Has anyone deployed Channels DVR Server on Raspberry Pi 5? How many concurrent remote (non local network) streams can it handle?

Channels DVR Server Raspberry Pi
#1

Hey folks.

Has anyone been able to install Channels DVR Server with Raspberry Pi 5 RPi5? I’m curious how many concurrent remote streams the new chip can handle and how much RAM is ideal (4 or 8 GB)?

I’ve been thinking a lot about finding a more energy efficient way to run Channels DVR Server. I migrated from a quad-core i7 Mac mini 2012 to an M1 Mac mini 2020. M1 achieved awesome energy savings, but I imagine that Pi5 can achieve even more!

Looking forward to sharing learnings as the next generation of RPi gets in the hands of more tinkerers and makers, especially among the Channels DVR community!

#2

Can you explain in more detail how you want to remotely access a Pi 5?

"Original Quality" remote playback is what you should consider for multiple remote streams on a Pi5.

Worst case on my Pi 5, playing "8Mbit" vs. "Original Quality" a single 1080i over-the-air stream has a load factor of under 4.

Streaming two 4 Mbit software transcoded streams the Pi5 is stressed with ~4.5 load factor.

I have 3 ways to remotely access my Channels servers each with different delays and other factors that may limit the number of streams beyond the Pi 5.

I have a WireGuard server at my home where I can access my remote server as if I am "at home".

I also have the new Channels TailScale integration.

My Channels subscription provides one "remote server" I can access "away from home".

Unless you have fiber, your uplink will likely be your bottleneck for "original quality" streams.

I suspect your (headless) M1 mini is optimal with an idle consumption under 6.4 watts. Channels DVR activity should be minimal on top of the idle load. The Pi 5 is specified at 2.7 watts idle... that my energy monitor shows as 3 watts when direct streaming original quality. A single 8Mbit transcoded stream jumps to 7W and that's without exercising an external T5 SSD which is 0.5-3 W.