Docker confusion: RPi vs TVE

Channels DVR Server
#1

I'm contemplating switching my RPi 4 from the dedicated Channels USB boot image to a Channels install on top of a standard Linux distro for RPi 4. (So, first tell me if that's a big mistake. :slight_smile:)

I'd like to run the Channels docker image, but I'm a little confused about it. The Channels docker instructions (Channels — Channels DVR Server) have a note that I need the "tve" tag to get TVE support. On Docker Hub, I see that the "tve" tag is for amd64 and was updated 2 months ago. The arm64 image is of a similar size, so maybe it always includes TVE support. But it was updated a year ago.

Is it sane and good to use the Channels docker image for RPi 4, or will I be missing out on something or be behind the times, or will all the cool kids make fun of me and steal my lunch money? (I have enough experience with docker on RPi, so that's not a worry for me. I'm leaning toward docker rather than a native install for the usual tidiness and isolation reasons.)

#2

Why? Why add more complexity and points of failure, not to mention use more resources.
The Image is very well optimized and is rock solid.
using other OS, then you have to deal with all the dependencies and packages your self, one thing that keeps causing issues with TVE working is chromium package.

I suggest you leave the Pi as it is, as a dedicated Channels DVR server device.
That will give you the most reliable and trouble free, set it and forget experience.

If you want to do other things with a Pi, and Docker, then get another Pi is what i would suggest.

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#3

Thanks for your opinion @speedingcheetah

Does anyone have any info about the docker image questions that are confusing me?

#4

I think the devs will have to answer that, but IIRC the :tve image is amd64 only because of headless chrome?

And personally I quit using a docker container for TVE because of issues I was having (maybe just related to Synology Docker) Losing locals when updating version only in docker container

#5

I'm running the Channels Linux version on my RPi4. I installed prior to the dedicated version being available. I also run Docker, but just for the Pluto integration. I don't run Channels inside Docker. I have no issues.

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#6

Thanks, all. Just given the age of the arm64 docker image, I don't think I'll bother with it.

#7

The arm64 image contains chrome and should work. The DVR software self-updates inside the container, so the age is not a huge concern.

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#8

Thanks for the clarification about the age of the image.

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#9

FWIW, I've been using the 64-bit docker image for several days on an RPi 4 with Ubuntu 21.10. Things seems to be working fine. I had to do a small amount of figuring out to get the docker-compose mappings right, but nothing too bad. (If you want to use hardware acceleration -- of course you do! -- you need these device mappings).

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