I moved over to an INTEL PC but when I removed the monitor as I wanted it headless I was getting this error when connecting remotely ...
ffmpeg: ch49.1-dANY-0fedd5be48ad-1-h264-aac-copy-2000-128-480-0-40--hardware-false-false-0.01: [fastdeint @ 000000000265cb00] [Eval @ 00000000005fdec0] Undefined constant or missing '(' in 'hardware'
I had a fake monitor emulator that I had ordered from Amazon plugged it in and everything started working ..
I had just ever just manually installed a "Monitor" via the manually add hardware section where u get the list of drivers it has built in...that was back in win 7/ win server 2010 days though, so, no idea if that works on current Win systems. My current DVR for Channels is a Intel NUC that is running Linux Mint 19, with no monitor, and it does Hardware Accel. fine.
Never cared for Linux or interested in it.
To each his own...but it is FAR better and more stable, better performer than Windows for an always on system, like a DVR or file server etc.
Rock solid, no forced auto reboots at random times for OS updates, no drivers to install and keep up to date, no BSODs, no License key to pay for, no Microsoft spying on you....etc.
Just install and it works.
Mint is the more, friendly, distro of Linux. Good for first time Linux users.
Anyway, just pointing out that you "issue" seems to be a OS issue. (I am assuming you are using Windows, u did not mention what OS, or specific hardware build you are using)
Channels DVR Server works on many devices, many are headless devices, like NAS, some may support Hardware Transcode, some may not.
Just to point out, for future readers, that a "Monitor Emulator" is not a universal solution or may not work for every user. (or a "Intel PC" users as a whole)
Still do not like Linux just my opinion. My post was meant for users that encounter that problem not an OS competition. Obviously you do not have that problem.
Like I said, woudl help if you stated more than just "Intel PC"...that is very very generic and broad a classification. U can also have a separate GPU in any Intel system, that woudl affect transcode to in many cases.
And as I pointed out, it may not directly related to being Intel hardware,sounds like a software issue. That you can resolve by getting one of those monitor emulators if you use Windows, or a second solution to use a different OS.
There is more than one solution to the issue you found of Hardware Transcoding not working if no monitor. What works for you, may not work for others.
bye
Well. how about you answer the question instead of just posting dismissive comments?
What Intel hardware are you using?
That info may help others with specific hardware.
I have my Intel NUC (i7-7567U) dual booted, with Win 10 on it, used to use Channels on that, before i moved to Linux, and I just tested it, Hardware transcode works fine for me with no monitor installed when on Windows.
So, I am genuinely curious why you experience this.
Maybe I am wrong, and it is a hardware thing.
7th-generation Intel Core i7-7700 processor (4.20GHz, 8M Cache),
IntelĀ® HD Graphics 630
Thanks! That sheds some light on this.
I looked up the integrated CPU/GPU on mine, and its a IntelĀ® IrisĀ® Plus Graphics 650.
Which is Mobile class. (cause its a Mini PC)
Your i7 cpu and Integrated GPU is Desktop class chip.
Those classes have different architecture, so that may explain why my experience is different.
Edwin, I just moved a desktop pc to my basement, it's running without a monitor/keyboard/mouse, and I am not experiencing any issues to my knowledge, but I also don't have the option for hardware transcoding, so I always use software and it works great (as far as I can tell). It's Win 7 home premium 64 bit, core i5-4670K, 8gb ram.
I remember that from my using MCEBuddy about a fake monitor that little device solves it without any headaches or changes to Windows. I do not like making unnecessary changes to Windows.
MCEBuddy will auto detect if you have an Intel QuickSync enabled chipset and enabled QuickSync encoding.
Channels DVR doesn't recognize the 4670's QuickSync capability in my situation because Win 7 isn't supported here - even when I had it fully connected to a monitor/keyboard/mouse. I'm not convinced that software transcoding is a problem with a powerful CPU.
Reminds me of the I'm a Mac. I'm a PC commercials. Who knew Apple was targeting Linux too. 
And wasn't the upgrade from win 7 to win 8 free, which pretty much got you to win 10? I had three "PC's" back then and updated them all to win 8.
As I recall, the upgrade from Win 7 directly to Win 10 was free, also. There may even still be a method or two to get from 7 to 10 for free if you look for it, but I'm certainly not doing that for a DVR server that is virtually never browsing the Internet.
The last thing I need is for Win 10 to decide it has to make changes that could affect the machine's network performance, or anything that could affect the TV recording schedule. The condition of automatic updates is way worse than having to use software transcoding.
I have had my SageTV Server on Windows 10 since it came out and never have had a problem ... It is better than having a Windows 7 PC which will be no longer be supported connected to the internet.
I set my Channels DVR server to not do an auto reboot when updates are availible. Plus I really like Windows 10 Storage Spaces.
Isn't that the point? Do whatever you like.
I have not had the same positive experiences with Win 10 forced updates.
Have three windows devices. Haven't had any issues with updates. Would think win 10 is more efficient than 7 as well as mute current with updates, bug fixes, and Yada Yada. Not to mention if you're trying to troubleshoot and you're in the minority, it could prove more difficult.
And I don't seem to have forced updates. It's always asking me when to install. Don't pay enough attention, but my needs are simple, and the laptop that channels is on, it's the only application running. Only application on the computer. Did a fresh install, loaded channels, and that's it.