TiVo Stream 4K & Button Mapper for Remote

Channels Android TV
#1

Recently picked up a TS4K and the remote is so far it's best feature.

On the remote, there are buttons for shortcuts to the TiVo button, (TV) Guide, as well as others like power (TV Off), volume, channels up/down, etc.

Using an app in the Google Playstore called "Button Mapper" these buttons can easily be remapped to use Channels DVR. (Basiclly building your own Android TV to use with Channels DVR).

For example, also using the Channels DVR Beta app installed coupled with the installed the production version as well makes it very handy remapping the TiVo button to go to the DVR, and Guide button to go to the Channel DVR TV Guide.

You can also program then the 1-9 buttons on the bottom with shortcuts to other apps as well like Plex, Disney +, Playon, Etc.

Only button I couldnt reprogram that I wanted was "Live" TV button. And the Channels up/down buttons dont work with the Channels DVR app. Anyone that can get the channels up/down buttons to work in Channels DVR app, let me know.

Anyone that has a spouse, kids or visiting family members know that you need to make your TV setup as simple as possible. Can't think of a better way to do this than using the TS4K remote and remapping the buttons to work with Channels DVR.

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#2

Thanks for this info, I just got six of these and I am looking to do the same thing as you. Did you get this to go directly to the guide? I can only get it to load the Channels DVR app then I have to select guide. Kinda new at this :slight_smile:

#3

No, not at present I believe. The reason is that the Channels app doesn't have an Activity entry point for the guide itself.

#4

ok, thank you

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#5

The channel up/down and the direct channel number inputs are working for me out of the box when using Channels on the new TiVo Stream 4K. It’s a nice surprise I wasn’t expecting.

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#6

Is there any keyboard cmd for channels to go directly to "Live" or is this something which we need help from tmm1?

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#7

That is something the devs need to add. However, it would require them changing the structure of their app, too, so it's not something you'll likely see soon.

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#8

I configured guide button mapped to Channels DVR and its pointing to Channels DVR guide some how.
May be its retaining the last state on the app i.e. Channels DVR guide which i use to navigate most.

#9

Don't have the Stream 4k, but curious if anyone has tried using the skip button to enter a - for OTA channel numbers?
Skip
The normal TiVo remotes use that button (called advance).
Advance

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#11

No, it does not work that way.

(It's difficult to tell, as there is no feedback when inputting numbers in Channels.)

#12

Today, I received my Stream 4K and immediately used the ADB shell to remove all the Tivo and unwanted preinstalled apps I didn't want. Then I installed Button Mapper and worked a long time getting it set up like I wanted, and have the silver Tivo button set launch Channels DVR.

I also set up Guide button with last app function to quickly get back to Channels show that was playing. Works really well and brings the same channel back right away.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Skip button skips marked commercials very well. The 4 way directional arrows/select and channel up/down work great too.

Awesome device to customize to work well with Channels as the main app.

Can't wait to see what the Channels DVR developers add for remote functionality. I would love to hit Guide button and have it launch the Channels guide even if that's not the last page I was on. Also, would be awesome to hit live button on go live on a channel in progress.

I also would really like to use the Netflix button for something but Button Mapper doesn't recognize that button. Maybe that button could launch the Channels DVR recordings directly.

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#13

Its been a hot minute since I've used ADB since moving to an iphone years ago. Do you have or would you mind documenting what is needed to remove the TiVo bloat?

#14

I used ADB to give permission to the ATV launcher but that was all I had to do with TS4K. I disabled the tivo apps that came with the device and then I installed:

  1. Boot Launch (free)
  2. ATV Launcher (paid version)
  3. Button Mapper (paid version)

Then It I mapped the guide button to Channels DVR and it loads just fine and although it would be nice to go directly to the guide I can live with the setup as it is now.

I mapped the Tivo button to the the ATV launcher, because its easy to get to the android system from that application if needed.

I have used the ethernet cable option for all of my TS4K's are hard wired but at first I was using the builtin wifi and didn't have any issues. I am using the eero mesh network setup as well.

I have boot launch loading the ATV launcher on start/restart and wakeup from sleep and that works very well.

Really happy with the setup thus far.

1 Like
#15

There are many threads at the TiVoCommunity forums. But you may be most interested in Here's how to de-TiVo your Stream.

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#16

How did you get the TS4k to go back to Ehternet. I had it there but once I set up wifi it won't let me go back to Ethernet short of a factory reset

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#17

There's a toggle to disable WiFi, or you can select the connected WiFi network, then scroll down and select "Forget network"

#18

Did all that. I am using a Chromecast USB-c - reset router - and just about anything else to get TS4K to do what I wanted- no luck.

#19

I paired an extra Tivo Bolt Vox remote to the Tivo Stream 4K and it works great after some Button Mapper configurations. One thing I like is the record button works with Channels DVR right away. Channels up/down and entering channel numbers also works with Channels DVR.

Also, the directional fast forward and rewind buttons work with many apps by going 4x/8x/16x etc, and the functionality is different than D-Pad that also works.

Unfortunately, the skip button doesn't work like the Tivo Stream 4K skip button.

I think I'm going to use the Vox remote instead of the Stream 4K remote for now.

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#20

I tried to allocate various buttons to either period (".") or underscore ("_"), but without succeess.

Has anybody else figured out how to enter OTA channel numbers?
That's the only thing I'm still missing. Apart from that my "Tivo" experience using Channels is perfect.
Did succesfully allocate "last channel" to double-click on "i", it is working but has a noticeable delay. That's probably why direct entry of OTA numbers with an allocated button doesn't work - it probably just times out.

#21

You need to have the paid version of Button Mapper, but you can send arbitrary keycodes.

  • KEYCODE_MINUS = 69
  • KEYCODE_PERIOD = 56
  • KEYCODE_NUMPAD_SUBTRACT = 156
  • KEYCODE_NUMPAD_DOT = 158

Those might get you started. I haven't gotten around to testing these yet.