Record On demand via TVE

I love the channels DVR and live guide. I also use Playon DVR to record shows. It works using my TVE login to record on demand video(not live stream video) from HBO GO, Disney+, xFinity, etc.

I can see from a couple of recordings it opens a browser, navigates to the correct site, logs in, finds the video plays the video and captures the window. I think channels works in a similar fashion.

It would be great Channels could figure out a way to record on demand video from each network using TVE.

Very unlikely this will ever happen. Channels is primarily a DVR for live TV. Recording VOD-type streams defeats the purpose, and support would be such a moving target to make implementation too fragile.

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I disagree because many VOD have ads built in that you can't skip so recording those would be great for that.

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It would solve the A@E problem and Play on does it.

What A&E problem?
I use Philo for A&E shows, LIVEPD, etc....and can skip the commercials fine on my saced shows/episodes

How about 30 days after the show airs and it doesn't re air?

I watch any new episodes within a few days of air...and the older ones i have watched, and have no commercials for me, for LIVE PD, RESCUE, PD CAM, WANTED. It will vary among shows even on the same network so the other shows, may have ads.
I noticed that VOD episodes of Richard Hammonds BIG on SCI has ads, but DVR does not.

So you wouldn't rather watch them on Channels?

Yes, but there is no TVE of A&E. as many networks. Only via TVE would it it fit proper into the Channels ecosystem and design factor.

And Channels DVR it self if very much still a work in progress and not yet mature like Emby or Plex is. I do not see a cloud VOD DVR tie in feature to be anywhere on their priorty list.
As such s thing woudl be a complete and separate kinda thing to manage and, I do not think would fit at all into how Channels works.
So no, I for one, would NOT want VOD cluttering up my Channels DVR app.
I want Channels to be for TV only.
For VOD, that is what the streaming apps is for.

Philo does a decent job of integrating VOD and DVR, but their app is very very different than that of Channels.

What's the difference between having Vod recorded with Live. Vod will probably be better quality.

Live streams are accessed from a single website endpoint that represents the live feed. VOD content is not subject to any proper sorting/categorization, varies by every site, is constantly changing, and doesn't expose this information easily.

If you'd like the developers to spend all of their energy implementing a feature that will regularly break and take all of their resources to handle, that's your prerogative. Personally, I'd rather they spend their time on other aspects of development. (As it is, fixing things when TVE streams break is already causing them to divert focus from other aspects regularly ...)

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Yep, Channels has the best developers out there. If Playon can do it Channels can

If you use Playon as I do, you'll notice that they struggle to keep up with changes made by the sites they support. Often Playon will not be functional for weeks at a time for various channels. Also, 3 years ago there were many more channels on Playon, it has dwindled a lot over the past 3 years. Take a long look at their Release Notes.

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We have no plans to support recording of on-demand streams. It's a very different sort of technical problem from the ones we are focusing on.

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That is interesting, what do you mean you use your TVE Login? If you have Spectrum or YouTube or Hulu, it is that login that you use to pull the TVE from Channels isn't it? So you are putting the Streaming Service's login information into PlayOn aren't you.

I have not been able to get Channels to work with Spectrum myself for some reason, but when I used Fitzy, it asked for my credentials which were Sling at one time and Spectrum at another time and both at another time. But it used those Credentials to pull in the most of the channels on TVE.

I use xfinity. I open the Playon app and click channels, then edit channel settings. I enter my xfinity user name password. Playon uses this information to login to the networks website(TVE authentication). Playon does not record live stream like Channels, Playon knows when the program is available on demand(usually next day) and secretly opens new widow in the background and records the on demand showing. Playon sometimes has trouble accessing a program and staying connected with all the channels it does a good job recording from xfinity's on demand library and Disney+. I prefer Channels DVR but have to use Playon for Disney+, HBO, Amazon and the programs Channels sometimes misses.

Do you use spectrum cable or spectrum streaming? Spectrum streaming has very limited access to TVE(see attached picture). Try going to a network website(AMC, TNT) for a network you receive and see if you can log in there. If you can, then Channels should work. Read the Spectrum Forum here. Some people also report issues using Windows 7 and spectrum.

If you are using spectrum cable I would suggest a Homerun and rent a cable card from spectrum. You get more channels, better resolution and sound, and it does not use up data on your internet plan.

I asked about similar thing in other post and contrary to @tmm1 said, what I am asking is not the same thing as PlayOn. I never mention PlayOn in my post.

I don't see any technical limitation or God-imposed rule preventing implementing that, since you already access TVE by own minimal Google chrome core that simulates user authentication to the webpage in the background.

The same as "importing movies" to own library. Movies are stored in other directory, this is only reference in Channels database to display them in Library. YoutubeTV, despite claiming "you can DVR" stuff is in fact all on-demand because it records everything for you and stores on their servers but I assume you know that already so there is no difference nowadays between DVR and VOD - it was during analogue times when we record stuff on tapes.

looks that I finally have to start developing promised tvOS client for Jelllyfin and maybe someone from their community will help to replicate TVE+VOD functionality, we'll see.

The thing that is missing from VOD is a directory of the content. With a live stream of the channel, the program schedule can be obtained, and used by the software to schedule recordings, show the channel grid, etc. I am not aware of an equivalent, published directory for VOD content. That is typically only maintained by the provider.

Even if a VOD directory was published by the provider, it’s a totally different paradigm than a time-based sequential series of programs. A UI for parsing and displaying the directory of VOD content would have to be developed. That’s a lot of work.

When I select a channel, it opens a chromium browser in the background. This window logs in to the specific page of the live stream. Is it possible to create a channel that is a shortcut to open a browser window for a page of that networks VOD content?

For example channel 6998 is AMC live stream. I choose it and the display is full screen video of the live stream page. Channel 6999 could be the AMC VOD page. When i choose it opens the AMC VOD page and I navigate what I want to see. When I open the AMC app, I am actually opening a website.

I would like to have one aggregated list of network VOD sites that is easy to navigate instead of 30+ network apps on each device.

In Channels, no.

If you want to create a UI for accessing VOD libraries of TVE providers, there is nothing stopping you from pursuing it. But that is a feature that the developers have said will not be implemented.