Share Live TV through Home DVR

Choose the live flow

Live TV sharing uses a connected Home DVR service to share a supported live channel. Its entry points use the SharePlay label. This is different from a title-based Watch Party, where each participant resolves a movie or episode from their own permitted source.

A working live share needs more than a visible SharePlay button: the Home DVR service must be reachable, the active profile must be eligible and the source must permit sharing. Odyssey supplies no channels or media rights.

Before you start

Complete Home DVR setup first. Check the current source and sharing permission. A source can permit playback without permitting recording or sharing; those are separate capabilities.

For a programme-specific action, sharing is available while that programme is on air. A future programme can be scheduled for recording where allowed, but that does not make it a currently live share.

Use an HTTPS server address your devices can reach and trust. Remote guests must also be able to reach the intended server. A local-only address is not automatically reachable outside your network.

Start from a live channel

1. Open Live and choose the intended channel.
2. Open the channel’s action or context menu and choose SharePlay via Home DVR, where available.
3. Review the Home DVR action screen and any source or permission message. The programme’s Record & Share entry point can also open the recording/sharing actions.
4. Use the sharing action offered for that current source. If the link-creation screen appears, review Expires After and choose Create Link.
5. Wait for the current invitation or QR code before sharing it with the intended viewer.

On Apple TV, use the remote to open the focused channel’s context menu. On touch devices, use the channel’s context action. On Mac (Catalyst), use the channel’s secondary-click context menu. These instructions cover the Mac Catalyst player. The Mac Home DVR companion is the separate recording-service application.

Show the invitation again

Open Settings → SharePlay & Watch Party. Under Live TV SharePlay, an active share shows Show QR & Link. This lets you retrieve the current invitation without starting a title Watch Party.

The guest can open the invitation or choose Open Invitation or Shared Link in the same settings category. The shared-link view presents the HTTPS server for review and, for a recognised live share, a Play action.

The share screen warns that anyone with the link can watch until it expires or is revoked. Share it only with intended viewers and in accordance with source permissions. The invitation is a scoped service-access mechanism; it is not a grant of provider subscription rights or legal permission to redistribute content.

Worked example

An adult account holder has permission to share a live community event through a configured source. They open the channel, choose SharePlay via Home DVR and verify that sharing is available. Once the invitation appears, they send it to the intended viewer.

Later they need to display the QR code again. They use Show QR & Link under Live TV SharePlay. At the end of the event they choose Stop Live Sharing rather than just closing the QR screen.

Stop or change the share

Choose Stop Live Sharing under Live TV SharePlay. The Home DVR sharing screens also expose Stop Sharing for a current link. Stopping and letting a link expire both end that link’s availability, but closing the share sheet is not the same as revoking it.

Check the result before creating a replacement link. If you need a different source or programme, return to the intended channel and let the app recheck its access.

Common problems and questions

No SharePlay action: verify the profile, Home DVR availability and source access. The action is conditional.

“Sharing is unavailable for this source”: review the configured permission. A playback-capable source is not necessarily shareable.

The guest cannot reach the server: check the HTTPS address, certificate and network route from the guest’s location. Do not disable certificate checks to force a connection.

The stream ended: check whether its link expired, was revoked or its service/source became unavailable.

Can I use Start Watch Party instead? Use that for a movie or episode. The live-channel route and its Home DVR requirements are distinct.