Since the loss of Locast I am trying to record and/or import CBS Sunday Mornings and Sixty Minutes.
I subscribed to Paramount Plus. And I see the example, but I could not find where to add it to my server. The TV and Movie sources what folder locations. Is there some other tool that will put the shows I want into a folder?
I have read the Import Content which is very unclear.
If I wanted to import seventh_heaven, which I don't where would I add the link?
I see a lot of hash tags. Do I add the same hash tag for all shows?
Where do I find the correct format for different show? Some use Seventh_Heaven, some use Seventh-Heaven some use some sources want seventh_heaven/s01e06. (I really guessing on what they want)
Is there a link or site that explains this?
Any and all help is appreciated.
Paramount plus isn’t compatible with TVE I do t think so you can’t add it there. Unless they give you a way to download the shows in a standard unprotected format (which is unlikely), I doubt you can do it directly via paramount plus. If it’s compatible with PlayOn that would be a supported solution.
The OP was asking about Stream Links, not TVE.
To the OP: you may want to search for online tools to generate your stream link, as P+ doesn't seem to mention a direct reference to deep-linking on their support site.
This generator works with paramount+ urls:
It may be complicated to use.
You can also create a stream link ls manually by making a text file with notepad and then renaming it with a strmlnk extension.
@Macnbaish, @racameron, @tmm1
Thank you all for replying.
While I like many things about GetChannels, I think it is miss leading and deceptive to claim that Paramount Plus as will as other sources works with GC and show very limited examples, which themselves don't work.
They show an example of how to record Seventh Heaven but I without an explaination of how to use it or how the has tag was generated.
@tmm1, thank you, but if I need stmknk-generator, why doesn't GC use our subscription fees to pay for someone to write a tutorial on how to use it. Better yet why don't they incorporate SG into GC.
It is a shame when greed causes something that could be great to be much less.
@kovachjk, I am confused, are you asking how to create Stream Links? It seems like you may have read the guide, but I am unsure based on your commentary. Just in case:
Just to be very clear, you are not "recording" these programs, you are linking to their online location on Paramount+. You will see them as normal in the Channels interface, but when you click to play them they will open that service's app, not play in the Channels interface. If you want a local recording of them and want to stay in the Channels interface, you'd need to use something like the PlayOn integration:
There are a lot of topics on the board here about creating Stream Links, but the basics of it is to start to play an item, pause, copy the link, paste link in file, save the file with the correct suffix, and put the file in the correct director structure. As an example, you'll end up with something like this:
And in the interface:
@babsonnexus
Thank you for the generous explaination.
I can understand, that with all the options available with GetChannels(GC) I might be asking for the wrong thing. As stated in my first post, I think I want to record, but what I really want is to have access to a program like Sixty Minutes and or Evil which plays on CBS(Paramount Plus) and have the ability to skip adds. Skipping adds is my goal. If I cannot do that with these programs or others, then I might as well watch them on their own site.
I also have a trouble report in with Playon, because of the programs inability to record any shows from the CBS site.
Because of that and the fact that the CG site allude to the fact that they have stream links for Paramount Plus, so I tried to use their example without success. While there are many pages of what GC can do I cannot find much of "how" to do. I could not even find where to enter the Paramount Plus example they show.
It only thing that is obvious to me is that if I can get PlayOn to record into a folder on my server, I can import that folder into GC.
So, to be clear, is the only way to watch content from Paramount Plus and/or CBS is to link directly to a stream and watch the program directly without the ability to pause or FF?
If that is the case I will continue to work with PlayOn and then import its recordings.
Thank you for your reply.
Channels itself cannot record from Paramount Plus. If you use stream links to add a program from Paramount Plus to the Library in Channels, selecting the entry will take to the Paramount Plus app. Channels has no control over the experience after that point; you are now interacting with Paramount Plus.
PlayOn is a service that Channels can integrate with. I do not use it, so I do not know if they support Paramount Plus. If they do, you can use Channels' support for PlayOn to bring the Paramount Plus content into Channels, including running its commercial detection on the imported content.
If you do not wish to investigate the PlayOn route, then I agree with your assessment: you are probably better off watching the content in the Paramount Plus app.
(Personally, I find the stream link route too cumbersome to bother with. Channels is for my TV, and the streaming apps are for their own respective content. Since Channels cannot handle streaming on-demand content, why bother cluttering my Channels library with stuff Channels can't play/use. Again, that's just my opinion.)
I agree, I will continue with Playon where the only negative is the fact that recordings can be delayed as much as 1 day.
Thanks for your help.
Or buy an HDHomeRun tuner, put up an antenna, and receive the broadcast from your local CBS affiliate.
I think I understand a bit more. You have the "Limited Commercial" tier of Paramount+, yes? So one option is going to involve going to the add-free tier to make sure you do have ads. I'm not familiar with Paramount+'s interface and functions, but when you launch a Stream Link from Channels it goes into that interface/app, so you are limited by whatever that interface/app can do. Not sure if Paramount+ has limitations on FF, but if it does, your experience would be no different.
Since it sounds like you already have PlayOn, I think it would be worth your time to try the integration into Channels. I don't have it myself, but have read a lot of great stuff from those who do. The most important part is that it can be automated so it will just be like the programs show up instead of going to multiple places.
Unlike @racameron, I love Stream Links and having everything in one place. To me, it is a far superior method to manage a large library scattered across several services, especially with the upcoming Collections features. Yes, it certainly could use some additional features, not the least of which is to remove the need to be so manual, but it is best in class for sure. Either way, that's one of the great part of Channels; we can all customize to our particular situations and tastes!
It sounds like you’re more upset about not understanding the technology than anything. Streamlines works fantastic. You just have to be able to understand it.
Same problem here. From what I can see channels DVR simply does not provide DVR functionality for Paramount Plus. Paramount Plus does not provide DVR functionality either: I cannot pause live TV and then skip forward as desired and live TV includes ads even with the ad free subscription. It appears to me to simply not work. There is absolutely no point to going to ParamountPlus to find out a URL, entering it in channels, then using channels to open the ParamountPlus website; just go directly to ParamountPlus and avoid all of the hassles and live with the limitations of ParamountPlus live TV.
Do not tell me to get live CBS OTA or via my TV provider, neither exists at my location.
OT but can I do anything to improve the UI for Sling using channels DVR? Sling DVR with ad skipping usually does not allow skipping the ads or even pausing the ads in spite of their claims to the contrary. However, I don't see any Sling (or other streaming only service) interface in Channels DVR other than the apparently very limited value stream link.
I use Playon Cloud to record from Paramount Plus. And you can add Playon Cloud as a ChannelsDVR source.
Can it pause, delay, skip forward on LiveTV from ParamountPlus?
No. Paramount+ is a separate app.
Unfortunately, there are some shows that CBS will only allow you to view via their Paramount Plus app and they don't air on their local antenna station or via their cable channel.
AMC is another example of this. They have some shows only available via their app. I think it really sucks some of these networks do this. It's their way of getting as much money from us as possible.
The same thing with Peacock ... Good thing we get it free with XFINITY.
Yes, another good example. We also get the Ad supported version of Peacock free with Spectrum. I did however upgrade to the commercial free version since they give a discount and it's the full price minus what the Ad inserted version would be.