Couchwave
The TV player app

The cable-box experience for the TV you already have.

Couchwave turns your TV box into something that feels like a cable box. It starts on TV, has a real guide, records to USB and pauses live TV. Your movies and shows remember where you left off, and your home media is right there too.

Couchwave is a player. It doesn't include any channels or content. You bring your own service.

Features

Built for the couch

Everything works from the remote: big text, few clicks, nothing to type. It opens straight to the last channel you watched and gets out of the way.

A real guide, with number keys

A grid guide with what's on now and next. Type a channel number to tune, step with CH+ and CH−, and jump back with Last.

Live banner

Every channel change shows what's on, how far in it is and what's next, with one-press buttons for My List, captions and record.

DVR and series recording

Record a show, or every new episode of a series, to a USB drive plugged into the box. Recordings wait for you in My List.

Pause and rewind live TV

Answer the door and pick up where you left off, or go back to catch what you missed.

Movies and shows

Every title once, even when your service carries several copies. Picks up where you stopped, and the next episode plays by itself.

My List

Save channels, movies, shows and recordings in one place. Hide the categories you never watch.

Built-in DLNA player

Couchwave finds the media servers on your home network by itself, including Plex and other DLNA servers, and organizes what's on them: movies in a poster row with tidy titles, and TV shows that pick up where you left off. Nothing to set up.

USB and network drives

Watch your own videos from a USB drive or a shared folder on your network storage.

Sports and reminders

Pick your sports and teams. Upcoming games show on Home, and a reminder pops up before they start.

Starts at power-on

Turn on the TV and you're watching your last channel, like a cable box. No app menus to get through first.

One-OK updates

When a new version is ready, Couchwave asks once. Press OK and it updates itself. No app store needed.

Captions and audio

Turn captions on from the banner in one press, and pick another language or audio track when a channel has one.

Coming next

Set up from your phone

Link your TVs to your account, then add your service and network storage on the website instead of typing with a remote.

Doorbell on screen

See who's at the door in a small window over what you're watching.

A look at it

Made for the remote, not a touchscreen

Illustration. Your guide shows your own service's channels.

The guide works the way you remember

The channel you're watching keeps playing in the corner while you look ahead. Channels keep your service's order and numbers, so 104 is always 104.

Illustration with made-up titles.

Your recordings and your own videos, side by side

Recordings, saved movies and shows, and the videos on your drives and home media server, in rows you move through with the arrow keys.

Supported devices

Works on

Couchwave is made for TV boxes and the remote that comes with them.

Available now

Any Android TV box

Runs on Android TV and Google TV boxes with Android 8 or later, using the remote that came with the box.

Designed for

MAG 555

The box Couchwave is built and tested on, with every key on its remote put to work: number keys, CH+/CH−, the guide and recording to its USB port.

Coming

Apple TV

The same app and the same screens, from the App Store.

Couchwave is a player only. It comes with no channels, movies or shows, and no service built in. You bring your own: a service you already subscribe to, a USB drive, network storage or a home media server.

The newest Amazon Fire TV sticks don't run Android apps, so they aren't supported.

For operators

Make Couchwave feel like part of your service

Any operator can connect to Couchwave through one published interface. Every operator uses the same one, and Couchwave never sells or supports anyone's service.

Remote activation

  • Send a customer's login to their Couchwave from your own system. No visit, and nothing to type on the box.
  • Take it off again the same way.
  • See each box's status: app version and last check-in.

Your brand in the app

  • Your logo, your colors and your support number inside the app.
  • Live TV with the guide, movies and shows, recording, Home and sports.
  • Your customers come to you for channels and billing. Couchwave looks after the player.

Interested? Get in touch.

Pricing

Simple pricing

One account for your household. Try it free: an account removes the reminder and unlocks everything.

Couchwave account

$5 / month

Covers up to 3 TVs.

  • Every feature, no reminders
  • Set up your TVs from the website
  • Cancel any time

More TVs

$1.75 / month each

For every TV after the first 3 in your household.

  • Add or remove TVs from your account
  • Prices in US dollars

Accounts open soon. Billed monthly; cancel any time. The free version is the trial, so payments aren't refunded except for billing mistakes (Refunds). Couchwave doesn't sell or include any TV service, channels, movies or shows. Those come from your own provider.

Getting started

Three steps

Install Couchwave

On your Android TV box. It's designed for the MAG 555.

Add what you watch

Sign in with the login or playlist address from your own provider, or point Couchwave at your home media.

Link your TV Coming

Scan the code on your TV with your phone to create your account and link that TV.

Contact

Talk to us

Questions about the player, or an operator who wants to connect to Couchwave? Send us a note and we'll get back to you.

Questions about channels, your service or your bill go to the provider you get your service from. Couchwave doesn't provide or sell any service. See Privacy for what happens to your message.