You can add local content in the DVR server settings. Have you tried that?
My understanding, as per earlier posts in this thread, is that I need to use the production version of the Channels server/DVR for that and, as pointed out by a developer, that feature isn't even alpha. I like using the beta as a viewer, on my mobile devices and on Apple TV, but I don't want to go into the testing versions for the server.
Importing videos is possible on both stable and pre-release builds. There's not really "support" for it, and it is still alpha-level, but it's in the current stable release.
I don't know but I had changed my server and forgot.to back it up before and my new server was missing some content. Through the web browser I logged in to the server and added the locations of the files and manually added it to my library. After that I was able to view it as normal.
Where is the function in the production version? I checked under DVR and Recordings and couldn't find it.
Because it's not a supported feature, you have to manually add your first directory:
In settings/Local Content
That's odd, I didn't have to do any of that. Just select a location to scan and then add movie sources.
Ah, they must have exposed it. Originally, the Local Content options only displayed if you had manually added at least one directory first.
(Because Channels does do well with large libraries presently, I've only imported the DVRed movies from Tvheadend before switching to Channels.)
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They’re displayed on the pre-release, but they’re only displayed on the stable release if you’ve added a directory.
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Thanks for the clarification.
@jpblanch75: I don't see anything for Local Content in Settings, at least not on the Production version.
Interesting. Just found a new function to save a post with a hotkey. Now if I could only remember what I pressed! 
But regarding the topic, the main thing I'd want to add would be TV shows I've ripped from DVDs. From what I see, it's probably best to not add those at this time. I'd be overwhelmed with hundreds of episodes of various shows that wouldn't be categorized by show or directory. (Yeah, like The Red Green Show - 300 episodes. All of them, along with other shows I have on the hard drive, showing up as movies instead of sorted by show? What a mess!)
So I'll wait until it supports TV shows won't be all lumped in with everything else.
But I do look forward to when this feature is supported, since I'll be able to ditch the video players I have now. (Especially if it would support functions "Play all," "Repeat All," and "Shuffle Play" for folders or shows.)
You llog into your DVR via your browser X.X.X.X:8089 and under the setting tab at the top your scroll about half way down and it is called Local Content and is right above the tr==Transcoding settings.
As stated by the devs earlier in this thread, the stable releases only have this section on the web UI if you have manually added a directory to import. If you are running a pre-release version of the DVR server, then this section in the settings is always displayed.
I don't understand what he said either. I am running a pre-release but what do you mean by "manually added a directory to Import". Even on the pre-release I have to select a directory for it to scan. If you see the image... I had to manually add by pressing the + button then give it the target and then in the drop down scan the location. After that it showed up in my recordings.
Yes, you have the pre-release, so the option to add a directory to scan for movies is exposed and available. So it looks like you're all set.
So to answer the OP's question, how do you manually add a directory if you are on the "stable" version?
OP is may just be easier to get the Pre-Release version. They have been solid for me.
It was linked above
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As I posted in my response earlier, the directions are in the linked post. Here is the link again:
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