Roku Channels Bridge

There is a bug/issue with YouTube TV Build 237 that is not allowing Deeplinks tuning. I am working on a fix

Release: Beta 4.5.6

Official Configuration Guide

The only apps that are confirmed to work correctly are the YouTube TV and DirecTV apps.

This project provides a bridge that integrates your Roku devices as tuners within the Channels DVR software. It works by capturing the HDMI output from a Roku with a dedicated HDMI encoder and uses this script to manage channel changes and proxy the video stream.

This setup allows you to use streaming service channels (like those from YouTube TV, Philo, etc.) and on-demand apps (like Max and Netflix) just like traditional cable channels inside the Channels app.

Key Features

• Seamless Integration: Adds Roku-based channels directly into your Channels DVR guide.
• On-Demand App Streaming: A dedicated Pre-Tuning page allows you to launch any on-demand app, navigate to your content, and send the final video stream directly to Channels DVR, solving stream delay issues.
• Advanced Tuning Methods: Supports direct Deep Linking, custom Key-Sequence tuning, and an extensible Plugin System for apps that require complex navigation.
• Hide the Tuning Process: Use the Blanking Duration feature to show a black screen while the Roku tunes in the background, providing a seamless, professional viewing experience.
• Triple M3U Support: Generates three separate M3U playlists—one for Gracenote, one for custom XMLTV/EPG data, and a new one for On-Demand Apps.
• Web-Based Management: A built-in Status Page to monitor your devices and manage your entire configuration with an intuitive UI.
• Remote Control: A web-based Remote to control any of your configured Roku devices from a browser on your phone, tablet, or computer.
• Flexible Streaming Modes: Choose between proxy, remux, or an efficient audio-only reencode mode to ensure stream stability with minimal CPU usage. This can be set per-tuner.
• Hardware Acceleration: Automatically detects and uses NVIDIA (NVENC) or Intel (QSV) GPUs for video processing if available.
• Persistent Configuration: Uses a Docker volume to safely store your configuration, so it persists through container updates and restarts.

Installation

The application is distributed as a multi-architecture Docker image, ready to run.

Step 1: Pull the Docker Image

Open a terminal or PowerShell and pull the latest image from Docker Hub. For the new on-demand streaming version:

docker pull rcvaughn2/roku-ecp-tuner

Step 2: Run the Docker Container

Run the container using the command below. This command creates a persistent Docker volume named roku-bridge-config where your roku_channels.json and plugin files will be safely stored.

docker run -d  \
--name roku-channels-bridge  \
-p 5006:5000  \
-v roku-bridge-config:/app/config  \
--restart unless-stopped  \
rcvaughn2/roku-ecp-tuner

Note on GPU Acceleration (Linux): If you need hardware acceleration for the reencode mode, add the --device=/dev/dri flag to the docker run command.

Step 3: Configure Your Tuners & Channels

1. Open your web browser and navigate to the Status & Configuration Page: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/status
2. Use the intuitive web interface to:
   • Add Your Tuners: Click "Add Tuner" and fill in the details for each Roku and HDMI encoder pair.
   • Add Your Live Channels: Add your Gracenote and Custom EPG channels.
   • Add Your On-Demand Apps: Add apps like Max, Netflix, etc., to be used with the pre-tuning feature.
   • Save Changes: Once everything is configured, click the "Save All Changes" button.

The server will automatically reload with your new configuration. Your setup is now complete.

Usage

Channels DVR Setup

This bridge generates three M3U playlist files. The URLs are conveniently displayed on the Status page.

• Gracenote M3U URL: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/channels.m3u
• Custom EPG M3U URL: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/epg_channels.m3u
• On-Demand M3U URL: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/ondemand.m3u

To add a source, open your Channels DVR server settings, go to "Sources," click "+ Add Source," choose "Custom Channels," and enter the desired M3U URL.

Using the Playlist Feature (Optional)

You can organize your live TV channels into smaller, more manageable groups by using the playlist feature. This allows you to generate M3U files that only contain a specific subset of your channels.

1. Assign Channels to a Playlist:

   • On the Status & Config page, edit a Gracenote or EPG channel.
   • In the "Playlist Name" field, enter a name (e.g., YTTV, Philo, Sports).
   • Save the channel and repeat for all other channels you want in that group.

2. Generate a Filtered M3U URL:

   • To get an M3U file for only the channels in a specific playlist, add ?playlist=<playlist_name> to the end of the standard M3U URL.
   • The playlist name is case-sensitive and must exactly match what you entered in the channel settings.

   Examples:

   • http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/channels.m3u?playlist=YTTV
   • http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/epg_channels.m3u?playlist=Philo

   You can add each filtered URL as a separate "Custom Channels" source in Channels DVR, making it easier to manage large numbers of channels.

Web Interface

• Status & Config Page: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/status
  • Monitor the online/offline status of your Rokus and encoders.
  • Add, edit, and delete all tuners, channels, and on-demand apps.
  • Download or upload your configuration file.
• Remote Control: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/remote
  • A full-featured remote for any configured Roku.
• On-Demand Pre-Tuning: http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/pretune
  • A "Mission Control" page to launch on-demand apps and send them to Channels DVR.

Using the On-Demand Pre-Tuning Feature

This feature allows you to stream content from any non-live TV app (like Max, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) to Channels DVR. It solves the issue of stream delays by letting you prepare the content before sending it to your DVR.

1. Add Your Apps: On the main Status page, add the on-demand apps you want to use.
2. Open the Pre-Tune Page: Navigate to http://<IP_OF_DOCKER_HOST>:5006/pretune. The page will automatically lock the first available tuner and start a live video preview.
3. Launch an App: Select an app from the dropdown menu to launch it on the Roku.
4. Navigate and Play: Use the on-screen remote controls (or the full remote on a desktop) to navigate the app and start playing the movie or show you want to watch.
5. Send to Channels: Once the content is playing in the preview window, click the "Send to Channels DVR" button.
6. Tune In: Go to your Channels DVR app and tune to the "On-Demand Stream" channel. The content you selected will begin playing from the start.

Advanced Tuning Methods (For Live TV)

For apps that don't support direct deep-linking, you have two powerful options.

1. Key Sequence Tuning

Define a sequence of remote control commands to navigate to the correct channel after an app has launched.

• Tune Delay: Pauses the script after launching the app to give it time to load before sending commands. (Default: 1s)
• Blanking Duration: Shows a black screen for a set number of seconds to hide the tuning process from view.

2. Plugin System

For even more complex tuning logic, you can use app-specific Python plugins.

Configuration File (roku_channels.json)

While all settings can be managed through the web interface, the configuration is stored in a roku_channels.json file.

tuners Section

• name: A friendly name for the device pair.
• roku_ip: The IP address of the Roku device.
• encoder_url: The full URL of the video stream from the HDMI encoder.

ondemand_apps Section

"ondemand_apps": [
    {
      "name": "Max",
      "id": "max_app",
      "roku_app_id": "8378"
    },
    {
      "name": "Netflix",
      "id": "netflix_app",
      "roku_app_id": "13"
    }
]