Support Articles
What is Channels?
Channels lets you watch, record, pause, and rewind live TV on all of your streaming devices at home or away.
How does it work?
Channels is not a service provider. Instead, Channels utilizes your existing sources of TV to give you a live TV and DVR experience.
Once you’ve paired a source, Channels provides a full guide and TV watching features. This includes watching live TV, pausing it, and rewinding it. As a Channels subscriber, you can do all of this as well as record TV and watch things remotely while away from home.
Sources
Channels can receive its live TV broadcasts from multiple different sources.
HDHomeRun
HDHomeRun is a network enabled TV tuner. Your TV broadcasts are sourced from either an HD antenna that provides free over-the-air TV or from your cable service. The HDHomeRun makes them available on your home network for streaming.
Once your HDHomeRun is set up, Channels uses it to stream your live TV directly to your streaming device.
Note: Learn More about what an HDHomeRun is and which model is best for you.
TV Everywhere
You can log in directly with your cable or streaming provider to use all of its channels that it supports via TV Everywhere.
TV Everywhere is the technology that allows you to log in to TV network applications with your cable or streaming provider. Channels can do the same thing and utilize all of those channels.
Note: Learn More about what TV Everywhere is and how you can use it with Channels.
What’s this about pausing live TV?
Channels buffers its TV streams directly on your device allowing you to pause up to 90 minutes. You can start watching a show, pause, rewind, and fast forward while watching your programs.
What about recording live TV?
After installing Channels DVR Server and subscribing, you can turn your home computer or compatible NAS device into a whole home DVR.
Channels then lets you schedule, manage, and watch your recordings right from the app.
What devices are supported?
Channels works on all modern phones, tablets, and streaming devices. You’re covered at home and away from home.
Why use Channels?
Channels lets you finally live on a single input.
Your family no longer has to switch from Input 2, where they watch Netflix, YouTube, and movies, to Input 1 just to watch TV.
One of the hardest parts of Cord Cutting is the compromise in simplicity you have to make. Channels solves that by making live TV just another app on your streaming device.
With it’s friendly and familiar interface, everyone in the house will feel comfortable with watching and recording their favorite shows.
Note: Read about other reasons why Channels would be great for you.