Request: View Stream Links Inside Channels App

Channels DVR Server Feature Requests
#1

Currently, Stream Links open a deep link into to another streaming app, allowing Channels users to quickly watch a show on another platform. This is a very cool feature!

The only problem with this is returning to Channels. When the show ends, you are now in another app and have to switch back.

Use Case: I would love to use Stream Links to provide a curated set of kids shows that I want my kids to watch. This contains recorded content, ripped DVD/BD content, and content on streaming platforms. Kids can watch what is in channels, and don't get pushed out into a streaming platform and start watching other content they shouldn't.

Use Case: I want one interface to all my content, local or streaming, accessible locally or remotely, from all my devices, without worrying about different apps, logins, interfaces, etc. The YouTube app experience alone on ATV is enough to want to make this happen!

Solution: Opening a stream link in channels loads the content seamlessly to the user, all in the app!

How:

  1. This would work similarly to how TVE runs chrome in the background, authenticates via user credentials and transfers the video stream to the DVR
  2. Channels DVR runs an Android emulator** in the background
  3. Channels DVR installs streaming provider apps on emulator
  4. Present interface to end user to authenticate apps using streaming accounts
  5. When clicking a Stream Link, forward it to the emulator and open with appropriate app
  6. Transfer the video and audio from the android emulator to channels DVR, transcoding if necessary

** Another option would be to do this in the chrome browser, just like TVE.

I realize this idea is a bit out there, but when I'm thinking about kids content and what parents want, this would solve a lot of problems as nearly all other streaming platforms have very poor control over content (ie, limited to rating levels).

In addition, maybe it could pave the way to bringing other linear TV that's behind apps into the Channels DVR/guide system.

#2

I’m not an expert, but I’m not sure this is something that’s even an option. The nature of an .strm link is that it opens out to the app in question, redirecting you to their service. I think you might be better off using a service like PlayOn, which you can set up to download directly to channels, assuming you don’t have any moral objection to it.

2 Likes
#3

Without going into the why, because I think it's self explanatory, this is not something we will ever approach.

The good news is, everything is in place in Channels already, for someone to do this themselves as a personal project, :rofl:

1 Like
#4

I understand its a difficult problem to solve, but I thought the same about TV Everywhere. Maybe using the emulator approach is a bit beyond the scope, but if it could be done in chrome like TVE then it seems pretty in line with TVE in terms of complexity and rights concerns. From the standpoint of alignment with the product core goals, sure, but with the push for a full featured kid experience as "a first class feature of Channels" I see this as becoming necessary for two reasons: 1. more and more content is going to streaming only with no DVD/BD media options for legal purchase and 2. parents want to filter what kids have access to, smartly, and none of the major streaming apps allow this. To be clear, I'm talking about the content streaming from the original provider thru channels, not recording the streaming provider's content.

I urge you to reconsider creating something like this as a way to build Channels as a premium one-stop option in the future. Maybe as a long term goal.

Is it possible to run extensions somehow within channels DVR? How would a third party app show local content in the library but run a custom code/stream when accessed?

#5

Someone could do all this work, and then expose things over a url, and use Stream Files.

But I wouldn’t expect anyone to do this work. But again, we have the things in place to do things like this. This is why they’re there.

#6

Here's an example that uses Custom Channels but the same technique could be used with Stream Files: Sports Live Stream Screen Capture Record Import to Channels - #3 by marcuscthomas

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#7

Interesting, thanks for the link. What I'd want is the content shows in the library, but isn't actually downloaded. Then when someone opens the video it triggers some third party software to open the stream and provide it as a supported streaming video format to channels.

So that should be possible by using STRM files instead of Stream Links since those are played within Channels.

The URL would have to point to a local server and embed the necessary information to trigger the stream on the appropriate service. Awesome, so it looks like this would be possible by a third party app and work in a fairly integrated manner.

1 Like
#8

We discussed this very thing here:

Not saying I don't believe @maddox when he says they will "not... ever" do something, but... I have gotten many features over the past couple of years that would "never" happen. So I'll just encourage the team to think about how wonderful this would be for all of us and really separate Channels even more from all the inferior competition. Plus, imagine how many less complaints they'll get if everything just works through Channel's custom player!

@tmm1, I did try out that screen capture method in the past and the results were less than appealing.

@syplex, the option does exist to use PlayOn or AnyStream (my pick) or similar things to avoid having to leave Channels by having local files, but they there is redundancy and space issues, so I'm fully in support of what you have laid out. Unfortunately, this is well beyond my skillset to figure out how to implement!

#9

The problem is, and always will be, DRM.

Every one of the major streaming platforms wants you to visit THEIR home screen, to be exposed to more of THEIR content, so they can track your browsing, searching and viewing habits, and so you'll see more of THEIR ads. They're not going to make it easy for any of us to break that model.

#10

Thanks for linking, that is exactly the same thing. I knew I wasn't alone in my desire!

I really don't want to have to rip the content first, its so time consuming. Ideally it would also integrate into Channels search somehow so I wouldn't have to create strm files either. But these tools may be the only way to achieve this level of functionality at the current time.

#11

This is getting closer to possible, with the (beta) release of https://community.getchannels.com/t/beta-chrome-capture-for-channels. Instead of using an emulator and Stream Links, the new solution could use STRM files and leverage web streaming in a browser. Just need STRM files to support the chrome capture for channels.

1 Like
#12

For those who didn't see what @syplex is referring to:

1 Like
#13

Not exactly the same thing as what was originally requested, but yah.

Also, we'll never be able to play on demand content from another provider, ever. So I'm going to close this now.

#14