Xfinity & Netflix

[NetworkGuy]

It seems as thought Xfinity is starting to bundle Netflix with their packages.

It got me to wondering if there would be a way to record Netflix shows with SageTV.

Does anyone currently have Netflix though Xfinity? What have been your experiences?

Thanks,
John

[Tiki]

I don’t have Netflix, but I believe you have to be using the X1 system from Comcast for this feature. Netflix then appears as an app through the menus of the X1 cable box. You should be able to record it’s through Sage BUT I don’t see how you could automate the process.

You won’t be able to tune to Netflix using an IR blaster (unless you want to try scripting a bunch of arrow and enter button presses that could change from day to day). Also there won’t be any guide data or equivalent that Sage could see, so no way to select what you want to watch / record through the Sage interface, or name the recordings or attach metadata automatically.

It will probably function similar to on demand content. Your only way to get it into Sage would be to start a manual or timed recording on some channel that is associated with the cable box (you could create a dummy channel for this with no data), then use the Comcast remote to navigate to what you want to watch (this will be painful, since there will be a delay of several seconds between button presses on the remote and what Sage sees). After the recording is complete you may be able to manually update the metadata.

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by Tiki

I don’t have Netflix, but I believe you have to be using the X1 system from Comcast for this feature. Netflix then appears as an app through the menus of the X1 cable box. You should be able to record it’s through Sage BUT I don’t see how you could automate the process.

You won’t be able to tune to Netflix using an IR blaster (unless you want to try scripting a bunch of arrow and enter button presses that could change from day to day). Also there won’t be any guide data or equivalent that Sage could see, so no way to select what you want to watch / record through the Sage interface, or name the recordings or attach metadata automatically.

It will probably function similar to on demand content. Your only way to get it into Sage would be to start a manual or timed recording on some channel that is associated with the cable box (you could create a dummy channel for this with no data), then use the Comcast remote to navigate to what you want to watch (this will be painful, since there will be a delay of several seconds between button presses on the remote and what Sage sees). After the recording is complete you may be able to manually update the metadata.

I have Comcast Xfinity with the X1 box and this is exactly how it works now. Netflix is an app on the box and you still need a separate Netflix account.

I think in the future this will not be the case.

[NetworkGuy]

Since I only have one X1 Box, I would be forced to watch Netflix only in that location. If I could record it, I could play it back at any extender.

[VCRUser]

Record it with PlayOn to a folder on your Sage server, then watch through Sage.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by VCRUser

Record it with PlayOn to a folder on your Sage server, then watch through Sage.

I do that for a lot of shows that I miss. Don't know if it would work for Nextflix through Xfinity.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

I do that for a lot of shows that I miss. Don't know if it would work for Nextflix through Xfinity.

It wouldn't work to record from Xfinity but I don't see why that matters as you need a PC running SageTV as a Sage server and that box can run PlayOn, as long as it is Windows. It is far easier to just record directly to your server. The only thing needed is a PlayOn license.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by wayner

It wouldn't work to record from Xfinity but I don't see why that matters as you need a PC running SageTV as a Sage server and that box can run PlayOn, as long as it is Windows. It is far easier to just record directly to your server. The only thing needed is a PlayOn license.

That works if you have a Nextflix subscription. If it is bundled with Xfinity, it might be cheaper.

[rrhorer]

I have Comcast/xfinity and was recording from Netflix -> Roku -> hdmi-to-component converter -> HD-PVR and, then, from ts to mp4 using HandBrake on my UnRaid server. After reading posts in this thread, I remembered my PlayOn purchase from long ago. I upgraded for $10 to get the desktop recording feature; and we'll see -- I'm doing my first PlayOn recording as I post to this thread. Anything should be better than the convoluted method I was using. Even though it worked, what a pain.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

That works if you have a Nextflix subscription. If it is bundled with Xfinity, it might be cheaper.

Ok - I was assuming that you still needed a regular, standalone Netflix sub even though you are viewing it on a Comcast box.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by wayner

Ok - I was assuming that you still needed a regular, standalone Netflix sub even though you are viewing it on a Comcast box.

You do now, but Comcast's announcement said they are going to bundle it into some of their packages. I just assumed that you would not have a Netflix login.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

You do now, but Comcast's announcement said they are going to bundle it into some of their packages. I just assumed that you would not have a Netflix login.

Unless it cost next to nothing you would want a Netflix login so that you could also use Netflix on your phone, tablet, PCs, Xox, etc. Having a Netflix account restricted to only your Comcast boxes is not great, unless you have no interest in using Netflix on other devices or when outside of your home.

[rrhorer]

So, PlayOn worked as advertised with Netflix (although I've only done one Netflix recording) but has failed all attempts with Amazon, both rentals and Prime videos. This is very disappointing because I had hoped to solve the problem of not watching the full movie before the rental period expires, something that has happened all too often for one reason or another. PlayOn advertises as follows:

PlayOn Desktop is a streaming video recorder that lets you record any streaming video from Amazon Video (and hundreds of other streaming sites) from your PC – it's similar to how a DVR works for your TV. Amazon videos are recorded and saved as .mp4 files to the hard drive on your PC computer. You can then easily cast/stream to your TV using a variety of streaming devices or a gaming console. You will be able to easily move your .mp4 recordings to any device to watch any time – even offline.

[ranger]

Don't know why or if it is just my imagination, but I have had fewer failures if I just leave my Chrome browser open on the PC running PlayOn.

[NetworkGuy]

I have used PlayOn to record lost of Prime Videos without any problems.

[VCRUser]

On the PlayOn forum, various problems with Amazon are under discussion. I have PlayOn on 2 computers and what works on one doesn't necessarily work on the other. For some people, the Amazon issue seems related to Amazon's 2-factor authentication settings. I have that turned off and my Amazon results seem to be more related to which computer I use.

Xfinity is problematic all around, as it's hard to keep my Xfinity login active. Even though PlayOn is supposed to handle the login I find that after a while my login expires and I have to go in manually, via IE, and log in on the computer I'm going to use. After I do that I can successfully record via PlayOn for a week or two before having to repeat the process.

[rrhorer]

My problem with PlayOn appears to have been CPU related -- my relatively old AMD FX 6100 six core at 3.3 GHz apparently doesn't have enough power to support PlayOn on full HD or while multitasking. I had to change the "Maximum video quality" setting from "Auto" (the default) to "High" and could not perform other tasks while recording was in progress. Otherwise, it would record for a while but ultimately fail every time. It would finish on the "High" setting if I did nothing else while it was recording.

If I didn't have to get another Windows license, I'd attempt to set up a VM in my unRAID server to handle PlayOn recordings.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by rrhorer

If I didn't have to get another Windows license, I'd attempt to set up a VM in my unRAID server to handle PlayOn recordings.

You can install and use Win10 without a license for "evaluation" purposes and it will work indefinitely. You won't be able to easily customize the background screen or do a few other things and there will be an unactivated watermark, but other than that it works.

https://www.howtogeek.com/244678/you...se-windows-10/

[rrhorer]

Thanks. I'll definitely look into it.

[lewispm]

Originally Posted by wayner

You can install and use Win10 without a license for "evaluation" purposes and it will work indefinitely. You won't be able to easily customize the background screen or do a few other things and there will be an unactivated watermark, but other than that it works.

I'm currently evaluating Win10 on a VM for PlayOn and it has a fatal DRM issue, which I think is directly related to unlicensed Windows. I have Playon on a windows box working until I get it figured out, but I think the lack of a license is my problem.

And then I have to figure out how to get playon browser working on Phoenix/unRaid...