On to 2023, what are you missing in Channels?

I would like the ability to:

  1. Automatically sync channels that were hidden on the server to all devices or add it in the client settings in case some people don't like that. I have 9 sources and when I go through and hide a lot of channels from Pluto, Samsung TV, Stirr, etc I have to manually sync those sources on all TVs/devices. A "sync all sources" button in the source settings on the device would be nice as well.

  2. Filter guide to a specific source on the app (similiar to the web version).

  3. Option to sort web guide in alphabetical order like on the app.

There are a ton of apps for this. My wish list is to not have to leave channels and go to another app.

  • Use crowdsourced data (maybe just from other Channels users) to show what's popular per time period (now/day/week/etc)
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Skip Intro

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I'd love a client-side setting to disable the display of channel numbers in the guide. In my use cases it would clean up the interface in a significant way.

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Upcoming episodes via My Passes is something I'd love to see.

As well as linking to Upcoming Airings when I'm watching something interesting...

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Ability to change the system color
Ability to "stack" channel collections. For instance, I put my channels into categories. It would be nice if I'm scrolling through, for it to go down the list (i.e, Group A, Group B, Group C) in sequence. Choosing from the sidebar would let you "jump" to the start of that category.

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I hate to bring it up, but Roku support is a big miss. The modern Roku can certainly handle it.

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Here's my wishlist of features: that I'd love to see added to Channels DVR

  1. User Profiles
  2. Native Multiview in Channels up to 2x2
  3. Pad filler for Virtual Channels - In DizqueTV, you can have a separate source of content (retro commericials, gag commerrcials, music videos, etc) be used as pad filler to fill the gaps and align your virtual channel content to time boundaries.
  4. Move channels 6700-7000 to it's own source. If you never change TVE video source, it's not a problem, but the more you change sources, the bigger the pain it becomes.
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I would agree that the ability to renumber channels natively a nice option in addition to the collections for when looking through channels not part of a collection.

Also a nicer interface to add channels into a collection would be nice as well (maybe not drop down to pick channels manually especially when trying to add multiple channels into a group) Don’t get wrong I really enjoy the collections options but when I have to build a new collection of specific channels for a someone or rebuild a collection the current way is time consuming

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Would be great to figure out a way to change channels in portrait mode on iOS when you are viewing live TV and not activate the app switcher! That little tiny space at the bottom of the screen is really hard to get right!

I have tried out Plex as well and still find that Channels to be superior in most every way and it will be my go to. I will agree with all those who would like the option of choosing a different color pallet.

If there is one thing that I feel is better in Plex than in Channels it would have to be the metadata that is pulled in for recordings and imports. I do like the format in Plex that is like many streaming devices where the actors for the program are listed and you can link to their Bio's and the other items they are linked to in your local library.

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Sorry, I keep piling on. Lol.

How about integration with tvOS live TV, 100%?

Example - if I choose to react to a “game start” or “close game” notification, I would love to open it in channels.

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This stuff isn’t an option. This is all partner only stuff from Apple and their major partners like ESPN. Third party developers can’t just be a part of this.

This goes for universal search, the TV app and every other system wide content thing.

We would have done this by now if we could.

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Two Android-specific things I'd like to see:

  1. Downloads for offline playback (like iOS app)
  2. TailScale integration (like the beta iOS app - I know the standalone client will work but right now Android doesn't recognize the correct stream profile (it's always "Home"))

These two things would make my life easier with the kiddo's devices :slight_smile:

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Apple is becoming more and more "the annoying part of Apple" every day.

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Google and Amazon have the same limitations for their live TV and up next/continue watching integrations: they also only allow partner/whitelisted apps to fully integrate.

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Client-side rules for auto-downloading and auto-managing a subset of local content (onto an iPad, for example) would be great too. I’m thinking that would be great for travel, commutes on the train, and so much more.

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For me, User profiles to track watch progress between users and the ability to encode downloads for offline viewing into smaller sizes for mobile devices are two huge features that keep me from wanting to completely pull the plug from Plex.

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My wish is a setting per show to record all episodes - including what the guide data lists as a repeat. My use case is: Denver OTA splits CBS’s Face the Nation some Sundays. The first 30 minutes airs Sunday morning. The second 30 minutes airs early the following Monday morning. I have to manually schedule the second 30 minute show, but this requested option would guarantee all parts would record.