01 / GET STARTED
One PC is your home base.
Your server keeps the library, users and viewing progress. Control manages it; Media is where you watch.
Install on your Windows PC
Use the TideView installer supplied for your testing or release access. Choose storage with room for your library and DVR, and keep the server PC awake while people are watching.
If a subscription needs activation, sign in with your existing account and choose Activate this computer.
Add your media and TV sources
In Control, add the movie, TV and music folders you want TideView to scan. Connect supported tuners or authorized network sources, then set up guide data and recording storage if you use Live TV and DVR.
Make sure the server can read network shares and write to the recording folder. TideView does not supply access to paid channels or a movie catalog with your personal server.
Create profiles and try playback
Add the people you want to use your server and choose their access, DVR permissions and any Live TV limits. Test a movie, an episode and a channel at home before setting up remote access.
Use current compatible clients. Our initial launch plan is PC, Roku and web, with Android mobile a possible addition. Android TV, iPhone and Apple TV apps are in the pipeline.
A smooth first testA wired server connection helps. Actual performance depends on the PC, source, storage and network; the software limits below are ceilings, not a guarantee that every setup can reach them.
02 / AWAY FROM HOME
Your people. Your permission.
The owner first opens Control → Remote access → Set up Direct HTTPS and follows the connection and router steps shown. The server needs to be running and reachable from outside your home. Sign-in connects a viewer to that server; it does not upload your library to TideView.tv.
BROWSER · PC OR IPAD
Sign in with Google
- The owner invites your Google account email address and assigns your TideView profile.
- Accept the invitation using that same verified account. Invitations expire after seven days.
- Open Watch on TideView.tv and choose Sign in with Google.
- Choose the account that accepted the invitation. TideView opens the server and profile shared with you.
Gmail works, as does another verified email used with a Google account. The website Watch page does not ask you to enter a device code.
Server owner? Use the Google account that owns your active server license; it connects to your administrator profile automatically. Invitations are for other household profiles.
COMPATIBLE CLIENT APP
Use a six-digit Device Code
- The owner opens Control → Users → Generate device code.
- On the client, choose the device-code connection option and enter the six digits.
- Select your profile and enter its four-digit PIN if one is set.
The current Roku and Android pairing flow opens the household’s profile picker. A code lasts 10 minutes and can be used once. Ask the owner for a fresh code if it expires.
A Device Code connects an app; a profile PIN protects a profile. Share connection codes only with people you intend to authorize.
If remote access does not connect
Confirm the PC is awake, the server is running and the remote connection is healthy in Control. Check your home internet upload speed, firewall/router configuration and the remote address selected during setup. Test from a phone using mobile data, rather than the same home Wi-Fi.
Direct HTTPS needs a reachable public IPv4 connection. Setup may ask for manual TCP 80/443 forwarding. If it reports carrier-grade NAT or a second router, follow the displayed guidance or ask your ISP about a public connection; automatic setup cannot work on every network.
For Google sign-in, check that the owner invited the exact account you selected. For app pairing, use a new Device Code. Changing routers, server addresses or PCs can require reconnecting a device.
03 / YOUR IPAD
Keep TideView on your Home Screen.
Open your connected Media home in Safari
Start at Watch, sign in, and wait for your personal server’s Media home to open.
Add it to your Home Screen
Use Safari’s Share menu, choose Add to Home Screen, turn on Open as Web App if offered, then tap Add. Save the connected Media home, rather than a temporary invitation or sign-in link.
Open it like an app
Tap its Home Screen icon next time. You may need to sign in again in the web app. This shortcut does not download your library for offline use; your server must remain reachable.
Watch on a bigger screen with AirPlayPut your iPad and compatible AirPlay TV or Apple TV on the same Wi-Fi. Where the player offers AirPlay, select it and choose the screen. Device, browser and media compatibility can affect availability. This is separate from our planned native Apple TV app.
Apple’s Home Screen guideApple’s AirPlay guide
04 / SHARING YOUR SERVER
Room for a household.
Limits for a reason.
20Live TV playback feeds
Maximum at once across home and remote viewers. Multiview uses a feed for each playing channel.
25Movie & show sessions
Maximum ordinary movie and episode playback sessions at once, shared across home and remote viewing.
These are the current software ceilings. A tuner’s available slots, provider rules, server hardware or upload connection may allow fewer streams. Watching the same channel can share an upstream capture, but each admitted Live TV playback feed still counts.
The owner can also set a lower Live TV limit per profile. Multiview supports up to four feeds and draws from the Live TV pool. These counts are not a promise of 20 people, 20 tuners or 25 full-quality remote streams on every PC.
Your personal server comes first.TideView is built for personal media and authorized household sharing. The fixed playback ceilings keep sharing bounded for personal home use. It is not intended to turn someone’s PC into an unrestricted channel-resale service. Only connect media and sources you are entitled to use, and follow your provider’s own viewing and sharing rules.
Watch Together has its own room playback flow. We are still validating its capacity; the ordinary 25-session ceiling is not a published participant limit for a Watch Together room.
05 / PROTECT YOUR SETUP
Two backups. Different jobs.
RECOVER THIS COMPUTER
Ordinary restore point
Automatic backups and Back up now create a verified .zip restore point for the same computer. Configure the schedule and retention in Backups & Recovery.
MOVE TO ANOTHER COMPUTER
Portable backup
Create portable backup creates a verified, password-protected .tvbackup file for a new PC. Keep the recovery password separately; TideView does not store it and cannot recover the file without it.
Server backups protect the setup, not the full media collection. Keep a separate backup of your movies, shows, music, recordings and encrypted photo/video vault storage.
What travels in a portable backup?| Included | Move or check separately |
|---|
| Server settings, users, permissions, source and guide configuration | Media folders, DVR video files and encrypted vault contents |
| Watched state, viewing history, resume positions and My List | Commercial activation on the replacement PC |
| Library catalog, metadata, saved intro markers and DVR schedules/index | Provider credentials, remote networking and reachable storage paths |
| Avatars, channel logos and supported saved music/game configuration | Manual title artwork uploads and per-title theme editor state are not currently included |
Generated caches can rebuild. Existing theme audio files stored beside movies or shows travel with those media folders. Preserve the old PC until you have checked the replacement.
06 / A NEW HOME BASE
Move from one PC to another.
Use the portable export and Recovery tools. Keep both your old setup and media until the new PC passes your checks.
A Prepare the old PC
- Choose a quiet time. Finish recordings and viewing, and avoid changing settings while taking your final backup.
- On the server PC, open Control → Backups & Recovery → Create portable backup. Enter and confirm a recovery password of at least 12 characters, then choose Create encrypted backup.
- Wait for Portable backup created and verified. Under Verified restore points, download the row marked Portable / new PC and Verified + encrypted. Save the
.tvbackup somewhere outside the old PC. - Copy or reconnect the complete media, DVR and vault folders separately. Include theme audio beside titles. Keep the same drive letters and full folder/network paths wherever possible.
- Note provider sign-ins, recording locations and remote setup. Custom title posters/backdrops and per-title theme trims/on-off choices need to be reapplied through the title editors on the new server.
B Restore the new PC
- Stop the old server before the replacement becomes your active server. Install a current compatible TideView build on the new PC. Keep Start fresh off if the destination already has data you need.
- Open TideView Recovery from the tray, or choose Backups & Recovery → Open Recovery in local Control. Select the
.tvbackup, enter its recovery password and choose Verify restore file. - Select Restore all TideView data. The default Repair library and metadata keeps the destination’s users and settings, so it is not the full move option.
- Confirm the destination has no active viewers or recordings. Choose Start safe recovery and review the confirmation. Recovery stages and verifies the files, takes a safety snapshot, restores the data and restarts the server.
- If commercial activation is needed, sign in with your existing account and choose Activate this computer. Use an available subscription slot, or select the old computer to replace if your account is at capacity. Restoring data does not transfer a machine-bound activation or require another subscription purchase.
C Check before retiring the old PC
- Users, access permissions and profile PINs
- Watched/unwatched state, a resume point and My List on familiar titles
- Library folders, recording storage, tuner/guide access and provider credentials
- Existing theme audio, custom artwork and theme editor choices
- Remote access from outside the home and playback on each client
Re-enter provider credentials or reconnect devices where needed. Make a new verified backup on the new server after those checks. A successful restore is not a substitute for trying your actual library and devices.
What if my media paths must change?
Use the restored library’s Folder button to add the new location, then use Scan New. Keep the existing library rather than deleting and recreating it. Add the new folder before removing the old one; removing a library’s only folder can remove that library.
TideView can remap some unambiguous moved items, but changing paths can affect identity and history. Preserving the original drive letters and complete paths is the most reliable option. Verify progress and collection membership on representative titles before deleting old storage.
Where are the data and backup folders?
Use the tray’s Open TideView Data Folder and Open Backup Folder commands to see your actual locations. Installed defaults are %ProgramData%\TideView\Data and %ProgramData%\TideView\Backups; a custom install can use other locations.
The program folder, server data and your media storage are separate. Do not paste an ordinary ZIP into the new program folder or overwrite live data as a replacement for Recovery.
If Recovery reports a problemKeep the recovery report, safety snapshot and old backup. Resolve the reported issue before trying again or removing either server’s data. Use a current compatible build; arbitrary downgrades are not a supported migration shortcut.
A question along the way?
Find quick answers about accounts, pairing, playback and recovery.
Open the FAQ →