Subscription options

#1

I have been a Channels user since release of first TVos app. A great product and in daily use in our house.

I have also used Channels DVR since the release (actually I think already in DVR beta). However, we gave up our subscription some months ago.

Free OTA/OTC channels here in Finland are few, in my area we have 18 channels that actually broadcast something. There is no TV Everywhere possibility or similar streaming options that work integrated with Channels app.

Therefore I suggest Channels Plus / DVR would have some options in subscriptions. 8 dollars a month is a bit too pricey for the features and channels we get here in Finland and since we lack a major part of features like TV Everywhere.

1 Like
#2

Thanks for this. We understand circumstances like this and have considered some sort of tier system in the past, but we've never come up with something that's fair in terms of channel count.

Thanks for mentioning this, as feedback like this helps us for future decisions.

5 Likes
#3

I sure hope you can figure out a smart way to divide subscriptions, since your product has been the best TV/DVR -solution I have ever used :slight_smile:

Maybe at least make different subscription for those that do not have TV Everywhere?

Or a single-puchase license + subscription cost for only guide data?

Or a single-purchase license + OTA guide data?

I understand that these days everything has to be monthly subscription because it produces better income for software publishers and and helps keep software updated. Still, since this product relies heavily on local server, I also think a onetime fee for software would be a good option.

These options come to mind, maybe a user survey could reveal better ideas? :slight_smile:

1 Like
#4

They should have a lifetime subscription like Plex.

#5

That will cut down on their revenue and it could affect future support.... all Lifetime memberships do is stifle the influx of cash and this can lead to less features in the future.

#6

Hmm, I don't know. Plex seems doing fine with updating features.

#7

Plex Support sucks ... No Comparison to the support you get here .. Plex has become bloatware offering free stuff you can get using regular apps.... I am a lifetime member of Plex and do not use it do not even have it installed. Plex DVR is the worst out there.

2 Likes
#8

So does Emby....however, a customer can not know a businesses' cash flow and overhead and other factors that affect their sustainability and bottom line.

Just because Plex and Emby can offer Lifetime License option, does not mean Channels DVR can.

I too, prefer a one time pay then never have to worry about it, for something i know I will be using for long time....but, can understand the negative side affect to the business side of such an option. (I do have Lifetime Emby...never liked Plex).

But u already do save a bit doing the current $80 a year Channels DVR Plan. vs the $8 a month plan, which would be $96 a year, which is certainly a bit pricey, imo.

Personally, I do think that $80 a year is a tad bit pricey even, given Channels is lacking a proper desktop PC software and proper Home Media Sever aspect AND multi user profiles, that both Emby and Plex do very well. Where it is at currently, I would be comfortable at $5 per month, or $50 per year.

However, Channels has the unique integration of TVE, and I do not know if they have to pay license fees or something to have that or if that is a factor in overhead. They certainly have to constantly be active in managing and fixing things related to TVE as it seems that is always having some sort of issue or just breaking as the networks/providers are always changing things up.

Factor in that, and ....I still am paying far far less per year to Channels than I was to the big cable company. So it is a win in my book regardless.

2 Likes
#9

Everything is relative. I came from tivo which charges $15/month. Channels is a deal.

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#10

My point in the original post was that since we get a lot less features here in Finland, maybe we could also pay way less?

I'd be happy to pay more if we also had tons of channels and TVE here...

The other option is of course to add channels and TVE to Finland, but I believe that is out of reach even for Channels developers. I'm not sure about this though, they really have done an excellent job with this product since beginning so maybe they can pull off even this. :sunglasses:

#11

I agree, Tivo is ridiculous at 15/month.

I think 8/month and 80/year is a great price point when you include TVE and/or Cable Card.

If someone ONLY used it for OTA then I could see 5/50 price point but if you only use OTA you can always stick with native SD software as well for the 35/year. Personally I'm only using Channels because of TVE and Commercial skip on top of OTA currently.

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#12

That is the big thing that allowed me to dump my Cable. Switch to OTA and TVE.

But the main thing about Channels that is much needed, the one thing above all else that i would like to see be added as a feature that would make me feel much better paying $80 a year for, is multi user profiles. So that I can separate my own passes/recordings and watch history, from that of my mother. It is quite annoying to have to shift through her soaps and other shows, or for her to have to go through my shows...but, for the money saved from paying a Cable bill every month, we are willing to suffer through it.

Emby works fine for me as a Home Media Sever for local files, but would be nice to have Channels be an all in one app solution....at some point. But, would rather its focus remain on further developing and maturing/optimizing its Live TV and DVR features.

#13

I don't even use TVE, and easily find the USD 6.70/month (based on $80/year) I pay to be a no brainer. It just works. I can watch from anywhere. I have easily accessible recordings. Considering the support the devs provide, and the way the product has continued to grow and evolve, I don't see how $6.70 a month is considered too much.

#14

I totally understand the original poster, the value is different for each of us. For me, I have no trouble with the 8 bucks a month just for comskip alone on a handful of OTA channels.

On the other hand, even if I couldn't actively use the software, I'd probably continue to give them $8 a month just to see what they can do. It's been fairly interesting so far.

#15

I go through periods of subscribing and cancelling and then re-up. The biggest piece for me is if they would add in automatic commercial removal (somewhat like Plex does) then it’d be a no brainer to stay at the current price. I’ve never had the patience to figure out mcebuddy or whatever tool it is. Especially since I use Mac for the most part.

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#16

You can already set the client to automatically skip commercials with no user interaction. Or are you wanting the recorded files themselves to have the commercials removed? If you’re looking for the latter I don’t think that is being planned.

#17

Automatically remove commercials. Somewhat like the DVR in Plex does. I end up removing using MCEbuddy and moving to Plex manually since there is no Roku app.

#18

I'm brand new here, and just evaluating Channels.

I have Plex installed and use its DVR feature with an HDHomeRun tuner (so I obviously have a Plex Pass, their paid option). For Plex the fee is a more modest $5/month. I mainly use Plex as a media server, and the DVR is a backup to our Cable service DVR. I was looking at Channels as something that could better integrate channel content from our Cable service and DVR streams, etc., with a possible offload of those files to Plex, since we are already comfortable with that interface. For that usage, $8/month (net $13/month) is too steep, IMHO. I don't see Channels Plus providing the Media Server features, so going Channels Plus without Plex is not an option. And, well, I can't figure out what Channels (no Plus) is. Since I've already decided I won't pay $8/month, I've stopped my evaluation cold before starting the free month.

Tell me what I'm missing. Please?

1 Like
#19

Channels Plus is a DVR. Its for recording OTA, cable, and TVE streams. It has great transcoded web/remote viewing. It has a good UI and makes things easy. For its use-case it is better than Plex. But this is not a media server. It's a versatile DVR. If this is not what you are looking for, you should move on.

#20

Outstanding support... You get what you pay for.