex looks for and maybe the Channels DVR support staff can make a change in the generated XML.

Yeah that’s why I was hoping to figure out how to get a look at the actual xmltv file so I could see what being sent when I try to google search to see what Plex or jellyfin requires I can’t find anything so far, thought if I could figure out how to see the file I could start to learn a bit more

You get the file the same way the programs do, via the same URL. Put it in a browser and save the file.

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Ok didn’t think to try to save the file once putting in browser. Thank you

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This is a bit off-topic, but if Channels had VOD for TVE (without the ability to record of course for legal reasons), this would solve the OP's situation. Not sure if it's doable though. I know people have brought up VOD here in the forums before with no luck. But maybe the solution here isn't to fix Plex, but to improve Channels. Because Plex's Live TV channels already work great here in Channels and TVE has a lot of great VOD content.
Just a thought.

Right.

Channels DVR does Live TV great, but it's miles behind Plex in terms of a cohesive Media Server app. The interface and WebUI, plus ability to share content libraries with family and other devices simply by having them sign in with an account are some of the main reasons Plex is so popular.

Not to mention there are tons of different "clients" that people use to watch this stuff. I have a Roku TV in my bedroom, an Amazon Fire Stick in my guest room, and a 4k Apple TV in my living room. Channels only reliably works on one of those devices. Plex works on all of them. Channels also doesn't really have a way to organize any of the recordings. Anything I record in Channels DVR ends up in random folders under a completely separate naming scheme than my other content.

Bringing all of my Live TV into Plex just makes more sense for me (and a lot of other people), despite the issues Plex has and it's disappointing that there's not an easier and more reliable way to do this without running multiple pieces of emulation software.

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Integration with Plex via xTeVe looking good for me too so far. Is there any way to get the Plex guide to match to the Channels DVR playlist with HD channel numbers? Most of my channels are matching as SD, which isn't a huge deal, but it would be more convenient if they matched as HD without having to re-match each channel manually.

You would have to use the Plex Guide as the XMLTV from Channels does not contain HD tag among others.

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I set Plex as the guide date source in xTeve, but that's leading to most channels being matched as SD rather than HD -- which makes for a very untidy guide. :frowning:

I'm wondering if it's possible to edit the m3u from Channels in a way that would lead to more correct matches. Plex does not seem to be using "tvg-name" from the m3u, but rather the call sign? Are you re-matching your channels to the guide by hand -- or just leaving them as-is?

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I do not have that problem this is what I did ...I setup XTEVE to XEPG but still used the Plex guide data .... In XTEVE I used the M3U and XMLTV from Channels DVR I then mapped the Channels in XTEVE to the correct Channels. I then used XTEVE as a source but used the PLEX Guide data. I then made sure I backed up XTEVE as that took a little time.
They automap in Plex.

Perfect. I didn't realize Channels could generate an XMLTV file. That should do the trick. Thanks for the help.

A couple of notes on my experience with Xfinity and DirecTV, when using xTeVe to make a Channels DVR lineup available in Plex. I found it a bit tricky to get Plex guide data to match to the proper HD channel, and consequently match the channel numbers from the original TV source.

I used the @Edwin_Perez method from a couple of posts previous, of setting an XMLTV source in xTeVe to allow for channel matching -- but then allowing Plex to use its own guide data when setting up the Plex DVR. This seems to work well, and provides mostly correct "call signs" for guide matching in Plex.

xTeve Xfinity setup:

M3U file URL (typical): http://localhost:8089/devices/TVE-Comcast_SSO/channels.m3u
XMLTV file URL (typical): http://localhost:8089/devices/TVE-Comcast_SSO/guide/xmltv?duration=86400

When mapping channels in xTeve, you'll want to change the Channel Name to match "call sign" shown in parens after matching the channel to the XMLTV guide data, like so:

In the above example, the Channel Name was originally TBS. Using this method, you'll get a very high hit rate in Plex when setting up your DVR. Networks with east and west coast feeds can still be problematic (like TBSHD and TBSHDP), as providers often only broadcast one of the two, though both may be available through TVE. Try passing both through to Plex, but if you have mismatches it's best to stop setting up the Plex DVR and correct them in xTeVe (be sure to save your changes). Eliminating whichever of the two you don't get through your set-top box is usually the best approach.

The end result should look something like this:

xTeVe DirecTV setup:

M3U file URL (typical): http://localhost:8089/devices/TVE-DTV/channels.m3u
XMLTV file URL (typical): http://localhost:8089/devices/TVE-DTV/guide/xmltv?duration=86400

Same drill as above with editing the channel name, after matching the guide data:

And, the same strong channel matching:

Fewer issues with east and west feeds on DirecTV, but there were still a couple. Also a few of these channels had call signs that ended in STR (which I imagine stands for stream), but changing the STR to HD fixed the matching.

If you want to minimize your time to make this all happen, I'd recommend only matching channels you'd ever watch in xTeVe (e.g. your "Favorites") -- those channels matched in xTeVe are the only ones that'll then show up when you're setting up your Plex DVR. Keeps things simpler, and reduces the time for EPG data to download in Plex.

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Great Writeup for TVE. I have favorites on TVE and Pluto like you suggest.

I'm trying to get this setup, but my guide data is not matching up at all, and it's going to be a nightmare to sort out manually.

I want to do what this article shows, but it's literally is not an option on my Plex install.

I already spent an hour mapping everything in xTeVe. Plex still insists on using it's own guide, and instead of matching the station names, it's trying to match the channel numbers.

How do I get back the ability to use the XMLTV file in Plex?

You did not map the Channels in XTEVE .. .. see my post you have to also change the default channel numbers on the left to the correct ones.

Channels DVR as PLEX tuner - Channels DVR / Feature Requests - Channels Community (getchannels.com)

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