Just read that Philo works with the FireTV and also Recast.
Any chance that Channels could do this also?
Nope.
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Why?
It's explained elsewhere. Looked and couldn't find it. I'm sure one of the devs will be along, eventually, to explain it again.
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I've wondered about this type of integration as well. If Recast can combine Philo channels into EPG why can't Channels DVR do the same?
For a couple of reasons:
- We don't ship a top tier streaming box
- We're not Amazon
While we get asked to integrate streaming services all the time, there's practically no examples of any other apps doing this. I love the excitement of everyone, but this just isn't something these streaming services do. They make apps, and they want you to use their apps. Except for certain scenarios like being able to integrate directly into a streaming box, a la the Fire TV integration.
We'd love to be able to do this, and we just might get active to see if any of them would BE interested. But in the end, Channels is small fries compared to the Fire TV and Apple TV TV app.
maddox,
Has anyone from Channels tried reaching out any of the multiple different streaming providers? Yes, Fancy Bits is not Amazon and while no one else is doing this (yet), unless you ask no one is going knock on your door. Streaming TV services, like any paid service, are interested in increasing subscribers and making money. Channels could be another source of subscribers/revenue. Figure this out and you will differentiate your product from your competitors.
BTW, you asked for another example of app doing this - It works oddly enough on FireTV
Can't thank you enough for posting about FitzyTV. What an amazing service that does exactly what I was looking for!
I would love to see Channels offer something similar where you can record your OTA locals + the watch anywhere streams from premium providers.
The 2 reasons you offer are valid, but you didn't mention that Channels is already integrated with a streaming TV service: HDHomerun premium. I started using Channels DVR for that one reason - I cut the cord (satellite) and wanted to see a grid guide and be able to record OTA, and streaming broadcast. I get a notice from Homerun HD that the premium TV service is going away at the end of my billing month. I for one think you might lose some subscribers to the Fancy Bits DVR service if no integration with another streaming TV service is offered to replace HDHomeRun Premium. I will have to decide if it is worth $8 to have the ability to record the local OTA broadcast with one app, and pay for a different app subscription with to record streaming programs in their cloud DVR service.
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+1. I feel the same way. I signed up because of the HD Premium and really enjoy the interface, local recording and advanced features like auto commercial skip. Since HD Premium is no more, I dusted off my HD Prime 3 tuner and signed up for a cable TV package in the interim. This gives me a reason to use Channels DVR as I don't believe I can justify the cost of Channels DVR on just OTA channels. If there was integration with something like Philo and or Pluto I think you can attract a broader audience.
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The unfortunate reality for me is that with the loss of Premium TV I am re-thinking my approach to cord-cutting. I am an avid fan of Channels DVR and have been using the service for over 2 years. The developers are phenomenal in the way that they listen to and respond to their customers and they deserve huge credit for this.
The Premium service spoiled many of us into a single interface which to a degree is a part of the "Holy Grail" of cord-cutting. It was available just long enough to get us hooked on the ease of use of a single app for all (or most) of our TV viewing.
Unfortunately for the Channels team the competition has not sat still over the past years. When I first came to Channels there was not a single point solution that had all of what we we're after - local channels and "cable" channels in a single interface.
However, over the period of time as a Channels user the major services have largely acquired the means to deliver both local and "cable" channels in a large number of viewing areas - mine included.
So, over the coming weeks / months I am in a position where I will be re-assessing what we use in our home. I am very supportive of Channels and consider myself a loyal user. Unfortunately, the ease of use and WAF may just force a change away from the combination of Channels and another app(s) to a single solution such as Hulu, PSVue, or DirecTVNow.
For what it is worth, I'd very much like to stay with Channels but the lack of integration with other "cable" channels may just prevent that. Especially, when I consider the hardware investment - HDHomeruns, a server and disk for storage. An all-in-one approach becomes more appealing. FWIW, I couldn't care less about the ability to move a recording off of my DVR.
@Maddox and @Tmm1 - the market has moved forward, the users have become spoiled, and unfortunately for you the demise of SD's service has put your product in jeopardy. It's not your fault, but market demands shift all of the time. You have to constantly innovate and move your product forward in order to hold onto you base and grow your business. I'm not saying that is easy in anyway, but it is the reality.
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I also don't see integration of other OTT services possible.
I am in a similar position as @johnluber in a way. I too saw Premium TV as the "Holy Grail" for me. It had the few channels on it's lineup that are cable only that we use. I literally was only looking for AMC, SyFy, TBS and Freeform. There were all part of that package.
Now that Premium TV is gone I have had to re-visit my options. I own a Prime from several years ago. However, when Brighthouse was bought out and became Spectrum the new owners put copy protection flags on every channel except the local ones. Prior to that only the Premium channels are like that. I never used Windows Media Center before and didn't like being so stuck to one device without easily watching my recordings around the house, etc. So, since Silicondust isn't making DRM recording possible yet, that isn't a route I can take either.
So, I have been exploring the other OTT options. For my area, Youtube TV actually has me fully covered with both locals and the cable only channels we actually use. It has a lot more useless channels to me, but you can hide those in the guide. The other options are either missing one or two channels I want or are way more expensive than I want to pay.
I am currently still using Channels for OTA recording while I make my final decision, but I also really like having one interface for as much as possible.
Channels really has me hooked on the comskip functions. The auto skip works almost perfectly for me 95% of the time. So, I am sad if I end up leaving that behind.
Anyway, it would be exciting if something else comes along to fill the void but I am not hopeful at this time.
There are some opensource libraries out there for OTT services so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. For example, here's the Kodi plugin for PlutoTV: https://github.com/Lunatixz/KODI_Addons/blob/master/plugin.video.plutotv/resources/lib/plutotv.py
If you want to dust on your hdhomerun I would gladly test remote connecting and watching live tv to write an article