Create your first Channel Studio channel

What you will make

Channel Studio turns selected media from your connected libraries into a scheduled channel. You decide what can enter it and how the programmes are arranged. Odyssey prepares a schedule from eligible content, then asks you to publish it before it becomes a Live channel.

A saved recipe and a published schedule are separate. A recipe records your selection and rules; publication makes a reviewed schedule available for watching. Keeping this distinction in mind makes the rest of the workflow much clearer.

Check the prerequisites

Use a profile with access to supported, enabled sources. Channel Studio supports Jellyfin, Emby and Plex, with availability for additional connections depending on their compatibility and configuration. Silo uses its Jellyfin-compatible connection. Ordinary Xtream playback support does not imply Channel Studio support: Xtream cannot be used to create these channels in the app version covered here.

The app needs content it can inspect and prepare, not just a title that happens to appear in discovery. Profile restrictions apply to the playable selection. When Kids or parental protection requires it, Odyssey asks for owner PIN approval before protected channel changes. Use the appropriate profile and approval when prompted.

For shared channels and the online editor, you also need a managed profile. Check this guide’s version notes if your installed app offers different controls.

Choose a small first collection

1. Open Settings → Odyssey Channel Studio → Open Channel Studio.
2. Choose Create Channel.
3. Enter a Channel name. Leave Channel number — Automatic empty if you want the app to assign a number.
4. Set Content to Movies, Series episodes or Movies and series.
5. Open Choose Sources and Content. Select supported sources and the content selection you want the channel to use.
6. Return to the editor and inspect the sources and selections shown under Content.

For a first attempt, choose a modest, recognisable selection. That makes it easier to understand why a programme was included or excluded and avoids troubleshooting several sources at once.

Choose the order and history behaviour

The simple Order choices include Continuous loop, Sequential, Shuffle each cycle, Shuffle once, then loop and Shuffle shows, keep episode order. Choose an order that matches the purpose of the channel. A serial drama generally benefits from preserving episode order.

Use Edit Schedule for more structured schedules, including alternating groups, marathons or weekly time windows. The dedicated schedule guide explains the consequences of each choice.

Under Programme selection, All programmes uses the eligible selection without a watched filter. Prefer unwatched falls back to watched programmes only when no unwatched programmes remain. Exclude watched is stricter. Continue each series in order skips watched opening episodes and preserves episode order. These choices use the current profile’s history when preparation happens; prepare again to incorporate later history changes.

Save, review and publish

1. Choose Done in the channel editor. This saves the channel settings and starts the review flow.
2. Wait for preparation. If you need to stop, use Pause Preparation; saved settings remain available.
3. Inspect Review Channel, the proposed start and the Schedule Preview. Review any Not Included reasons.
4. When the preview is ready, choose Publish Channel. An existing channel uses Republish Changes.
5. Wait for a confirmed result such as Channel published or Channel scheduled, then choose Done.
6. Open Live → Channel Studio to find the published channel. The saved-channel list can also offer Watch Live for an enabled channel with a saved schedule.

Saving is not publication, and a publication request is not confirmed merely because it was sent. If the screen offers Check Publication, use it to resolve the original request before making another change.

A worked example: a weekend comedy channel

Choose a small comedy collection from your permitted home server and name the channel “Weekend comedy”. Start with Movies and a simple loop. Review the prepared lineup and check that the films you expected are present. A missing item may have been excluded because it could not be prepared or is not permitted for the profile.

Publish only after the preview makes sense. On your next visit, consider a different order or an evening time window. The original source films remain in their library: the channel is another way to schedule and play them, not a new copy of the media.

Change or leave the workflow

Before saving, use the available Close or platform back action to leave the editor. On non-TV platforms the editor’s Close action cancels the editing session and is disabled during the actual save commit. During preparation, Pause Preparation is the clearer action.

Once settings are saved, use Settings from the saved-state view or reopen the channel to edit them. Existing published channels keep their current schedule until new changes are published. Do not delete the saved channel merely to stop a preparation attempt.

Common problems and questions

Create Channel is disabled: check for an enabled source supported by Channel Studio and a valid profile context. Adding an unsupported source does not enable the action.

Owner approval is required: use the appropriate adult profile and owner PIN. No playable programmes remain: review source availability, profile restrictions and the chosen rules; a very narrow filter may exclude everything.

The preview expired: use Refresh Preview or Rebuild Preview where offered. The channel is saved but missing from Live: check whether it was published and enabled.

Does my channel provide media to another person? No. A channel recipe, account connection or invitation does not create provider access or media rights. Can I undo publication? This guide does not promise a one-click rollback. Edit the settings and publish a new reviewed schedule, or use the available channel management controls deliberately.