You don't need SSD, just a regular USB3 drive.
Time capsule is not a USB drive and will cause the same type of issues.
If you want you can try the flash drive temporarily to see if it helps or not.
Thanks... I think you found a bigger issue on my side... I notice when I transfer data to a thumb drive or airport its taking freaking forever.... so I'll assume that's evidence of the issue. I'll try the thumb drive, but I'm turning my iMac back to the Catalina OS (long story)...but I'll give you an update when I get it all back together. Again, you guys are great with the help and should offer your training to the cable companies! 
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RESOLVED. I had upgraded my late 2013 iMac to Big Sur with with a patch. I thought everything was alright as I didn't notice any bad behavior, but with the Channels DVR it became obvious the system wasn't 100%... I down-graded back to Catalina and did a clean install and everything is 100% with my Channels DVR recordings... I really do appreciate all the input and help from this community.
Teamwork.
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