Connect Odyssey to Home DVR

What Home DVR requires

Home DVR is a separate recording service that Odyssey connects to. It needs a supported host, writable recording storage, an authorised source and a trusted network connection. Installing the desktop companion does not by itself start a configured recording service.

Home DVR is available in the app version covered here. Cloud DVR, local Live Rewind and Catch Up are unavailable in this version.

Odyssey supplies no media. You must have permission to access, record and, if you use sharing, share the source concerned. Recording and sharing are separate permissions.

Prepare the service first

Use the Odyssey downloads page and the installation instructions for your host platform. Keep the host powered, connected and available when recordings are scheduled. Confirm that the selected storage has enough free space and remains accessible to the service.

For the Mac companion, Settings… opens the configuration window. It includes Installation folder, Recording storage (first install), Trusted HTTPS origin (existing TLS proxy), Install DVR, TLS / Account, Start DVR and Refresh Status.

Install DVR leaves the service stopped. TLS / Account provides certificate validation, account approval and DVR-login setup; those are prerequisites for connecting the player, not optional decoration. Follow the companion’s actual setup result before starting the service. A signed Mac installer being able to open is not proof that your server, storage and source configuration have passed a recording test.

Understand the server address

The app connects to HTTPS. The certificate must be valid, trusted by the client device and cover the address you enter. If the DVR backend listens with HTTP on port 3000, it needs a TLS proxy: enter that proxy’s HTTPS address and port in Odyssey.

Do not enter an HTTP backend address and expect the Trust toggle to disable certificate verification. Trusting an intended server and validating its certificate are separate checks.

A local certificate authority can require explicit trust on each client device. An address that works on the host computer may still be unreachable from the television or an outside network. Check the actual route each client will use.

Connect from the app

1. Use the intended connected Odyssey profile, then open Settings → DVR → Open Home DVR.
2. If a connection already exists, use Manage Connection to review it.
3. Enter Server address and, if necessary, Port (optional). Check the resulting HTTPS address shown below.
4. Enable Trust this HTTPS server only for the server you intend to use.
5. Enter the DVR Username and Password, then choose Sign In.
6. After connecting, use Refresh if needed and inspect the available sources, recordings and schedules.

Use credentials configured for the DVR service. Do not substitute a media-provider password. Reconnect Saved Connection is for a valid saved connection. Advanced Pairing contains a separate companion-ID and pairing-code flow for an administrator who has provided those details.

Check source permission

A connection can succeed while a source remains unavailable for recording or sharing. The source-permission editor contains Record, Restream and Save Permissions, subject to account-owner authority and current source policy.

The service can report that a source is disabled, unsupported, not configured or changed since its permission was approved. Read that status. Do not assume enabling a local toggle overrides service eligibility or a provider’s conditions.

Finish setup with a short recording of content you are authorised to record. Confirm that it reaches the saved state and plays from Library → Recordings before relying on a longer schedule.

Worked example

An owner runs Home DVR on a Mac and has an HTTPS address that resolves from the Apple TV. They install the service, configure its TLS and account approval, set its DVR login and start it. In Odyssey they enter that HTTPS address, trust the intended server and sign in.

They then verify recording permission for one live source and schedule a short permitted programme. Seeing the programme in Scheduled confirms only that a schedule exists; they also wait for a saved recording and test playback.

Disconnect and troubleshoot

Disconnect removes the app’s current connection through its confirmation flow. Disconnecting the player and stopping the recording host are different actions. Use the companion’s service controls when you intend to stop the service.

If sign-in fails, check the address, certificate, DVR credentials and account approval in that order. For a missing action, check source permission and active profile. See DVR troubleshooting before deleting settings or schedules.

Host-specific Linux, Docker and Windows installation steps remain in their supplied installation guides. The Mac companion’s controls differ from the setup tools on other host platforms.