Bridge

Keep DRM channels available by routing them through a compatible playback and capture path.

Enable Bridge mode
On: DRM-capable channels can stay active when an enabled bridge method supports their source. Off: they follow the normal disabled-DRM behavior, even if a method is configured.
Choose PrismCast Capture, HDMI Capture, and/or ah4c Capture below. When a hardware capture path and PrismCast can both serve a source, hardware capture is preferred.
Post-install Healthcheck
Checks Bridge mode, the FastChannels Player device, HDMI Capture—including a small capture-payload sample from inside Docker—and ah4c tuners without tuning a channel or changing a device. For a deliberate end-to-end tune, use Live bridge test. PrismCast keeps its own deeper capture test below.
First-time setup: after enabling a bridge method, run a Stream Audit for each source you intend to bridge. The audit detects DRM and marks eligible channels for bridge output; without it, existing channels may still look like ordinary or disabled streams. Open Sources and run audits →
Currently enabled bridge-compatible sources
Amazon Prime Free Channels ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 187 ready Fubo TV ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 37 ready NBCUniversal TVE ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 8 ready PBS ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 4 ready Sling Freestream ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 471 ready The Roku Channel ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 340 ready Vidaa Free TV ah4c Multi-Tuner Capture 12 ready
Choose a bridge method
Bridge mode keeps DRM-capable channels active for any enabled capture path. HDMI Capture and ah4c Capture use the FastChannels Player companion app on an Android TV or Fire TV device. When hardware capture and PrismCast Capture are both available, hardware capture is preferred for its verified sources.
ah4c Capture
Best for multi-tuner setups

Use this when several tuners or encoders may run at once. ah4c assigns each tune to its own device and capture path, so concurrent sessions do not steal one another’s player.

ah4c Capture setup guide ↗ ah4c documentation ↗
HDMI Capture
Single stream

Best for a budget, one-stream setup: one Android/Fire TV device and one fixed HDMI capture input. It cannot serve simultaneous channels.

HDMI Capture setup guide ↗
PrismCast Capture
Browser capture

Choose this for hardware-free Chrome capture. PrismCast plays DRM in a browser and captures it in software, avoiding a dedicated device and HDMI encoder.

PrismCast documentation ↗
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HDMI Capture Experimental Beta
Single stream — one FastChannels Player device captured through one fixed HDMI encoder
Best for one concurrent stream. The FastChannels Player companion app runs on a Fire TV or Android TV device; its HDMI output is captured back into your DVR through a fixed encoder URL.
Enable hardware capture
Enables the FastChannels Player companion app used by HDMI Capture and ah4c Capture. It only applies to verified DRM sources: Sling, NBCUniversal TVE, PBS, Amazon Prime (free), DirecTV Stream, Vidaa, Philo, Roku, and Fubo.
adb port (:5555) is derived automatically. Required for HDMI Capture; also retained as a compatibility fallback when ah4c does not name a tuner device.
Install pushes the app over ADB; it requires the device IP to be saved and ADB debugging enabled on the device.
Stop playback when nobody's watching
For HDMI Capture, stop playback after about five minutes without Channels DVR activity or a FastChannels /watch heartbeat. Leave this off for third-party clients pointed straight at an M3U. ah4c stops its assigned device through its own disconnect hook.
Show captions when available
Renders an English subtitle/CC track when available. Takes effect on the next tune.
Fixed capture stream
Set the stream produced by the one HDMI encoder. With Channels DVR’s native capture:// source, use that device channel’s stream URL.
Where the captured bridge stream is read after the Player device is triggered. If the capture device is in Channels DVR, use the picker below instead of copying an M3U entry by hand.
No camera source in Channels DVR yet?
Create a native USB/HDMI capture source in Channels DVR, then FastChannels will select its exported stream automatically. Confirm the new capture channel plays in Channels before relying on it for bridge playback.
Uses capture://v4l2/video0/hw:1,0/?framerate=60. Device names are from the computer running Channels DVR, not the FastChannels container.
Need to paste it manually instead? In Channels DVR, open Manage → Export → Copy M3U, open that URL, then copy the non-comment /stream.mpg line directly below your capture channel's #EXTINF entry. Paste it above and save.
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ah4c Capture Multi-tuner beta
Let ah4c allocate a tuner, FastChannels Player device, and encoder for each concurrent tune
Use ah4c when several channels may run at once or each Fire TV/Android TV has its own encoder. ah4c selects the assigned TUNERn_IP; the exported scripts forward that device address to FastChannels for every tune.
Enable ah4c Capture
Publishes a separate ah4c Capture M3U on the Feeds page. Each tune uses ah4c’s assigned tuner instead of the HDMI Capture stream.
Where ah4c is reachable. Its /play/tuner/<channel> endpoint is what the generated M3U points at.
Export the script set after updating FastChannels. It tells ah4c how to trigger the FastChannels Player companion app on its assigned device and confirm playback started.
Advanced: HDMI Capture device fallback
Normal ah4c operation uses its own TUNERn_IP values. The HDMI Capture device in the HDMI Capture card remains a compatibility fallback for an ah4c script that does not provide a tuner address.
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PrismCast Capture Browser capture
Route DRM channels through a PrismCast capture server so they play in Channels DVR
Enable PrismCast Capture
Use PrismCast's Chrome capture method for DRM-capable sources. Bridge mode above must also be enabled before its output is published.
Your PrismCast server (default port :5589). When both toggles are enabled, DRM channels go through PrismCast and everything else streams direct. Like the regular feed, it splits into a standard playlist at https://fastchannels.jjpshoppingchannel.duckdns.org/m3u/prismcast (pairs with /epg.xml) and a Gracenote one at https://fastchannels.jjpshoppingchannel.duckdns.org/m3u/prismcast/gracenote.
Where PrismCast's Chrome reaches this server's /watch pages. DRM needs a secure context: use loopback (http://127.0.0.1:5523) when PrismCast's Chrome runs on the same host as FastChannels' published port, such as a native/Homebrew PrismCast install with FastChannels in Docker. Use trusted HTTPS when PrismCast runs on another host. Blank reuses the Server URL.
A plain http:// LAN IP isn't a secure context — DRM won't decrypt.
Caps the video variant loaded by the browser before PrismCast captures it. Lower this on underpowered servers if DRM streams black out or PrismCast reports buffering/recovery.
Bridge feed outputs
After configuring a method, add its generated Bridge M3U from the Feeds page alongside your regular feed. The standard feed excludes bridge-only DRM channels, so importing both is expected.