![]() Streaming services are realizing this-there are now a bunch of streaming linear channels programmed like TV stations of old for this very reason. Sometimes you want that old-school feeling of serendipity or randomness that you used to get when you flipped on the TV to see what was on. But sometimes you don’t want to pick something specific. ![]() I realize Virtual Channels may seem like a perplexing concept when I’ve got access to any episode of any show, or any movie, for playback via Plex itself. Using existing recordings you have-I used the contents of my Plex library, which integrated easily with Channels-you can program faux “linear” channels yourself. The next revelation was when I discovered Channels’ Virtual Channels feature. (Unfortunately, not all cable channels support TV Everywhere, but most of the ones I watch do.) Recordings are saved to the hard drive of the Mac mini I’m using to run the Channels server and can be played back later. Channels can tune these streams in without using anything but my Fubo login, and I can view or record them within Channels. Using the TV Everywhere support built into Channels, I could authenticate with FuboTV and give Channels access to more than 150 different streams, including my local broadcast channels. The moment when Channels became instantly relevant to me was when I discovered that it supports TV Everywhere, a system where you provide your credentials from your cable, satellite, or over-the-top streaming provider and gain access to live streams of some cable channels directly from the channel provider itself. A few weeks ago, after a month-long free trial, I signed up for an $80 annual subscription to Channels. ![]() ![]() ![]() I don’t get over-the-air channels and cut the cord in 2021-so it was never really on my radar.įunny thing about that. In short, Channels is largely intended for people who want to build their own DVR by connecting a local device to an over-the-air antenna or a box containing a CableCard. Channels is a server that runs on a device in your house and records TV shows to your hard drive, which you then play back via a web browser or the Channels app on your mobile device or TV streamer box. Though I had heard a lot about Channels from various people-mostly Casey Liss-I never really thought it would be relevant to me. ![]()
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