Pluto commercials replaced after updating ChannelsDVR

Playground Custom Channels
#1

I'm not sure what version this started, but Pluto commercials have been replaced with circles flying out of the center of the screen. I hate commercial, but these are worse than commercials.

I'm running the latest Pluto Docker, and the latest beta DVR on a Win10 computer. The Channels DVR web player, and the Android client do not play commercials, but I know the commercials are there because I see them when I play them in VLC from the links located in the Pluto Docker m3u.

I also saw them when I connect to a linux server running ChannelDVR version 2022.10.03.2116, but after updating to the latest version they no longer show.

#2

Interesting.
So if you use the playlist m3u from the Pluto for Channels docker in VLC it plays the commercials instead of the Pluto circles?

#3

I run my own customized version of the Pluto generator code, and I see the same thing starting maybe a couple of weeks ago with no change to the generator code I'm running. Unlike the OP, I prefer the dead air over the mindless commercials. Especially since the political parties have started buying commercial time on the streaming services (Philo for example).

2 Likes
#4

So it sounds like Channels DVR now (changed in some prerelease) processes the playlist different than VLC does.

#5

Nothing changed on our end. Probably when we connect to Pluto it sees Chrome user-agent and serves ads. When VLC connects it sees an unrecognized user-agent and doesn't send ads.

#6

Can't speak about VLC.....but my setup is Linux/Chromium.....no ads.

#7

That is correct! VLC plays commercials using the links generated from the Pluto Docker, and if I use the link in VLC that is generated when clicking on VLC from the Channels web player it plays the Pluto circles.

1 Like
#8

If nothing changed then why did my Linux Channels server change to Pluto Circles after I update from ChannelsDVR 2022.10.03.2116

#9

Pluto made some change a few weeks ago. And updating ChannelsDVR would have no effect on your VLC connecting to the docker, because the docker is completely separate from the DVR.

#10

There seems to be a little confusion here. I was using VLC as a tool to identify where the Pluto circles are coming from. It appears to be channels related since VLC plays the docker links without displaying the circles, and Channels displays circles in the web player when using these same links, and this started happening after updating channelsDVR

1 Like
#11

I think he explained why

#12

Okay, I misunderstood what you said earlier.

#13

You're correct there was an issue introduced in the October release.

#14

Should be fixed now.

#15

Can you add the 'broken' behavior as an option? As I said, I prefer the 'dead air' and not be forced to see the same annoying commercials over and over.

1 Like
#16

thanks for fixing it.
We don't want to mess with Pluto
Keep in mind this behavior would also affect FRNDLY TV.
We want to make sure we don't break their revenue stream.
The ad insertion on pluto looks beautiful on the app.