With Shield TV getting the update to Android TV Oreo, there’s a good opportunity for Plex to make its Live TV/DVR features a centerpiece for this platform. Unfortunately, access to LiveTV (aka “Guide”) is buried way down on the Plex app home screen.
Unless there’s a plan to completely overhaul the Android TV client UI (which I would not mind seeing, to be honest), here are a few things I thought of while playing around post-Oreo upgrade, that I think might make Plex more engaging on the Shield TV:
- Move the Guide button up to the top to have equal billing with the media libraries
- Integrate the grid guide
- Allow management of recordings from the Shield TV app
- Provide a Live TV channel for the Oreo launcher page
It would be nice if we could favorite local OTA channels, and if plex had a “Favorite OTA Channels” android channel to add to the home screen (it would also be nice if clicking on a channel launches it opposed to resulting in a “couldn’t tune channel”, but that’s another subject)
I think we probably get 40 or so OTA channels but only watch 2 or 3, so if it does show all then it would be nice to at least sort the list by usage
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I too am not a big fan of the large separation between libraries and livetv on the app. I anxiously await the new guide.
Once the grid guide gets the bugs worked out I’m sure they will have a favorites list.
This has just been released in beta
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Interesting. I just applied to the Beta and have it on my phone, but haven’t been home yet (away on business) to look at my Shield. Although don’t think I want to run beta on the main TV, and not sure I want to setup a different Google account to test beta on my phone either.
Many of us are still waiting for channel surfing though. Changing a channel still takes forever. Thinking of using HDHomeRun app for watching live TV, but that means exiting out and going to Plex (or using mobile app) to record something. Only other option would be to subscribe to the HDHR DVR until Plex actually becomes the “Best DVR Available” that they claim to already be.
Sounds like maybe you don’t want to be in the beta then, unless as you say, you separate your Google Accounts. This change is in the release version of the app now anyways (7.4).
I can’t speak directly to the other suggestions, but we are still working on improving the Live TV experience.
Yeah, I know. I might end up switching to a different account and just beta test on my phone. Unless I find the the beta releases are fairly stable (past functionality/features). Although I did have the latest version 7.3 client (just before 7.4 came out) on my Shield crash on me the other day.
I agree. I actually requested this a couple months ago Additional channel for live TV in Android 8.0 TV interface . I would love it if the live tv channel auto tuned like the newsfeed channel does.
