I currently have HDHomeRun HDHR5-2US and it works perfect but I'd like to record in a more compressed format like H.264 instead of MPEG-2.
Does SD have a tuner with hardware streaming transcoder? If not, are there other suggestions? (I can easily transcode after recording but I'd like to transcode a streaming format real time.)
Thanks!
They used to, called the EXTEND. Look for HDTC-2US models.
I think they used to make one that did transcoding. Seems I remember it not being very useful for some reason. Most modern computers can transcode in real time -- I don't know if the Raspberry Pi's can -- it depends on what you're running. Personally, I always go with the best quality I can and then let the server handle any needed transcoding. Are you worried about processing power or drive space?
They were very useful in the days before multi-hundred Mb/S wifi was common. it saved you eating the lion's share of your bandwidth on a single OTA stream. Much less needed now, assumingly why they dropped it.
I need to be able to easily stream to a second home over VPN. I already transcode/remove commercials with a Jetson Nano after the stream has finished but I'd like a way to watch remotely and I don' want to hit my comcast data caps.
Any other ideas? Is it possible to get a currently recording stream through a channels API?
The quality going to remote locations can also be set server side and it will transcode in real time -- assuming your server can handle it.
Understood. It's in a docker container on a low power NAS so I use a connected Nano to do the transcoding. It can do it at 10x with minimal impact.
I could simply stream from HDHomeRun to Nano but that renders channels unusable. I need an API hook to the current tuner recorded.ts stream.
Just beware, the transcoder built into the Extend wasn’t that great. If you just need it for remote streaming, then you should be ok. But for your primary viewing, I would look into upgrading your DVR server or video card for better transcoding.
Mine ran fine - I haven't had transcoding on for ages, but no worries on my end for its intended purpose, which seems to line up with OP.
I had two Extends, but sold them when I discovered the subchannels my wife wanted recorded were unwatchable with compression enabled. My recollection is that both the video and sound were damaged. They were worth too much to keep if the compression could not be used. The main channels were OK.
A lot of inexpensive computers can handle transcoding in real time and you wouldn't need to worry about offloading the trancoding step. Of course, the sky's the limit if you want to spend more... Example:
I have an Extend and happy with it, but I don’t use it for large screen viewing. I’m using it successfully over my VPN back to my home router on my iPad with the Channels App.
How about this one? It is described as having a transcoder. Not sure if Channels DVR actually supports it though??? https://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_cordcuttertv.html
Not directly. The only hardware tuners directly supported by Channels are the HDHomeRun tuners from SiliconDust. Alternatively, if your DVB tuners support Sat>IP Channels can access and use Sat>IP receivers, too.