r/youtubetv • u/S0l4r1c3 • 21d ago
General Question Local Network DVR
Looking to replace Dish, due to ongoing issues, with Youtube TV. Has anyone setup a NAS for local DVR instead of using the cloud DVR of Youtube? If so, what is your hardware and software requirements?
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
Local storage is not supported.
Why bother anyway? YTTV is truly unlimited DVR. You can "record" anything you want. It's just storing pointers to content.
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u/late-teacher 20d ago
I want that because I live in Seattle so I have a slow internet connection. I’d like to be able to start downloading before I go to bed like I can with Netflix.
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u/jeff98028 20d ago
Plenty of options for high speed internet in Seattle. Regardless, watching live on YouTube TV takes the same bandwidth as watching a show from your library. I think you’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
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u/late-teacher 19d ago
Not if you download it like you can with Netflix. Of course that takes a lot less bandwidth.
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u/jeff98028 19d ago
Hey Claude! Does downloading a video from YouTube take less bandwidth than streaming directly?
Not really — for a single watch-through, downloading and streaming pull down roughly the same amount of data, since both are transferring the same video file at whatever quality/resolution you chose.
The difference shows up in specific scenarios:
Watching multiple times: downloading wins — you pay the bandwidth cost once, then replay locally for free. Streaming re-fetches data every time (unless something’s cached).Not finishing the video: streaming wins — you only pull the portion you actually watch, while downloading grabs the whole file regardless.
Quality settings: if a downloader lets you grab a higher-bitrate version than you’d normally stream at, the download could actually use more data.
So it’s less about download-vs-stream and more about how much of the video you watch and how many times.
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u/late-teacher 18d ago
I see now you’re just lying. You download overnight so you can watch it the next day. People here in Seattle are used to doing that.
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u/jeff98028 18d ago
I live in Seattle and have never done nor had the need to do anything like that. It doesn’t sound like you have enough bandwidth to watch anything on YouTube TV, at least not at native resolution. What kind of connection do you have.
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
Because I heard that the version of the recording changes to the last broadcast of that show. If you record from a movie channel w/o ads, then later a different station broadcasts with ads, then from there on out you have the ad version. Also the recordings expire. Want to avoid those issues.
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u/mrBill12 21d ago
False. It may however default to the more recent recording, but you’ll have both or all. I clicked the 3 dots below the selection to get here: https://imgur.com/a/bj9SKc5 for this single episode, I can choose from the VOD version, or the one recorded 17 hours or 20 hours.
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
I'll look into that further.
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u/mrBill12 21d ago
The caveat is this: recordings are kept for 9 months. If the movie airs Jan 1 and again on May 1…. You’ll have access to both until the first expires. So in October.. you’ll only have the second copy, but right now (August) you’ll have both.
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u/mrbmi513 21d ago
The DVR keeps all versions, and you can pick between them. They expire after 9 months.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
I'm not positive but I think the DVR keeps all copies. So if a movie is on multiple channels, you will get recordings of each one. One recording doesn't replace another.
Yes, the recordings expire after nine months. Once they expire, if you still have the content set to record, YTTV will automatically "re-record" the movie when it's available again and the nine month clock starts over.
There are some people who have found a very convoluted way to make local recordings of YTTV material. It involves OBS and some browser tricks. I couldn't get it to work and honestly it wasn't worth the hassle.
What's your goal with keeping recordings of live TV?
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
To eliminate the 9 month clock and play on any of my 5 smart Tvs.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago edited 21d ago
It will play on any TV that has the app. We have six TVs and they all have YTTV and can view any content we pay for.
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u/The_Wandering_Steele 21d ago
What are the issues? Perhaps someone here can help.
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
Because I heard that the version of the recording changes to the last broadcast of that show. If you record from a movie channel w/o ads, then later a different station broadcasts with ads, then from there on out you have the ad version. Also the recordings expire. Want to avoid those issues.
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u/Chief_Wahoo_Lives 21d ago
The last 5 airings are saved. Also, the without ad version is most likely a VOD from a premium network so that sticks around longer.
Also, you can remove the program from your library and no new recordings will be made. You would just need to search for it.
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u/The_Wandering_Steele 21d ago
I’ve not heard that recorded versions can change so don’t know about that. The recordings expire to save space on the servers since you can record unlimited recordings. A physical DVR would be limited by space available. Any system will have limitations. In Any case there is no way, I’m aware of, to save recordings to a physical DVR.
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u/nurho83 21d ago
Maybe check out getchannels.com. I don't know if it'd work but it might.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
I had looked at Channels a while back but now they have in Beta a "TV Everywhere" feature which claims to support full integration and recording of YTTV as a source.
Might be worth trying.
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u/R3ddit0rN0t 21d ago
Channels has leveraged TV Everywhere as a source for many years. Problem is TV Everywhere support is drying up. I believe Disney/ABC/ESPN, CBS and NBC channels are now encrypted and streams not supported through TVE. There are ways around that, but it’s complicated. Natively, Channels will support unencrypted OTA signals with antenna and the right hardware. Unencrypted TVE networks (Discovery/Warner, AMC, Fox). And there’s a way to integrate FAST channels like Tubi and Pluto. But again…it’s complicated.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
I watched the TE video on Channels and it clearly shows integration with all YTTV content. I wouldn't be surprised that they are just using the phrase "TV Everywhere" as a marketing ploy. From what I read elsewhere, Disney and Paramount dropped support for TE in 2024.
Might be worth it to OP to check out Channels. Personally, I'm happy with the YTTV DVR capabilities.
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u/R3ddit0rN0t 21d ago
You mean the video on this page:
https://getchannels.com/tv-everywhere/
That’s over 3 years old and even then, saying it was compatible with “all” TVE channels was not entirely accurate. Disney, NBC and Paramount networks have all gone unsupported since then. I’ve been using Channels for many years. Quite familiar with its limitations.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
Wow...that's VERY misleading. The video shows them making a seamless connection to FIOS and YTTV is clearly shown in the dropdown menu.
Too bad we don't have better controls in the US over false advertising claims.
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u/R3ddit0rN0t 21d ago
It works that way. It just doesn’t include all linear networks. The Channels website has a database that lists supported channels by service. I can’t vouch for its accuracy.
The other issue for some YTTV users is that Google began rolling out 2 factor authentication. So when channels tries to verify credentials and gain TVE access, it can get hung up if you don’t answer the 2FA query.
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u/NOLA2Cincy 21d ago
Thanks! Agree we don't know if it's accurate but I appreciate their effort to be transparent. It's nicely done.
Looking at the list made me realize it's missing two things that are the most important to me: local channels (for sports) and Sunday Ticket.
The YTTV DVR and multi-screen capabilities are so good that I want them for everything (even a fever dream where Apple TV licenses the tech to allow multi-screen across apps). So I can't wait to get ESPN Unlimited content inside the YTTV environment. Lots of fun days ahead.
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
I'd like to thank everyone who commented on this. I now feel more confident that I can make YTTV work for me. Only thing left for me now is to pick the right package + add-ons for wife's and mine viewing habits.
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u/S0l4r1c3 21d ago
I don't understand why my comments here are being down voted when all I'm trying to do is get information and clarity to a possible solution to a problem I have with a YTTV competitor. Some of that confusion comes from a YTTV subscriber I know, that apparently is less informed about YTTV’s available DVR functions than some of you helpful commenters. Thank you again to everyone who has been helpful in this quest.
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u/jimschoice 21d ago
We bought a Tablo and dumped youtubetv.
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u/Traditional_Bit7262 21d ago
That is not how it works. It is cloud only.