Top Shelf empty in v4.5.0

Channels Apple TV
#1

I just updated to 4.5.0 on my ATV4K, and the latest DVR Server version. I created some collections and set Guide and On Now to "Current Collection." Top Shelf is just showing the Channels logo. I would like to display the current program for each channel in my current collection in Top Shelf like it used to display my Favorites.

Should "Up Next in top shelf" be set to On or Off? I've tried both, but so far my Top Shelf has remained empty since the update.

I tried killing the app and relaunching. I tried restarting the Apple TV. No luck. I submitted my diagnostics in case it helps.

#2

I'm not sure if its the update to Apple TV. I noticed last night that my Top Shelf is empty and I've not yet updated. (I'm just going on memory and not positive of this, but thought it important to mention it.)

#3

I believe I just confirmed that this issue is new with v4.5.0. I have a second ATV4 which had not yet updated. This morning, while still on v4.4.5, I verified that Top Shelf was working as expected. I then updated Channels to v4.5.0 and now Top Shelf is empty. Seems like it might be a bug (maybe related to the new Collections feature?).

#4

Did you make a collection called Favorites on your dvr?

#5

Yes, I did have a collection called "Favorites." I've just renamed it to "Favs" and selected it as my collection in Guide and On Now, but my Top Shelf is still empty.

I have the built-in Favorites category hidden and the All category shown.

Do I have something configured incorrectly?

#6

I just tried deleting all of my Collections, and reverting to using the built-in Favorites like in v4.4.5. I set Quick Guide and Channel Surfing to "Favorite Channels" like it was before. But the Top Shelf is still empty.

#7

We're looking into this. The top shelf in v4.5 only works with normal favorites like before.

#8

At this point, I can't even get it to work with normal favorites. If there's a way to revert to using normal favorites so that Top Shelf will work, I'd like to understand how. Top Shelf functionality is more important to me than Collections. Like I said, I tried deleting all Collections and setting everything back to pre-Collections settings, but Top Shelf still isn't working. Any help restoring Top Shelf would be appreciated.

Is there any way to revert to v4.4.5 until this gets fixed? Respectfully, it doesn’t seem like this update was ready to be released if it removes an important feature like Top Shelf.

Nonetheless, I appreciate your constant improvements and innovations. This is an excellent app.

#9

Top Shelf is working for me and for other users, so we're not quite certain what is going on yet.

Can you try the TestFlight build, does it work there? That's the only way to install older versions as the App Store does not provide any way to revert. You can get the TestFlight via getchannels.com/beta

#10

It worked for me after restarted my Apple TV.

#11

Moving the app off the home row and then back on can also help.

#12

There is a new TestFlight build now available which will correctly use the Favorites collection set on the DVR server if that exists.

1 Like
#13

This solved it for me. It had stopped working I believe with the beta. Continued to not work with 4.5. I restarted the Apple TV 4K and it started working again without me even starting Channels.

#14

The TestFlight Beta version worked. Top Shelf is populated with the collection I set in the Quick Guide settings.

Nothing else I tried with the public releases worked. I tried restarting my ATV. I tried uninstalling the app, restarting ATV, reinstalling the app, restarting ATV. I tried uninstalling Channels for HDHR (which is the app I had originally) and installing the Whole Home DVR app. Nothing would produce a working Top Shelf.

Even after I installed the Beta app, Top Shelf wasn't populating with the built-in Favorite Channels selection for Quick Guide. It wasn't until I re-created a custom collection and set that for my Quick Guide that the Top Shelf finally populated.

Anyway, if this could be released as a public update, it should do the trick for anyone experiencing this issue like I am. Thanks!

#15

Update: Even the Beta version is pretty finicky. It worked initially to populate the Top Shelf. But then I was playing around with my collections (adding more, renaming, etc.) and now the Top Shelf is empty again. Tried moving the app off top row and back, restarting ATV, killing app...Top Shelf is still empty.

I just noticed that my Quick Guide and Channel Surfing selections aren't sticking. It keeps reverting to the normal "Favorite Channels".

I submitted diagnostics from the Beta version.

#16

I think I found the issue...M3U channels. I tested the Beta initially with a collection of only HDHR local channels and Top Shelf worked. I then added several TVE and M3U playlist channels to the collection and Top Shelf stopped working. Finally, I removed the M3U playlist channels, and Top Shelf is working again in the Beta version.

So it looks like it works fine with HDHR and TVE channels, but for some reason M3U playlist channels in a collection breaks Top Shelf. Although, in v4.4.5, I had the same M3U playlist channels marked as Favorites and they worked fine in Top Shelf.

EDIT: It's definitely the M3U playlist channels causing problems with Top Shelf in v4.5.0. I went back to the public v4.5.0 release and removed all M3U playlist channels from my collections and unmarked them as Favorites, and now Top Shelf is working in the public release as well.

Let me know if you need anything else from me in order to fix this issue. Thanks.

1 Like
#17

I'm uploading a new TestFlight build with additional diagnostics.

Please update to it when it comes through, then recreate the broken top shelf and submit diagnostics from the app.

#18

Diagnostics submitted.

I got everything setup with a custom collection containing NO m3u channels and Top Shelf was working. Then I added two m3u channels to that collection, and Top Shelf immediately became empty. I then submitted the diagnostics.

Hope that helps.

#19

Thanks for the diagnostics. I'm uploading a new TestFlight build now with a possible fix. Please re-submit diagnostics after trying it out.

#20

Still doesn't seem to work any differently. Diagnostics uploaded.

Can you clarify whether my custom collection should or shouldn't be named "Favorites" - I'm not sure whether that's part of the problem or not. It hasn't worked either way, but I just want to know your guidance on that. Thanks.