For locals: in the Web Admin, make sure "Local Networks via TV Everywhere" box is check in the Advanced tab.
The link: Channels Support - TV Everywhere Availability will help you figure out what TVE channels are available with Spectrum for traditional cable stations.
Many TVE channels do not show commercials, just a "we'll be back" type of graphic.
Providers don't always have TV Everywhere licenses for every channel they provide. It varies by provider, and for some providers it even varies by market.
You can learn more about TV Everywhere, including this limitation, in our support articles:
As things tand right now, the TVE stuff offered through channels won't play insertion designed for the feeds being watched.
Classic example is TVLand.
I find that having the silence during ad breaks can be kind of annoying.
if ads aren't available, why block the national spots.
Having ads in the stream makes it feel like regular tv.
Thank you for the information.
Thank you. That worked somewhat. Still does not meet my expectations. It brought in the local ABC and CBS stations. I don't see the PBS stations. There is a FOX channel listed, for WDAF, the local channel, but it is not able to connect to it. We watch this as our primary local channel. It also seemed to bring in several channels for large metropolitan areas that are not near us and we are not interested in - adding more clutter.
On the Android Client, Search does not search the channel names when I am on the Guide page. Instead, it takes me to a page with thumbnails for new and recommended and it does not seem to do any Searching.
The error for the Fox 6002 channel (WDAF Kansas City) is:
Connection lost
Streaming to the tuner failed. Press play to try again.
TVE: GET: https://api3.fox.com/v2.0/liveplayer/5836e01a3f93d90001ab65a0?geoLatitude=38.764544&geoLongitude=-94.6601984&epgListingId=WDAF-program-WDAF-1714770000000: 403 Forbidden: "{" @context":"http://www.w3.org/ns/hydra/context.jsonld","@type":"Error","n...":"Invalid Access Token Key Id","detail":"Key Id not found or supported"}\n"
Going the same URL in a web browser yields:
{"@context":"http://www.w3.org/ns/hydra/context.jsonld","@type":"Error","name":"InvalidAccessTokenKeyId","statusCode":403,"errorCode":403,"message":"Invalid AccessToken Key Id","detail":"Key Id not found or supported"}
PBS and NBC use DRM protection on their live streams. FOX only streams the stations they own, WDAF Kansas City is owned by Nexstar
Locals over tve is not a reliable source. The best way to integrate local channels into channels dvr is an Hdhomerun with an antenna. This one would be a good start. The going rate here in KC is about $40-$50 for a used 2 tuner. Click Here
Just to set your expectations.
And even then some Fox stations don't work, WOFL in Orlando is Fox owned and stopped working last year.
I think you need a little TVE 101 first to set your expectations and get a complete understanding.
First read this:
Then this:
And specifically this (just one of the many examples of where this is talked about):
In other words, Fox might only work for Prime Time and National Sports programming, so you have to scan then if you want the station.
Now, also check this for dealing with any TVE issues:
Now, if you're willing to learn the next level and not just depend upon everything working out of the box, then you can get every single station you want. For example...
You can do this:
But, depending upon if you want to be more piecemeal or wholesale in getting missing stations, you can take any number of these approaches either individually or in combination with each other:
Further, you should look into what can be done with FAST solutions like Pluto, Plex, Tubi, YouTube Live Streams and more! There are even tools (Olivetin | Project One-Click) to help implement all of this without knowing anything else. If it streams over the web, there is a way to integrate as a DVR-able station in Channels.
Thank you. However, other than weather alerts and nightly news on WDAF, FOX 4, KCMO, I don't see enough value to adding an HD Home Run at this time.
Thank you for the information. The limitations of open source like Channels Server for DVR, TVEverywhere and OTA local channel capture, is not a good replacement for our family. Channels not available for viewing or recording. Because they require some other paid service or are otherwise encrypted or not accessible. Requires too much configuration that can easily be broken by changes in stations or service providers.
I primarily use Channels with HDHR for OTA. The channels rarely change. I have been watching the same ABC,NBC,CBS,Fox,CW,PBS for the last decade with almost zero reconfiguration.
I also have pluto, tvplus, and tubi, but those are used less often. Even so, those internet streams were set up once and also dont require reconfiguration.
HDHR is the best way to get high quality free local stations with minimal maintenance.
I love channels and what can be done with it.
Anything worth while is worth working for.
If I have a run a few dockers, get some hardware, I'm happy to be done with it.
I hate most of what is available Plus the DVR can't be beat.
Perfect setup if you just take the time and set it up.
Grab a DS224plus and some Iron Wolf drives and pick your solution.
Channels isnt opensource
Channels utilizes what you have. It does not provide free content. You get out of it what you put into it.
#1 give up on the pi. The pi is a toy... get yourself a beelink mini pc for cheap and it will do all you need it to.
#2 get yourself a HDHomerun and an antenna. You wont be disappointed. As far as other sources TVE doesnt require any confuguration it just requires a service provider. As far as other sources, you dont have to use them. If you just want the basics, you can to all you need with OTA + TVE. Once you get your feet wet and want to graduate to other sources (pluto, hdmi encoder etc) you can.
Channels can be a bit to get. used to but in the end once everything is in place, it should just work.
Community has great support.
Thank you for your comments. However, the Raspberry Pi 4 w/8GB RAM has low utilization currently when used to stream to one client for testing. Highest number of clients would be two in our household.
HDHomerun, antenna, cabling, support pole, are an expensive solution. I am not interested in the expense at this time.
Thank you for your comment. I may continue to configure and test it. Trouble with frndly tv ad-in currently. I'm communicating in that support page about this trouble.
Thank you for your comments. However, a Synology DS224plus NAS with disk drives is very expensive. I'm not interested in the expense at this time. I will keep this in mind for the future.
HDHomeRun Quatro = ~$100
High-Quality RCA Yagi with mount = ~$35
100ft RG6 coax = ~20
some people pay more than that for their monthly cable bill. But this single expense will get you the major broadcast networks for many years to come with no additional cost or subscriptions required (and at much higher bitrates).