TVE - Some PBS Stations Showing a "We've updated the way we livestream" Message

I rarely ever use my TiVo anymore. I guess I will have to fire it back up. Why PBS would go out of their way to prevent people from watching is beyond me.
Edit... Anyone have a HDHomerun for sale on the cheap? :slight_smile:

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I would put in another vote for having the ability to add LocalBTV as a source to Channels if possible. At least here in the Philly region, it has multiple PBS stations included.

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The picture on that service is beyond poor, otherwise I would agree with you.

direct m3u no longer working for mine

Uhhhgggg, same here, stream looks dead for both stations, plus my TVE one that has been working all along appears gone. Sadest of sad faces...

The quality does range from poor to good, but the main PBS stations for Philly LocalBTV are coming in with decent quality. Here's what I see on stats from my Firestick: WHYY(12.1) NJTV(23.1) are shown to be coming in at 1080p, WLVT (39.1) at 720p. Then subchannels Y2 and YKids(12.2 & 12.3) at 432p.

I don't get any PBS stations with LocalBTV. The best looking station is My network TV, which looks very good on my TiVo and almost unwatchable on LocalBTV. The resolution isn't the issue, it's the pathetic bitrate.

For the total NEWBIE when it comes to customization of TVE - How does one add this to TVE, who has time to give me step by step instructions with pictures :blush:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="WRLKTV.us" tvg-country="US" tvg-language="English" tvg- 
 logo="https://od.lk/s/MF8yMjYxNjkxMTBf/PBS.png" group-title="Local",PBS Columbia SC (WRLK) (1080p) [Geo-blocked]
    https://wrlkdt.lls.pbs.org/out/v1/ce2d1420a66b4c2a88d8a48ffecd908d/index.m3u8
    #EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="WUNCTV.us" tvg-country="US" tvg-language="English" tvg-logo="https://od.lk/s/MF8yMjYxNjkxMTBf/PBS.png" group-title="Local",PBS Chapel Hill NC (WUNC) (1080p) [Geo-blocked]
    https://wuncdt.lls.pbs.org/out/v1/84bedaad5c7e4d7abd8a6b63f1b8d4c4/index.m3u8
    #EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="WTVITV.us" tvg-country="US" tvg-language="English" tvg-logo="https://od.lk/s/MF8yMjYxNjkxMTBf/PBS.png" group-title="Local",PBS Charlotte NC (WTVI) (1080p) [Geo-blocked]
    https://wtvidt.lls.pbs.org/out/v1/e01f07bdc0cc4375b8894f72b1f0bb40/index.m3u8

A m3u playlist is not a TVE, it is a "Custom Channel". See directions here:

That all said, even if those stations are working right now, it looks like they are catching up and knocking them out. It is exactly what happened to me and the others above, so it is probably not worth your bother.

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PBS can KMA. I've been recording America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country and other cooking shows for year's.i can't just sit by the TV on Saturday's, all the time.

I'm writing the show's sponsors, telling them no more until they address this. I really don't see what the point is.

Good luck! (I'm not being sarcastic, I mean it. :slightly_smiling_face:)
I'm interested to know if they reply. Please provide an update if you hear back from them. :wink:

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Personally, I don't think anything will change, but we can hope.

Yeah, I terminated my PBS membership and let them know why.

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Good for you! If enough of us protest they will get the message. I told my local PBS not another dime till this is fixed.

Last year PBS got 445 million in US taxpayer dollars. We should have a voice.

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This only effects TVE. PBS has not stopped broadcasting. All 6 of the HD PBS stations I receive are totally free, have no commercials, and are high quality. Unless you live away from civilization on the side of a mountain, you could probably get some PBS too. It might take a couple hours of work to mount a good outdoor yagi antenna, aim it properly, and run some coax. But its a once and done thing. The broadcast towers don’t move.

Federal money amounts to around 14% of PBS's revenue. Source - PBS itself:

Membership accounts for 29% of revenue, so that part has a much higher voice. But really, how many of us are there that they would notice?

Not 100% with you. During the FCC repack, PBS stations were massively more likely to sell their good physical channels to the highest bidder and move to a low VHF channel. That is exactly what happened with BOTH PBS stations that I should be able to pick up in my market. So I'll have to invest in a much better antenna if I want to pick them up. And it would only be for those two stations as everything else is perfectly fine, including ones 2 states away. Hence, the investment is not worth it.

Oh, and my two PBS stations made over $256 million on their signal sales, so they definitely care a hell of a lot less what a few members bringing in maybe a couple of thousand dollars a year think. Source - the FCC:

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In contrary to the point you wanted to make, you made my point, EXACTLY!

Why should we taxpayers give the fake"non -partisan" PBS a single dime? They don't need your money, as you well pointed out.

Instead, let them sink or swim in the capitalistic market.

Your whole argument is a fallacy, or should I say their argument? First, I live in Central Florida within "range" of two PBS stations, both "owned" by the Florida University system. They both plead poverty every drive. They both said they will go under without our donations. Obviously that isn't true. The funds the universities dump in are also MY tax dollars! It doesn't matter if it is 14% or 99%, I'm being forced to pay it!

Florida is mostly flat, right? I can't receive ANY PBS station over the air. I live within 25 miles of one tower, and get absolutely nothing. Going DRM is telling me I'm not worth serving, even though I pay for it! Tell me what mountain I live on.

I might as well go back to DirecTV so that I can get the 5-7 shows I used to watch every week. I won't though. I'd rather do without.

No wonder people pirate the airwaves! The robber barons have forced them to!

The universities shouldn't be able to DRM content that tax dollars pay for, even if it's only one%!

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Time for someone with deep pockets to sue the crap out of PBS.

One more thing... It isn't PBS that should decide we don't matter. It's their advertisers. I can't imagine that Viking Cruises like the money spent on advertising going down the drain

You can now get PBS back with this:

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