Roku client works for Live TV & DVR. I switched to it almost one year ago. I know this isn’t the answer but it’s what I did.
I don’t have much hope for a fix, I think it’s most likely to happen accidentally when they are updating a component.
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One way to improve the DVR experience is to use other DVR software instead of Plex and record into a Plex library. The live in-progress ts file will be playable in Plex. It will default to playing from the start. It will remember your position if you stop playback. Seeking works just like with regular library files.
I use NextPVR myself when I know I will be watching live or in a time shifting way. NextPVR has a better scheduler (including manual recording and keyword recording). It supports channel groups. It has a guide grid that was actually meant to be used by humans. And it’s super reliable.
It’s really sad when the only way to get a decent user experience with Live TV/DVR in Plex is to not use the Plex DVR.
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Found this thread because I have this same issue (obvs, because I use Android TV) - and read through all the previous comments.
Some of you really need to long hard look at yourself, the way you speak to people online. I mean, it’s playing recorded TV - it’s not as if Plex Employees have sacrificed your first born.
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Had this happen to me in a very frustrating scenario last night…
Wife and I have been watching the season 6 of Australian Survivor for the last 8 weeks, 3 nights a week, so a fair commitment.
Got the kids to bed, turned our phones off to avoid any spoilers, opened up plex on the shield to begin watching the finale episode to determine who would be the winner of the show after following along for the last 23 episodes!! At this point 3 contestants are left…
We were about an hour behind the live broadcast at this stage after doing the kids bedtimes.
I forgot about the “watch from start” android bug, fired up the episode from the guide, clicked “watched from start”. BOOM, straight into the live broadcast telecasting the series winner 
, no spoiler alert, just there you go, oops.
While swearing profusely i opened it up in the windows browser player and successfully watched it “from start” there, but it was already spoilt by then.
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I’m glad you are better. It would be awesome if the Plex team moved this up the priority list. I love the Plex app. This issue the one thing I wish would be fixed.
Thanks
Dave,
thanks for all the help and best wishes for your recovery.
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I havent posted here in a long time. Years ago when dealing with this same issue. NFL season has started and wanted to see if any progress, but still not fixed. I stopped renewing my Plex pass since it doesnt do what I need it to. I do remember when it worked flawlessly on Andoid TV. Im using the NextPVR workaround which still is less than ideal since Plex thinks you are at the end of the program and you have to restart the stream. I just set up Kodi and will see it that + NextPVR works.
I get emails from Plex with lifetime subscription offers. Would be happy to do so but cant until this is functional.
One thing I didn’t mention about the NextPVR workaround that I suggested is that Plex will think that you finished watching when there is something like less than 5% time left when you stop. So if you stop then and restart, it won’t remember your position and will instead start over from the beginning.
To get around that, I just got in the habit of quickly stopping and restarting whenever a commercial started (easy to remember). That way, the “program length” is regularly refreshed and it always remembers where you were.
You’re right – it’s not ideal. Would be better if Plex worked correctly. But this work around was quite reliable for me and it avoided spoilers (especially in sports) when the Plex would start live playback when you asked for it to start from the beginning. It is bizarre though that the best way to watch a live recording in Plex is to NOT use the Plex DVR.
Im testing NPVR with Kodi client. Initial quick test looks promising. When I watch a recording in progress, the scrubber timeline keeps incrementing as the show is being recoded instead of the “what is recorded so far” like Plex client shows. This way I can FF and not run into a false end of the recording and need to restart it
Thanks for checking that. I’ve used the NextPVR plugin for Jellyfin and had a similar positive experience. I was just trying to suggest a way for people to keep using Plex and have a better experience than they are having now. The Play From Start issue is a huge problem. Another huge problem is when you record sports with extra time. Once the regularly scheduled time is over, Plex removes the playback UI and you then have to wait for the recording to completely finish before you can watch. In other words, you cannot start playback during that extra recording time. Plex has already said in a separate thread that this extra time issue is not a priority problem to fix.
My NextPVR work around solves both problems with the side annoyance of having to stop/restart periodically.
Crazy turn of events. I just got ATSC 3.0 today. I have a 55" Sony that I just got that has the tuner built in and it actually works! My 75" Sony is a couple years old and it doesn’t have that. I would like to watch and record in the better format. I am going to get an HDHR with the ATSC tuner for this so now I have some other DVR options.
Six months since this thread was started and still no end in sight to a basic DVR requirement being broken! How about some follow up please @elan
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6 mo? This is a Baby. here is a thread started in July 2018
Start Watching Recording in Progress from Beginning(Failing) - Live TV & DVR - Plex Forum
This problem has been around for a very long time
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I am well aware of that fact, as you can see from my previous posts. But it’s now six months since the last time they broke it and this thread was started. As paying customers I think we at least deserve an update?
I would keep tagging everyone who posts Android releases in the Announcements section…
Just to add my name to the list, I’ve experienced this problem the other night but on my firestick! Pressed watch from start and it just started in the middle of the show.
I am seeing a number issues pop up now using my firestick that just aren’t an issue on my Roku. Certainly doesn’t make me want to even think about picking a vanilla android tv device.
I am also having this problem: FireTV and Plex DVR.
I also would like to respectfully state my frustration that the Plex team has not addresses this. It was broken for years, briefly fixed around six months ago, and now is broken again. To me, that signals an ongoing development problem.
Please fix this. It is actually important – unlike the slew of new “features” and freemium content that the team seems to push every week.
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You would hope after six months (in this latest down period) of this most basic feature being broken a red warning light would be flashing on the senior management dashboard @elan Yet why do I get the feeling the bulb is broken.
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I have this problem too.
This company is one incredible gong show.
