Lifetime plex pass.
Running plex server: 1.8.1.4139 set to “plex pass” release channel.
DVR/live tv configured on the server and working on android and web apps for me.
Today I added my wife to plex home but could not get any live tv on her ipad (feature doesn’t show up in UI).
Not sure the app version but it is fully up to date as of today (Aug 20, 2017).
I checked under her user and my user (through user switching), neither user showed the program guide.
I tried clearing the cache from plex ios app settings but no luck getting program guide to show up.
Eventually I deleted the app and reinstalled.
Now the live tv feature is there, but only for my user.
My wife’s user doesn’t have access to live TV.
Is this a bug or a limitation of Plex Home versus independent plex pass accounts?
I’m starting to fear plex is leaving new developments for DVR for dead like they do with so many of the plex pass announced features. I really really hope scheduling/recording and live TV becomes shareable features for friends and home users. Otherwise DVR is worthless for me.
On another note - it also needs a channel matrix EPG for scheduling and most of all: a MANUAL recording option. As it is now I have several channels where EPG is not available, and I can’t record from these. This is a glaring omission in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing your insights. I couldn’t find this in any of the plex docs…is it an undocumented/unexpected “feature” that is only clarified in the forums? Just wondering where you got your info so I can make sure I am reading the right places.
Would love to hear from plex on this officially: specifically whether this is a missing feature due to the newness of the live tv functionality or if it is intended to be this way.
I imagine the reason for only the “Admin” account being able to use the DVR is to do with the Tuner.
Allocation of priority on the Tuner can be a PITA if multiples of your users are fighting for control (imagine being a group of people watching a single TV but all having their own remote control for it).
Then further problems would be introduced by adding automatic scheduled recording into that mix.
It is simpler just to lock it so that only the master account can “Select” the channels.
Well, it doesn’t seem like locking out the tuner would be that difficult, since everything is handled through the Plex Media Server. The only issue from that perspective would be the possibility that somebody else might “swoop in” while you’re simply viewing the Live TV guide to switch channels. Not really a technical limitation so much as a user experience issue, but since at least some of the Plex platforms like the Apple TV provide “channel surfing” right from the live viewing screen, that doesn’t seem like much of an issue either.
On the other hand, I also don’t think letting other users have access to Live TV is as simple as flipping a switch, so there’s probably more coding required to make sure it all works properly. In the very least, Plex would need to build in the necessary admin controls to control who has access to Live TV and/or DVR functions, and probably even the ability to control which channels — useful for parental control purposes, for instance.
However, considering the sluggishness of the Live TV interface right now, I’d much rather see Plex work on improving that aspect before worrying about sharing it with multiple users. Plex is far from my “go to” app for watching live TV — even when it works, I find it takes up to 30 seconds to tune in a live TV channel. By contrast, the “Channels” app for iOS and tvOS can tune in a live channel from the same HDHomeRun tuner almost instantly.
@mattpr said:
Lifetime plex pass.
Running plex server: 1.8.1.4139 set to “plex pass” release channel.
DVR/live tv configured on the server and working on android and web apps for me.
Today I added my wife to plex home but could not get any live tv on her ipad (feature doesn’t show up in UI).
Not sure the app version but it is fully up to date as of today (Aug 20, 2017).
I checked under her user and my user (through user switching), neither user showed the program guide.
I tried clearing the cache from plex ios app settings but no luck getting program guide to show up.
Eventually I deleted the app and reinstalled.
Now the live tv feature is there, but only for my user.
My wife’s user doesn’t have access to live TV.
Is this a bug or a limitation of Plex Home versus independent plex pass accounts?
If you have a silicondust tuner, Use this Plex channel for the time being in order to share Live TV:
I’ve been using the HD Grand Slam channel on Plex to watch live TV for about a year now. Works great for any user, local or remote, in any Plex client - and it’s easier to find the channel I’m looking for than using what they have come up with in native Plex live TV. I have 4 HD Homerun boxes and the Plex channel will look at each one of them for an available tuner, and will release that tuner when the Plex channel is exited. Sure wish the native Plex live TV was this good…
