Concerned and confused

Channels DVR Server
#1

I've been following this forum for a while now. I should have been set up and ready to go weeks ago, but this stupid virus caused the cancellation of my antenna install. In relation to the title...since I started reading, I've been concerned that this is over my head or there are too many nitpicky problems. Seems to me that something is always upsetting the apple cart. I'm not a programmer and a lot of the "answers" are over my understanding. There isn't a guide yet.

I guess it comes to this: am I overly concerned and most of these problems are outliers or should I be concerned that all of this is just over my head and not even bother? I waiver between the two positions. If it's going to work with only the occasional hiccup I'm fine. More than that, I don't think so. I don't want to be constantly fiddling with it.

Above all, this is not a complaint, just a concern about something totally new to me.
Ron

#2

People generally come here to report problems, so if all you look at is the issues on the forum you're getting a skewed perspective. The vast majority of our customers set things up once and then never have to think about it again.

6 Likes
#3

That makes me feel a lot better for sure! Thanks for the insight.

#4

I have been using Channels DVR for a few months now. I have experienced very few issues. A few recordings that didn't complete, but other than that, it has been great.

I don't mind tinkering or fixing issues, but I really haven't had to do any of that with this. Everyone's experience is going to be different, but it is a very stable product for me.

#5

What kind of tuners do you plan to use? The TVE system is a moving target for the developers, so the honest truth is that there are glitches here and there. The developers are, however, on top of it every single time. Anyone that plans to run a television server out of their home probably needs to expect some maintenance here and there.

#6

I've been using Channels for a few years and I have experienced relatively few issues which were usually resolved quickly.

1 Like
#7

Same here, zero issues.

If you’re using it to watch and/or record over-the-air programming, you should have zero issues. Set it up and forget about it. I’m confident to say, any issues you do have would most likely not be the app, it’s usually related to a network issue or someone trying to do something with Channels that out of the box, it’s not intended to do.

Many of us also participate in the beta, which is expected to have some bugs that are discussed on here.

Rest assured, if you do have any issues, the community and developers are very helpful in helping you resolve them.

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#8

OTA is perfect and works 100% of the time for me. The only time you will have to do anything will be a rescan in the rare case that one of the broadcasters changes frequency or moves channels to a different tower. But thats it. And it's all easily accessible in the UI of the application. IMO, OTA quality, speed, and ease of use is the best experience of the Channels software.

#9

Thanks everyone, all this makes me feel better about my choice to move forward. I'll be using a 4 tuner HDHR. I already have it. Just waiting for my new appointment to install my antenna.

#10

Here's a tip.... Once you get your antenna setup, if it's convenient, try connecting the antenna directly to your TV, do a channel scan, watch a few channels live for awhile, just to get a sense of the quality and reliability of the signal, etc. Maybe even use that time to adjust the direction of the antenna to maximize the signal. Then, once you do switch over to the HDHR+Channels ecosystem, that experience may help you to identify problems as having to do with the HDHR+Channels setup vs. the incoming signal itself.

#11

If you have an iOS device I highly recommend this great app that shows the signal strength of your HDHR in real time. Excellent tool for monitoring your signal strength and getting your antenna aimed optimally.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/signal-gh/id289580769

2 Likes
#12

Here is also a good one for Android ... I used it to setup my antenna ...

https://apkpure.com/hdhomerun-signal-meter/com.zaren

1 Like
#13

I also used signalGH when I mounted my antennas on the roof. But if OP is paying someone to do this, they should have their own signal meters.

#14

I've used the Channels App longer than I have used Channels Plus as the DVR engine for my Plex server.

As soon as Channels announced their TV Everywhere option I jumped in with both feet.

I love Plex for my media collection but even with recent upgrades, their live TV and DVR offering pales in comparison to Channels Plus.

Previous to the TV Everywhere integration, I used Emby as my DVR engine and simply pointed Plex to those recordings.

Emby works and is gorgeous but doesn't have the ability (with only a few mouse clicks) to easily add commercial markers to your recordings.

I currently point Plex to my Channels Plus DVR recordings so my friends and family can view those recordings, but use the Channels App myself because of the excellent built-in commercial detection.

It's not perfect, but it's also not destructive like the Plex offering, which means I can quickly jump around to where I need to be if it's off a bit.

My guess is that it's over 90% accurate and occasionally I'll have 2 OTA and 2 TV Everywhere streams recording simultaneously.

I run all my server software on a Synology 1019+ NAS with all my components connect with self terminated Cat 6 cables while being connected to the outside world via a gig Fiber connection.

I can have 2 TV Everywhere streams going at once whether my Nvidia Shields or 4K FireTV devices are hardwired or connected via Wi-Fi.

I have the original Amplifi HD Wi-Fi router with a couple of wireless mesh points connected to my ONT.

I have 2 HDHomeRun tuners with one dedicated to recording and the other setup for viewing live in order to take advantage of the built in transcoding chip that one tuner contains.

In any Facebook technology forum I participate in I always talk about Channels Plus and the TV Everywhere inclusion as being a game changer in comparison to the DVR offerings of Plex, Emby, and the basic DVR that SiliconDust offers.

I've used them all and would suggest that if you have problems with Channels Plus currently, you will also have issues with the others until you find the weak link in your networking setup.

You can't find a store bought cable in my setup and you would be surprised at the number of people who buy a slow network switch instead of a standard fast one.

Just my 2 cents and an opportunity to rave about how well Channels Plus has worked out for me.

2 Likes
#15

Thanks everyone for the great replies! Walker63, thanks for your extensive reply. I'm an android user and downloaded the app suggestions. I'm now just waiting for the virus lockdown to end to get my antenna installed. I'm really excited to get started and rid myself of DirecTV! Though they did just give Sunday ticket for free!

1 Like
#16

I forgot to mention that I have both Philo and YouTube TV plugged into my Channels Plus DVR settings.

#17

That's good to know as I'll be using YouTube TV and Friendly.

#18

While you're waiting for the professional install, have you tried playing around with a DIY indoor antenna? I have to think you can pull in at least 1 station to give you something to play with while you wait.

#19

Setting up the Channels DVR and getting things to configure still requires some technical tinkering. There is no way my wife could handle any of this.

First you have to make a decision on the DVR server. I bought a Synology box. Before you install Channels you got to set that up and make quite a few configuration decisions along the way, For example, connecting Macs to Synology. Is it simple? Not really. Don't get me wrong, Synology does a good job of hiding its underlying OS from you but in the end, you have to know what to configure. And many choices require some technical knowledge.

As far as Channels goes, it probably won't work 100% of the time. It hasn't for me and usually the resolution is something technical. Hard to resolve? No, at least not to me.

One of the benefits of Channels is TVE but this is also a continued problem area with Authorizations expiring. Sometimes you get a "Not Authorized" plastered on your screen and sometimes not. The problem is easily fixed by connecting to the server and rescanning. But again, this is a technical step that is bit beyond what my wife could handle.

I can't blame Channels for the TVE issues. I think the technology is what it is. I tend to have the same issues when using one of the "Go" apps on my Apple TV.

To me, Channels has done a pretty good job tying together a lot of technologies and making them work pretty well. Is it 100% black box experience? No. If you want that, you have to stick with one of the cable or Sat providers.

#20

You don't need to run Channels on a Synology. But, even if you did, all you need to do is create a shared folder on the drive, install the Channels package, connect with a browser and point the DVR directory to the share you created. All of this is done within the UI; no shell commands are required.

OP is primarily using Channels for OTA, which requires pointing an antenna in the correct direction and running coax cable to the HDHomeRun. If he has good reception, it is really something that works all the time with little to no intervention. It's not like TVE, which is not totally reliable, but these provider streaming issues are through no fault of Channels.

I don't think my wife would be able to point an antenna. Nor would she be able to install a package on the NAS without any direction from me. But that doesn't make it technical. And it wouldn't be hard to explain these things.

You need to know how to use a computer. And it helps to have some networking knowledge.