Plex is thinking about doing away with LifeTime Passes as it is not making much new money.
Plex Job Losses – Should You Be Worried? THE END OF LIFETIME PLEX PASS? – NAS Compares
So Plex offers over 400 Plex channels in addition to my local tuner channels including Fox, AMC, History, A&E, etc. Channels does not offer 1/10 the Plex channels through TVE. These Plex channels are included with their subscription or lifetime. Consequently, if I figure in my subscription fees to Philo and/or FUBO etc the price difference is significant in excess of $100.00 per month. So I have access to approximately 60 channels using Channels for around $120/month. Plex give me access to over 500 channels for the cost of a lifetime subscription which I purchased for less than $100 one time.
Well if you feel that way do not use Channels DVR ... Channels DVR concentrates on it's DVR Service which is outstanding compared to PLEX ... Stop comparing a full fledge DVR to A full Fledge media provider. Plex DVR sucks. The DVR Part is what I choose to pay for + Support.
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When I set up Plex it asks for your the streaming services one subscribes to and while not as complete as Channels it integrates some of my paid content into their guide including Fox, A&E, Dove, Grit etc.
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Currently, that is my plan once my year of Channels ends. Promoting Channels as the end all be all is just disingenuous. Plex has their issues too but in value for the money Channels cannot hold a candle to Plex. I enjoy Channels but ultimately I’m looking for an all in one solution so I don’t have to switch between programs to do things. Plex is currently adding content providers to their lineup. Not sure how it all ends but at this time Plex is moving up. Channels future is undecided in my opinion. It’s small and I believe they will be under increasing pressure to compete in a big money market. They just don’t have the resources to mount any pressure to the bigger operations. Another point is Channels is not for your average consumer. There are many parts and pieces necessary to set it up and make it work. Your average computer illiterate will have much difficulty. Without good support extremely difficult.
As a Lifetime Plex Pass holder, that is not my experience at all. For instance:
But this...
Those aren't TVE stations; those are FAST stations, like Pluto. And you can get those in Channels. I have them right now, and it means I've mixed together stations from my HDHR, TVE, Plex, Pluto, YouTube Streams, and others all in one place! I think you need to do some additional exploration of what Channels has to offer:
Reading what you've written makes me think we're using two completely different products. I mean, if Plex does what you want and you are happy with it, good for you. But for me, it is not even close. Just the other day, I discovered that Plex had taken over 65gb(!!!) of space for no good reason at all, and I had to dig deep into the settings to find out why and how to reverse it.
As a person who wants a completely simplified visual media experience, I can sum up Plex in one word: disjointed. Channels has made it possible to do almost everything I want to do, things I spent the better part of a decade trying to cobble together myself. But if you do not use or see value in those unique features (like Custom Channels and Channel Collections I highlighted above), then it is probably best for you to move on.
I have gotten nothing but no support, or been told, thats just how it is... when i have tried to bring up issues i have had with Plex on their forms or via email support. Some are minor things, but others are full on useability issues, crashes, and just clear bugs. Only get crickets from them.
Channels DVR, great support, great responses by devs. Not every interaction is 5 stars, but gotten many issues fixed same day here. They care about their users.
I still use Plex as my local media server, moved over from Emby, since the devs of Emby don't care about Apple TV ecosystem much, and mainly focus on Android and PC. But, i use Infuse app as my player, cause it just is superior.
YUP! I recently dumped in a bunch of channels Pluto, Plex, Samsung, and a couple Streamlink into Channels. My mother freaking LOVES certain channels that marathon her fav shows etc. I love certain channels to. Very cool that i can just integrate them into Channels and record them (except the Streamlink ones since that opens outside app).
The part agree with is that in order to get the most out of Channels DVR it requires technical Skills. The fault that I see in Channels DVR is that it requires too much manual intervention.
Anyone that thinks a "lifetime subscription" is a good business model is kidding themselves. A lifetime subscription is really a pyramid scheme. If everyone bought a lifetime subscription, they'd have a finite time of support money and then that would be the end. I'm always amazed at how so few seem to understand this. It's not self-sustaining. If your concern is the long term viability of the company, you'd want to pay them for their support. They're already cutting jobs, which means they'll be cutting support and development.
I've used Plex, I've paid for Plex. Plex is the definition of "feature creep". They do a lot of things, none of them well. My everlasting memory of Plex was how cumbersome it was and then it would break and I'd have to spend hours figuring out what needed done to fix it. That's never happened with Channels for me.
Channels is by far the best app in this category... if the category is a Live TV / DVR app with enough media support that I don't even need to bother with Kodi anymore. Nothing comes close. Then add in things like TVE, Pluto integration, other provider integration, commercial skip and virtual channels. The latter which is an unbelievable feature that's almost worth the monthly cost alone.
This entire category is in flux right now but I hope I can continue to utilize Channels as I'm currently doing for many years to come.
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Well I do love Channels interface but my experience has been filled with disappointment. My email requests for support have gone unanswered for the most part and the only reason I was forced to find this group. And while things are looking up currently, I was forced to endure a gauntlet of hateful comments and rudeness. Do you think most consumers would do that? As for Plex, maybe I was lucky but it installed and has operated flawlessly from day one. Now 7-8 years later, I haven’t had to even attempted to ask for support. Plex user base is massive and if issues arise there are volumes of information at your fingertips. Finding solutions for Channels is difficult and this community is about it.
You got me intrigued with this statement because when I looked a while back, this was not the case. So I gave it another look and I didn't see any references to TVE in PLEX.
I have a PLEX Lifetime Pass and was never able to use the DVR functionality because OTA is not possible at my location. After reading your comment above, I got a little bit of excitement/hope so I tried to set up the DVR in PLEX again and it was only looking for an HDHomerun device, that's it, no TVE.
What is very hilarious is that Channels DVR is able to record PLEX Live TV channels and PLEX itself doesn't offer this feature! 
I’m glad your experience with Channels has been positive. Mine not so much. Most of my issues have been resolved by myself with much effort that was unnecessary if I could have had my relatively simple questions answered through their support system. Instead, I was forced by necessity to dig them out on my own. Most average individuals would not do this. So as for the future for Channels much of that depends on their ability to simplify the installation and operation of their products. With the very limited support available from them most will not attempt it. If you’re extremely computer savvy no problem but even the stuff some of you are doing most have no clue. It will be interesting in the future. But I think if they want to crack into mainstream they must offer some semblance of support
Well Channels DVR appears to be written by GEEKS what do you expect?
Just having fun but then again .....
I can DVR easily through Plex. Same as Channels. Plex seemlessly recognized my HD Homerun tuner and all associated networks. I’ve had Plex up and running way before I bought the HD Homerun. I bought the HD Homerun when I bought Channels. Plex picked it up without any intervention on my part. I get a complete guide along with IMDb integration and movie reviews. So the two (Plex and Channels) function similarly. I’ll have to get in front of Plex but there is a place in settings that allows you to add other streaming services to the guide using check boxes.
Lets sum up your "Support experience" here on the Community Forms.
You did not post much of anything close to enough to allow users here or devs, to help you.
All we see is "Lost all TVE channels" and a bunch more vague posts.
We asked you multiple times to check and post the logs and see what they said and to explain in more detail.
But, you were to busy to reply with that necessary info for some time.
Once posted your logs, we pointed out the issues.
You confirmed that you had McAfee installed on the server, and refused to accept the suggestion to remove it.
Then you left for a trip.
Now you come back, and just trash Channels and the support your received, instead of actually trying to fix the issues or even reporting on the status of them, or if you have done any of the steps we have directed.
The dev did post very good info, perhaps you missed it.??
Clearly, you have given up on Channels and it is not for you. Any further discussion is pointless and has devolved into Plex vs Channels thread.
As to why your emails were not answered, only the devs can look that up and comment on that.
Yes they did 5-6 days after the issue and after multiple emails to them that remain unanswered. I answered every question posed but then I wasn’t able to post anymore because of limited number of allowed posts. So I open another thread so I could answer got bashed for that too. I was subjected to unnecessary insults (which have conveniently been removed).
Yes I had to leave on vacation and answered questions upon return. So I’m not sure what muster I failed to necessitate the BS I was subjected to. If this is the Channels experience then I’m out.
What does the monthly subscription to Channels include? Support at a minimum. But if this group is now the face of Channels then they are doomed to failure.
Some of you think that doesn’t matter but it certainly does. So I’m just posting my thoughts and looks like it struck a nerve which means I’m right over target.
That's interesting. Does PLEX also give you the capability to record them? If not, it's no use for me.
By the way, I am not trashing PLEX, I like it for music and photo management, which Channels has said they will never do.
It's just the DVR part that I find very lacking compared to Channels DVR.
It's like everything in life when you have different options: each has its pros and cons.
Yes I can DVR on Plex
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You mentioned you can DVR OTA channels but my question was specific to streaming channels. That's my main interest. 