Update (March 2020):

Get Live TV and 48 hours of guide data free for the next 90 days (through June), no Plex Pass needed! DVR recording will continue to require a Plex Pass subscription.

Tip!: Setting up and using a DVR for Live TV is a premium feature and requires an active Plex Pass subscription.

If you have a Plex DVR set up, not only can you record content, but you can also watch it live on supported Plex apps! So, now you can watch live TV on your lunch break, the commute to work, or while lying in bed where you don’t otherwise have a TV.

Prerequisites

Supported Apps and Plex Media Server

The following Plex apps currently support watching live TV from your Plex DVR:

Amazon Fire TV

Android (mobile)

Android TV

Apple TV

Chromecast*

iOS

macOS (desktop)

PlayStation 4

Plex Media Player

Plex Web App

Roku

Smart TV (LG 4K/UHD [webOS 2.0+], Samsung 2016+ UHD)

Windows (desktop)

Xbox One

* Live TV on Chromecast is supported for casting from iOS and the web app in a Chrome browser.

We’ll continue working to bring support to more apps as we move forward. Full Live TV support (including time shifting) requires Plex Media Server v1.8.0 or newer and you must set up the DVR in your server.

Related Page:

Related Page:

How to Watch Live TV

Watching live TV is super simple. When browsing the Program Guide in a supported app, if the item is currently airing, then you’ll have the option to Watch in addition to Record . The specifics can vary from app to app, but as an example, here’s how it works in iOS:

Open the Program Guide and you’ll see On Right Now content

Choose an item to watch and you’ll see details

Hit the Play button to start playing that item live

During playback, you can hit the button at the bottom right to see other content currently airing, allowing you to quickly switch to it



Similarly on Android TV, you can browse the Program Guide and then Watch from the item preplay screen.





Allowing Plex Home members to watch Live TV

If you run a Plex Home, you can choose to allow members of your Home to also watch Live TV. This is done through the Restrictions tab when sharing with a user. When creating or editing a sharing invitation:

Go to the Restrictions tab in the sharing window for the Plex Home member Enable the Allow access to Live TV option

Save the changes

After that, the Plex Home member will be able to access Live TV in supported apps. They do not get access to DVR scheduling.

Tip!: Remember that the ability to share access to Live TV is available only to members of your Plex Home.

Related Page: Plex Home

Related Page:

Limitations

There are some limitations when watching live TV currently: