# Crackle



## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

Has anyone found a good way to watch the Crackle channel on TV? Can get it thru Roku, but the UI is virtually unusable.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

How about a Plex channel(if you use Plex)?


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

I have tested the Crackle channel through Plex - seems to work ok. Of course a stand alone app that was part of TiVo search would be significantly better.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Yeah, I sometimes use the Crackle channel in Plex on my Roamio. On the one hand, it only offers SD video (I think because the Plex channel is somehow scraping the video feed from Crackle.com, which only offers SD). The Crackle app on some devices, like my Apple TV 3, offers HD video (although it's not super-great quality HD but, ya know, as good as some HD basic cable channels). On the other hand, the Plex channel seems to bypass Crackle's ad-insertion function, so you're not forced to watch ads like you are at either Crackle.com or in a Crackle app!

Also: the Crackle channel in Plex has a weird bug so that it won't play any title that begins with a numeral. Try streaming the movies "21" or "7 Seconds".

Anyhow, Crackle has long had their app available on smart TV platforms, including Samsung Smart TV, which is HTML5 based. (The new HBO GO app for TiVo appears to be a simple port of their existing Samsung Smart TV app.) Crackle has an app for just about every device out there -- even the handheld PlayStation Vita, for heaven's sake! I don't see why they can't port their smart TV app over to TiVo, which could then add their content into OnePass.

Crackle has a legitimately decent selection of films and they're now getting into the original series game with The Art of More as well as Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. For us cord-cutters especially, it would be a sweet little addition to TiVo.


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## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

Just installed Plex, but I don't see Crackle anywhere. Am I missing something?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

opus472 said:


> Just installed Plex, but I don't see Crackle anywhere. Am I missing something?


You install channels, such as Plex, within the Plex Media Server software on the computer acting as your Plex server, not in the Plex app on TiVo. See here:

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201053758-Adding-Removing-and-Updating-a-Channel

You may also find this thread useful:
http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=533364


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## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

Thanks Nash. I can get to Plex server's Install Channels ok, but then I don't see Crackle anywhere in the Channel Directory. A search for Crackle comes up with No Matches Found.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

opus472 said:


> Thanks Nash. I can get to Plex server's Install Channels ok, but then I don't see Crackle anywhere in the Channel Directory. A search for Crackle comes up with No Matches Found.


Hmm. Let's just browse for it.

From the main Plex server page, click Channels on the left side nav column, then the orange Install Channels button, which brings you to the Channel Directory. In the left side nav column, click Categories, then Video. You should see a group of channel plug-ins then, with Crackle being the 8th one in order.


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## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

Thanks Nash. I somehow managed to click on everything but this. Meanwhile, the Crackle interface still looks to be the absolute worst in the industry. They must stay up late nights figuring out ways to make it even less intuitive.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

The only reason I still have that horrid excuse of an app on my Roku is so that I don't completely forget that Crackle exists and that I can watch the crackle channel on plex whenever comedians in cars has new eps.


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## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

Unfortunately, Crackle's Plex UI isn't much better than the Roku. I sent an email to Crackle asking if they stayed up late nights figuring out new and diabolical ways to make their interface as unintuitive and unusable as possible. They responded with a polite thank-you and said they would immediately forward this to their developers. I'm debating whether to hold my breath. Likely a bad idea.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

opus472 said:


> Unfortunately, Crackle's Plex UI isn't much better than the Roku. I sent an email to Crackle asking if they stayed up late nights figuring out new and diabolical ways to make their interface as unintuitive and unusable as possible. They responded with a polite thank-you and said they would immediately forward this to their developers. I'm debating whether to hold my breath. Likely a bad idea.


There is now a flag in the crackle code for your username.


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## opus472 (Jul 4, 2007)

TonyD79 said:


> There is now a flag in the crackle code for your username.


Oooo, thanks, I'm honored!


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

opus472 said:


> Unfortunately, Crackle's Plex UI isn't much better than the Roku.


The plex crackle channel is a helluva lot better. Just not auto-playing a random video I have no interest in as soon as it loads makes it a helluva lot better. And while the UI is far from modern, it is easy to find what needs to be found. Finally, The ads don't play at all, which by itself, would make it a helluva lot better than the roku channel.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

scandia101 said:


> The plex crackle channel is a helluva lot better. Just not auto-playing a random video I have no interest in as soon as it loads makes it a helluva lot better. And while the UI is far from modern, it is easy to find what needs to be found. Finally, The ads don't play at all, which by itself, would make it a helluva lot better than the roku channel.


Yeah, only downside is it's only SD on the Plex channel. The Crackle app gives you HD (at least on my old Apple TV).


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