ChannelWatch: The Complete Monitoring Dashboard for Channels DVR

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ChannelWatch: Monitoring Dashboard for Channels DVR

Hey everyone!

ChannelWatch v0.9.1 is available now.

The current website/wiki docs are here:

This update adds multi-DVR monitoring, a cleaner setup flow, better notification handling, backup and diagnostic tools, updated Docker, Compose, Unraid, and Helm deployment files, and refreshed public documentation.

ChannelWatch is a Docker-based dashboard for Channels DVR. It watches DVR activity, shows current status in a web UI, and can send notifications when viewing activity, recordings, disk space, or system conditions change.

What It Does

ChannelWatch can monitor:

  • Live TV viewing with channel, program, device, and source details
  • VOD and recorded playback with metadata and progress
  • Recording events, including scheduled, started, completed, cancelled, and stopped recordings
  • Disk space with configurable warning thresholds
  • Multiple Channels DVR servers from one dashboard
  • Active sessions across devices
  • Notifications through services like Pushover, Discord, Slack, Telegram, and email
  • Health, readiness, metrics, and /api/v1 endpoints for monitoring tools

Key Features

  • Multi-DVR support: monitor more than one Channels DVR server with separate status, history, sessions, and notification routing.
  • Web setup: first-run setup, DVR discovery, connection testing, and settings from the browser.
  • Notifications: route alerts by DVR, event type, or provider, with delivery history, retry handling, and circuit-breaker protection.
  • Dashboard: current DVR status, active streams, upcoming recordings, disk space, and recent activity.
  • Diagnostics: built-in debug bundles, health checks, readiness checks, metrics, and backup/restore tools.
  • Docker-first install: published on Docker Hub and GHCR for linux/amd64, linux/arm64, and linux/arm/v7.
  • Website/wiki docs: install guides, migration notes, multi-DVR docs, notification docs, release notes, and support links are now at https://channelwatch.coderluii.dev/.

Example Notifications

Channel Watching Alert

ABC
Channel: 7
Program: Good Morning America
Device: Living Room
IP: 192.168.1.101
Source: HDHR

VOD Watching Alert

Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Duration: 58m 46s / 1h 42m 11s
Device Name: Living Room
Device IP: 192.168.1.100

Rating: R - Genres: Action, Thriller
Cast: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam

Disk Space Alert

Low Disk Space Warning
Free Space: 200.59 GB / 1.82 TB (10.8%)
Used Space: 1.62 TB
DVR Path: /shares/DVR

Recording Event Alert

MOVIE CHANNEL
Channel: 129
Status: Recording
Program: Crank: High Voltage (2009)

Recording: 8:49 AM EDT
Program:   8:48 AM EDT
Duration:  1 hour 42 minutes
Total Streams: 1

How to Install

The website has the current install and migration instructions:

Short version: run the Docker container, mount a persistent /config directory, open http://your-server-ip:8501, and finish setup in the web UI. The web UI handles DVR discovery, manual DVR entry, connection testing, and alert settings.

Docker Compose is still the easiest path, and the website has the current copy/paste compose example for host networking, bridge networking, and platform-specific installs.

Upgrading From v0.7

v0.9.1 migrates existing settings automatically on startup and writes a backup before touching /config/settings.json.

I still recommend making your own copy of the full /config directory before upgrading. After the container starts, verify your DVR under Settings > DVR Servers in the web UI.

The migration guide is here: Migrating from v0.7 | ChannelWatch

Images

Docker Hub: coderluii/channelwatch:0.9.1, coderluii/channelwatch:0.9, coderluii/channelwatch:latest

GHCR: ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:0.9.1, ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:0.9, ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:latest

Requirements

  • Docker and Docker Compose
  • Channels DVR server
  • At least one notification service if you want alerts outside the dashboard

Links

I would really like feedback from anyone who tries v0.9.1, especially around multi-DVR setups, notifications, migration from v0.7, and anything that still feels rough.

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii

1 Like
#2

:hammer_and_wrench: v0.8 Development Starting Soon

First, I owe you all an explanation. I went quiet for a while. Life hit me from a few directions at once. Health stuff knocked me down, the day job got intense, and I just needed to step back and take care of things. I never abandoned the project, but I had to put myself first for a bit. I'm back now, feeling good, and ready to get back to work.

I've been building ChannelWatch solo since day one. And if I'm being honest? The features people use the most weren't my ideas. They came from you guys.

→ Apprise integration? Community request.
→ Device tracking? Community request.
→ Disk space alerts? Someone here asked for it.

So let's do it again. v0.8 is a blank canvas.

Tell me what you need:

:bug: Bugs: something broken? Share logs or screenshots and I'll dig in.

:sparkles: Features: what's missing? What would make ChannelWatch a must-have for your setup?

:wrench: Enhancements: something works but could work better? I want to know.

:bulb: Integrations: other tools or services you want ChannelWatch to play nice with?

Already on my list:

→ Multi-DVR support: multiple Channels DVR servers • Planned
→ Channel art fixes: missing images for cc4c/TVE sources • Investigating
→ Bridge mode improvements: easier setup without host networking • Planned
→ Notification upgrades: more Apprise providers, richer formatting • Ongoing

I'll keep this list updated as things come in. Can't promise timelines since it's still just me, but every single reply gets read.

Reply here or open an issue on GitHub. Whatever works for you.

Let's make v0.8 the best one yet! :rocket:

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii

1 Like
#3

Were you ever able to identify the issue where ChannelWatch sent thousands of notifications through my Pushover account?

#4

Hey @bnhf, thanks for bringing this up again. I honestly don't have enough details yet to pinpoint what caused the notification flood on your end.

If you still have any logs from when it happened, that would be really helpful. Otherwise, rate limiting is already on my priority list for v0.8 so this kind of thing can't happen again regardless of the root cause.

If you're open to it, could you create a GitHub issue with whatever info you have? Even timestamps or a rough description of what was running at the time would help me narrow it down.

I take this seriously and I want to make sure it's properly addressed before the next release.

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii

#5

Since this happened 9 or 10 months ago, I don't have anything more for you than I posted at the time. After that notification storm, I don't recall firing up the project again.

Given my monthly allowance with Pushover could be used up in a short period of time at the rate they were sent, I wasn't really feeling comfortable running it again. Especially if I happened to be away from my phone when the notifications started rolling in.

Also, I only received a fraction of the notifications that Pushover reported were sent. If you're planning to address this in v0.8, great. Once you roll that out, I'll take a fresh look at it.

3 Likes
#6

Looking forward to seeing the next release.

1 Like
#7

This looks interesting, will give you a chance to bring out your new version.

1 Like
#8

@CoderLuii nice app, but this doesnt work if you don't connect a notification service? why is that mandatory?

after connecting the notification service everything works but when I disable alerts for VOD watching for example, any VOD played won't be recorded in the activity. alerts have to be turned on in order for it to be shown.

is that by design?

it would be great if this can be used without a notification service or at least disable them and still have them be shown in the GUI.

thanks.

2 Likes
#9

@bnhf Totally understand. Nine months is a long time and I wouldn't expect you to have logs from that far back. Rate limiting is happening in v0.8. Not as a "nice to have," it's a hard requirement before release. Configurable thresholds, cooldown periods, the works. I get the Pushover concern. Burning through a monthly allowance because of a bug is not acceptable. When v0.8 drops I'll call it out in the release notes so you know it's safe to give it another shot.

@Jackamus @JefferMC Appreciate you both! Good timing, v0.8 is in active development right now. If either of you spin it up and hit anything weird, let me know here or on GitHub.

@AeroR1 Good question. Right now the notification service is required because that's how ChannelWatch was originally built. It was a notification tool first, and the web dashboard came later. So the activity tracking and the notification pipeline are tied together under the hood.

You're right that it shouldn't have to work that way. I'm adding this to the v0.8 list:

  • Decouple activity tracking from notification delivery
  • Allow ChannelWatch to run in "monitor only" mode without a notification service
  • Disabling an alert type should still log the activity in the UI

That last point is the real one. Turning off VOD alerts shouldn't mean VOD activity disappears from the dashboard. That's a bug, not a design choice. Thanks for flagging it.

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii

#10

:rocket: v1.0 is almost here.

Quick update for everyone who's been following along.

What started as v0.8 turned into something much bigger. The amount of work that went into this one earned it the v1.0 name. Every part of ChannelWatch got touched. Here's what's coming.

Dashboard, rebuilt from the ground up. Live uptime ticker, richer stream details with artwork, a real time status panel showing your entire system at a glance, and a completely redesigned activity timeline.

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Clickable activity and recording details. Tap any item in the recent activity list or upcoming recordings to pull up full details instantly.

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Live log viewer. Built right into the Diagnostics page. Search, filter by level, pause, download. No more SSHing into your container.

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Notification rate limiter. Configurable sliding window that keeps you informed without flooding your phone. @bnhf, you reported the notification flood issue that sent thousands of Pushover alerts. That will never happen again.

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Multi-DVR support. @chDVRuser, you've been asking for this since the early days. Monitor multiple Channels DVR servers from a single ChannelWatch instance. The most requested feature since day one.

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Per DVR and global settings. Full control. Configure each server individually or set defaults across all of them.

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Light mode. Better version of the previous Light Mode. Fully polished. Every page, every component.

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Tailscale / MagicDNS support. @bnhf and @chDVRuser, you both ran into DNS and networking issues with bridge mode. This should make things a lot smoother.

I also want to shout out @Jackamus, @Kryptonyte, @Fofer, and everyone else who's been patiently waiting for the next release. @Kryptonyte, you compared ChannelWatch to the old SageTV alerts. That meant a lot. @Fofer, the wait is almost over.

None of this would exist without the people who posted feedback, opened issues, and kept pushing for improvements. Genuinely, thank you. This community shaped what v1.0 became.

Aiming to release within the next week. Full release notes and screenshots coming with it.

Cheers,
CoderLuii

CoderLuii

#11

Wow, it looks amazing. I will be reinstalling and setting it up as soon as it is available. I hope the Olivetin One click project will still work to set up the 0.7 version and then will pull the new version.

#12

It will. The current version is currently on the "deprecated" page (and can still be installed from there), but I'll move it back to the main Project One-Click page once the new version is available.

#13

I wanted to share that ChannelWatch v0.9.0 is out.

This is a bigger update for the project. The main thing is multi-DVR support, so ChannelWatch can now monitor more than one Channels DVR with separate status, history, sessions, and notification routing.

A few other things changed too:

  • first-run setup with DVR discovery and connection testing
  • refreshed dashboard and settings screens
  • backup and restore tools
  • notification delivery logs and routing
  • health, readiness, metrics, and /api/v1 endpoints
  • updated Docker, Compose, Unraid, and Helm deployment files

Docker images are published now:

  • coderluii/channelwatch:0.9.0
  • coderluii/channelwatch:0.9
  • coderluii/channelwatch:latest

GHCR images are available too:

  • ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:0.9.0
  • ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:0.9
  • ghcr.io/coderluii/channelwatch:latest

Existing single-DVR installs should still work. If you are setting up multiple DVRs, CHANNELS_DVR_SERVERS is the better path now.

I do not want to oversell this as 1.0 yet. There are still some things I want to tighten up, but this gets the larger monitoring update out where people can try it.

If you try it, I would really like to hear what works, what still feels rough, and what you would want improved next.

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii

2 Likes
#14

Nice to see that this hasn't been abandoned. I'll give it another go

#15

Small follow-up because I forgot to include the website/docs link:

That page is now the best starting point for ChannelWatch. It has the install guide, migration notes, multi-DVR docs, screenshots, release notes, and support links in one place.

If you are coming from v0.7 or setting it up fresh, start there and then use the web UI for first-run setup.

Cheers,
CoderLuii
CoderLuii