I'm a fan of Fubo TV, which also works as a source for TVE for Channels DVR. But the reason I prefer it is because it's the only live TV service that offers Multiview (a 2x2 grid for watching multiple things at once) at least when using the Fubo app on AppleTV. For me, especially on big news or sports days, this is a gamechanger.
The lack of Turner channels (TNN, TBS, CNN, etc.) might be a dealbreaker for some though.
I thought about giving FuboTV a try but without Turner Networks I miss a lot of NBA and MLB games.
Yeah that was the hardest part. They all offered things that I wanted that the other didn't. I watch the History channel for The Curse of Oak Island and a few other shows when nothing else is on. Most don't carry it. I would have to add Philo to fill in the hole.
I decided to use Channels with YTTV and bring Pluto in for the extra movie channels. We'll see how it goes. I love Channels and it made complete sense to me when I could use OTA and combine it with OTT services. But, there is a part of me now that is still thinking about how I'm paying for a streaming service and its interface and I'm not even using it. But I called YTTV and asked them some questions and that sealed to deal for me sticking with Channels. It really bothers me that you pay for their service and you literally have no control over the content. All they are is a conduit to get the content to a subscriber. The network controls how long things stay as DVR before going to VOD and they can remove movies and shows at any time. This doesn't make sense to me. If I'm paying for the service I should have access to it at all times on my terms as long as I'm a customer. What they're offering isn't even a real DVR. I had to think pretty hard about this because normally I watch something I've recorded then delete it. I'm not one to save things. But, having the ability to do what I want is important. And, while the commercial skip isn't always accurate it is much better than having to manually move through commercials or tell Siri to do it.
I thought about switching to Hulu Live Only because I like their channel lineup a little more and there isn't as much hassle trying to authenticate with them due to Google's 2FA. But, since I get YTTV for only $55 a year I figured I'll ride this out.
I know a lot of people may disagree with me but I think a lot of this is temporary anyway. People are watching far more OnDemand content than linear tv now. Only sports and news is keeping it alive. As they start to transition more to streaming behind paywalls I believe live tv will disappear at some point. Just my belief. Now if someone could figure out software to combine OnDemand providers into one app that would be great. Just my two cents.
I consider Channels to be like buying a phone case. A person spends $800 to $1000 or more on a cell phone then goes and spends another $50 or more on a phone case to customize it. This is what Channels is to me. I'm paying for YTTV and bringing that into Channels so I can further customize it and make it what I'd like it to be.
Well. How much tinking do you want to do.
Kodi as a front end
Then use Channels for Kodi Plugin
Then use another plugin and Imort a m3u with VOD.
If your going to go through all that you may as well abandon Legal content and just go get a iptv player and go illegal route.
Or
Channels as front in
And use strmlnks to link to your Netfix/prime/etc.
*Official page explaining
*These are "examples" of strmlnks created by @maddox . They have not been updated in 11 months though.
*Strmlnks generator
Also check out ReelGood. I use it as a content agrigator for Netflix + similar service.
I have one comment that may sway it toward channels. You can add multiple sources and OTS is just one. Add Pluto and Stirr and now you have all three sources in a single UI. That alone should be worth using channels.
I was a Channels user in the past when I combined OTA and OTT. At that time it made more sense than it does now in my current situation. The reason being I'm paying YTTV for the use of their interface. It would be great if someone came along and offered customers the ability to pay for user credentials to OTT streams and then the user either uses TVE apps or gets something like Channels. No UI/UX, just credentials. But, given that linear tv is dying out and more people are starting to watch scripted shows on OnDemand It's only a matter of time. Sports and News is all moving towards streaming and that will be the death of linear tv.
Channels is a very nice product but I personally think $80/yr for software that does not provide any content is somewhat steep. I have been using PLEX for several years and have their lifetime subscription. Even their annual subscription is half the cost of Channels. Granted it is not as flexible but it works for me.
I initially signed up for a 1 year subscription with Channels and decided to cancel. I love the software but am unwilling to pay that much. I would gladly consider paying a lifetime membership if such an option existed however I am unaware it does.
Just my 2cents worth.
I think it depends on your usage case and where you come from. I was a Tivo user and their annual subscription was between 120 and 140. I can't remember the exact number. So this option was much cheaper. I also have the PLEX lifetime. However I had all kinds of issues with watching and recording at the same time with plex. It would lose where it was when fast forwaring and at times it would jump back about 45 minutes. Channels however works much better for me on that. But everyone has their values and with a multi facet option like Channels. For some it totally makes sense. For others it might not.
Also its a get what you pay for scenario. I used to use plex but got frustrated when i had issues. They still dont support ATSC 3. Its been working perfectly with channels for over a year for me. Also good luck on getting support from Plex. $80 a year is NOTHING. I remember when i first signed up. I had an issue and emailed support. I said to myself, well lets see how bad this experience is going to be. To my surprise @tmm1 emailed me back within an hour on the weekend!?!?!?! Fixed my issue and fast forward to more than a year later and that level of support has not changed.
If $80 causes heartburn then just make 6 less trips to Starbucks. Seriously you are getting A LOT for a little bit of money....
The support makes the $80 dollars a year worth it along with the product.
I'm in the same boat, used it before with OTA+Streaming and moved to a location in the hills. I now use DirecTV Stream with channels DVR, along with Pluto and a few manually created channels. I absolutely never use the DirecTV stream app, as I do not like the interface. I used many other options before I settled on DirecTV, and in all cases never used the host app. It is absolutely worth it to me to continue to use the channels DVR app for all obvious reasons, but having the uniformity of everything in one place is paramount. The ability to create virtual channels is another feature that I'd be lost without, given my collection of local network based media.
So in short, yes, it is very much worth it to use channels DVR in a TVE only household. (IMHO)
Chief
I also think Channels is great. The issue for me is when I was using Channels at my previous residence and I was combining OTA and OTT, it made sense and saved me a lot of money versus using an OTT like YTTV or Hulu Live. But, when we moved to our current home it didn't pick up any OTA stations due to the mountains blocking the towers. So I'm currently using YTTV as my source in Channels. But, I'm not sure that it makes much sense. I don't save my recordings after I watch them and I usually watch them within a couple of days after airing. Not to mention all the channels I'm losing that don't come over as a source and the sluggish load times. I know YTTV gets the same feeds but the stations seem to load instantaneously on YTTV. And, if you've gotten to use the new YTTV live guide it's much improved. It looks more like a traditional cable live guide. I'm still testing through Channels though to see which way I want to go. I'm also weighing out the option of just getting OnDemand apps instead of live tv altogether. Sports and News are starting to stream more and I don't know if it's worth paying for a live service when only 10 to 12 channels actually apply to me.
I used to do the whole Plex thing, but it never came close to bringing me to the point where I was ready to ditch cable — even with their DVR. It was alway just a fun side project. With Channels, however, I was ready to cut the cord after only a few months. So, yes, it’s a extra $4 a month over Plex but I’m saving $100 a month without that bloated cable bill. If you don’t see similar value, you’re right to question if Channels is the best product to meet your needs.
I totally agree that it depends on each individual use case. If my requirements change I will definitely reconsider however a lifetime option would be very nice to have.
Yeah. That’s been debated at length. I agree it would be a poor business decision for Channels right now because they would be sacrificing future revenue for a nice spike in the short term. Think about it, if you make $50k a year and you boss offers to buy your services indefinitely today for $150k, you’d be stupid to take him up on the offer. And he’d be stupid to think you’d work just as hard a few months down the line. As long as Channels offers value in exchange for the monthly fee, I’m happy to pay.
Some people cut the cord to save money. I cut the cord for control. I don't think I'm saving money.
$8 Channels
$25 Philo
$15 Netflix
$13 Hulu
$10 Paramount
$13 Prime
$15 HBO
$0 ESPN (stole my brothers)
+hardware cost, time, tinkering.
Ummmmm..... im not sure why i have all these... but my point was is all about control. By control i mean no commercials.
The $8 a month i still think is ridiculously to low. For companies to be profitable. You either need high margins or high volume. Channels is niche user software. Its for Techy-Dinisaurs (no feathers, feathers didnt exist when i was kid)
I like the dinosaurs with feathers. Kinda cool. Some evidence that it actually was the case with some species.
My list of expenses is similar to yours but before Channels was my $140+ cable bill instead of Philo. And the fees. The fees. People forget to notice the fees. Mine were nearly $40 a month for local affiliate protection money.
Channels is not free but if you are complaining about the cost, you might have bigger problems. 