My main wish is that Channels eventually supports Accurate Recording (more technically called EIT p/f). This is a feature in the UK that allows DVRs to start and stop recording exactly at the correct times, which is a godsend because the channels almost never start their programmes on the hour.
To compensate I always pad 1 minute before and after. It’s not a huge hassle to skip forward to start of a programme, but I definitely do miss the DVR just doing it for me.
I think what @stoli412 and @zanconato are saying that in the UK programs don’t start exactly when the guide data says they will? Instead, the DVB stream contains a special EIT marker which signals the start of a program and DVR hardware uses that instead for more accurate recordings.
That’s exactly it @tmm1. There’s nothing wrong with the guide data, it’s just that the channels don’t adhere to it very well. Something could be scheduled to start at 8, but it might actually start playing out at 7:58 or 8:02 or something like that. On the other side, if a live event runs over, or if the next programme starts late because something before it ran over, then DVRs that use EIT p/f data will still record all of the wanted programme.
It’s a standard feature of DVRs in many DVB countries, and works whether it’s terrestrial, satellite, or cable (since they’re all flavours of DVB). Some countries like the UK and Sweden use it pretty faithfully, others not as much.
The EIT p/f (if that what it’s called) is particularly useful when there are sports events where overruns are quite frequent.
@stoli412 What does the p/f stand for? I’ll see if I can dig up the DVB spec to see how it works.
I haven’t had time to look at it but found
p/f means present/following. I believe it’s the ‘now/next’ data that are transmitted.
Would it be possible to match the downloaded EPG data with the p/f data being transmitted to determine when to start/stop recording? I’m wondering if slight differences in programme names would cause issues getting the data to match?
Though I may be getting ahead of myself here…I’m not sure how p/f is implemented and whether the tuner has to be ‘listening’ on the specific channel or not.
Hi, I am in the UK and have been using Channels DVR for few months now and think it’s Ok. As for the suggestion it tracks beginning and end times, I often see it stop recording early but think that’s only on non-Bbc channels, so I always pad the ending by minute or two.
It dos have a fantastic skip the adverts facility (press skip forward 30 seconds buttom twice quickly). Being able to play live Tv on any device anywhere is great, including recordings, and being able to download recording and take them away is excellent.
I currently have it recording to my desktop as I couldn’t get it to record onto a HDD direct connected to my wifi router, which is where I would prefer them to go but it seems it might only record to NAS drives which this one isn’t.
I do still have some concerns about iPad Battery usage but not done any tests yet but it seems to be much higher than iPlayer.
One thing that is a bit strange, is to search the EPG you don’t do it on the EPG tab you go to the DVR tab. Not very intuitive to me but thats where it is, if I want to search the EPG surely it should in the EPG tab!
Go for it, and I think you will enjoy it.
The accurate recording in the UK is pretty accurate 
but requires the box to monitor the streams constantly or ‘wake up’ in time for any recordings that may start early.
Most UK DVRs now employ this and wake up 10 minutes before the start of any scheduled recording to start monitoring the data stream.
I believe that the current spec is here if anyone wants to code it up.
.http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/102300_102399/102323/01.04.01_60/ts_102323v010401p.pdf
Another vote here for supporting Accurate Recording in the UK - pretty well any video recorder, DVD recorder or PVR you can buy as a consumer in the UK has it as standard, such that the TV stations don’t worry too much about letting live programmes overrun and shuffling programmes around at the last minute, so it would definitely be good to get it on Channels DVR it is going to be a viable alternative for cord cutters.
@tmm1 Did you manage to look into whether “EIT p/f” is something that is possible to make use of in Channels?
If it’s not. Auto-skipping of any advert block at the very start of a recording could be a viable alternative?
I’d like to bump this thread - especially in light of my recording this week of 24 Hours In Police Custody.
I have all passes set to record 10 seconds before and 30 seconds after. It still chopped off the end of the programme, which included on screen text of the outcome of the case 
If EIT p/f was implemented, there would be no need for padding.
Had exactly the same issue!! Cut off at the worst bit, had to find it on ITV Hub to watch the ending.
I usually set up my recordings to start 1 minute early and end 3 minutes late since the start/stop times are almost never correct in the EPG data. Of course I have 6 tuners, so I don’t have to worry about overlap. But it would be a lot nicer if EIT p/f were implemented.
It’s on Channel 4 - and Apple TV does not have All4 yet, so no catch up.
Couldn’t be bothered to configure my TV to access it - I have the wifi on that disabled.
Sorry, that’s what I meant. I used the All 4 app on my iPhone.
Have toy managed to look into supporting EIT p/f at all? It’s so frustrating when a recording misses the end because the show was delayed or extended.
Presently, all guide info is from outside sources; the broadcast EIT tables are not consulted at all.
If you are looking for a DVR with good EIT/broadcast guide support, you may want to look into Tvheadend as they support OTA guide data for both DVB and ATSC.
Accurate Recording via EIT p/f is one of my few remaining wishlist features for Channels, though I recognise there are some obstacles to getting it implemented: 1) The need to use a tuner to monitor the EIT data to know when to start a recording, and 2) The need to match up the data in the EIT to the external EPG data. Number 1 isn't too much of an issue if you have plenty of tuners to spare. Number 2 is potentially a huge challenge to reliably match up the two data sources.
I can't remember if tvheadend can use Accurate Recording with external EPG data or if it's only available when using EIT as the EPG data source. I've mainly used tvh just as a means to get my SAT>IP tuners into Channels and not played around too much with its DVR features.
I'm probably going to retire my tvh backend altogether now that Channels supports SAT>IP via M3U. But I'll still keep EIT p/f on my wishlist. 