Experimental: TV/Movie deep-links via imported .strmlnk files

If you make a link that opens Netflix, then it will open the Netflix app. It doesn't matter if you're at home or remote.

Right so the url is executed and the rest will depend upon accounts, authentication etc.

Perhaps explained: the rest depends upon the other app. After opening the link, it is out of Channels' control.

This would be awesome for TV shows if you could somehow implement a way to include new episodes from the other sources in Up Next. Having so many options to watch shows from, sometimes I'll forget to check Prime or HBO or whatever for a show I watch. It was easier in the cable tv days where I could include all the networks in their DVR. Now with all the non-cable options, they get lost in the mix, and the AppleTV app hasn't done it for me, though it tries.

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The biggest issue with shows is that we won't be able to know if you've watched them or not. We could be optimistic and just mark the episode as watched if you click the Watch button to be taken to another app...but we wouldn't know if you watched the next one and so on.

So it gets a little messy. A lot of how Channels works is because we know when you've watched things. None of the content brought in via these links would be able to do that. This is why we only did movies first.

We still might do it, again, there's a TON of caveats with this, so it'll be up to you if if it's worth it or not.

As far as NEW episodes popping up, that wouldn't happen. At least not by Channels. These links are all manual and you'd have to add them yourself.

OK. I created a repo that's full of stream links for Netflix and Disney Plus. This should serve as an example of how we can share these things as well as collaborate by adding new ones.

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Don’t you sleep :joy:
it will be interesting how this goes, lots of maintenance. iTunes is ok but Netflix etc change their libraries.

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Yeah it’s not the most reliable for Netflix. Disney Plus is a little more reliable.

Dont we need a scraper to get a periodic dump. Not sure if that is allowed. Prime would be good.

A scraper would be helpful but that will be up to the community. That’s not something we’ll be doing in Channels.

Besides the point of this is for the ability to add a couple things directly in Channels, not have the whole Netflix library in Channels.

Yeah I am not sure how it will develop, perhaps customised by each.
Content fragmented across streaming services is a problem, something which the Apple TV app is trying to address.

Channels>TVE + M3U goes a way to address the live component of fragmentation
Channels>Strmlnk potentially does that for VOD

I haven't had much luck with Netflix and amazon strmlnks opening the movie, the application launches but then I have to manually search for it.

I've tried the nflx:// and aiv:// format suggested in the links at the beginning of this chat, as well as the normal https:// url

Has anyone else had any success?

This is really pretty cool. I like having this as an option and am building up the library. We have Disney+ so that's a great addition for us for our grandkids.

One thing that would help manage this better would be to be able to select the Library or Kids filter on the Recordings screen in the web browse and have it persist over a refresh or pressing the back button.

The use case is this. I've imported the Disney+ links. Some of those are of interest to us (ie; Marvel, Star Wars) but the bulk I want to move to the Kids section. Since they're is no bulk move/edit I need to manually do each one. If the Library or Kids filter was persistent it would save having to reselect that each time I change one and go back to do the next.

Any chance this could be added?

We’re working on making browsing your library a lot better in the web admin, and filtering on visibility is part of it. And it will be retained via the url.

A good way to go through your library to make edits like this is just opening the movies in new tabs and editing them there. Then your list is retained.

For me, I’ll just open a ton of tabs, then go there to edit them and close the tab. Then repeat that as I go through the list of movies to curate them.

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Netflix links seem to work on iOS but not tvOS (just opens the app).

I think apps like ReelGood/JustWatch/WatchAid/Streamio can open Netflix to a specific show though? Anyone here use those apps and can confirm? cc @hrhnick

I no longer have an active subscription to Netflix to test, however I do recall WatchAid opening up directly to the episode. Netflix is still listed as an option when I go to one of the older shows I track there.

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What movie and tv databases are being used ? Thetvdb and tmdb or something else ?

Neither. They are manually generated and linked to third-party apps. The sources are the external apps themselves.

I see thank you.

No I mean if I create a strmlnk file and name it The Dark Knight (2008) and put in an iTunes link to the movie Terminator, I actually see The Dark Knight displayed in my library. Therefore Channels must be scraping the names from a db, assuming the one it scrapes for actual library files.

You know when I imported your entire repo, a couple of them were tv shows and they actually showed up as all seasons and episodes like you would expect for native library files. I didn't make a note of which ones they were but the point is that if tv shows was implemented, Channels isn't just throwing you to the tv show page on the app but you can select (hopefully) the episode which makes it much more useable.

Another thing I ran into was regional content differences, quite a few Netflix items weren't available in my region:> just the caveats

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