Just want to ask about the new product HDHomeRun - SERVIO 2TB , https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hdhomerun-servio-2tb-ota-dvr-streaming-player-black/6354197.p?skuId=6354197
Will this work with Channels DVR? this allows your HDhomerun tunner to record to the device without a computer , but will it work with Channels DVR??
The tuners Of the Scribe will work in Channels DVR but you cannot run Channels DVR on them or write to the Servio or Scribe. They will only work with the HDHomeRun DVR. I believe the Servio can run the HDHomeRun DVR as longs as you have Connect , Prime or quatro tuners.
The Servio is a unit that will add additional network storage to the Scribe or any device running the HDHomeRun DVR.
The Scribe is the one that runs the DVR .... and has tuners.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hdhomerun-scribe-duo-1tb-ota-dvr-streaming-player-black/6354194.p?skuId=6354194&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=BM01&ds_rl=1266837&gclid=CjwKCAjwscDpBRBnEiwAnQ0HQFJxEb0PHb18unTP25AzQZ8U1mZtfZHUJf5qisaWmZU6a3nxUGFBphoC_A4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The Servio is just a network appliance that runs SD's HDHomeRun DVR. It will use any HDHR tuners it finds on the network. I can be used in conjunction with other instances of SD's DVR, including the Scribe (which has tuners), and other computers/NAS on your network already running the engine.
The Servio (and the Scribe) cannot be accessed directly for their storage. You cannot install software on them (such as Channels), you cannot remotely access them (via telnet/SSH), and you cannot access them as you would a NAS (via NFS/SMB/AFP).
The Servio and Scribe are only useful if you use SD's DVR. They are useless for other purposes. (Except for the Scribe, which can offer its tuners for use with Channels, Plex, etc.; just not its storage.)
The short answer is:
There's really no reason to buy the HDHomeRun products with built-in storage if you are using Channels, because the built-in storage cannot be used by Channels.
Just save your money and buy a regular HDHomeRun with tuners only.
Agree and right now you do not have a way to move or transcode your recordings ... you cannot even see them across the network. Total BS I want to be able to do what I want with my recordings. You can only use their software to View and delete them.
I’m very interested in using Channels to control my HDHomeRun Scribe, so I ended up here. For this thread, I thought this response from a developer on the SiliconDust forum might be helpful:
Just FYI, we are very much working to make the SERVIO and SCRIBE available as a source for all our partners, including Plex. While whether they actually make use the devices is up to them, we certainly at least get the sense that they're pretty interested.
https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=116&t=71952
We have no plans to make use of HDHR DVR. To be honest, I’m not sure what it would even provide. We have our own DVR system. That’s what we’ll be supporting and working on.
As for future purchases, just buy an HDHR with tuners if you want to use it with Channels.
Right now the recordings are not even available to be shared with other APPS. It is useful if you only plan on using the HDHomeRun software to record. What they are talking about is in the future making recorded media available to be played in other APPS.... not running other DVR software on it.
I bought the Scribe because I just wanted an easy all in one DVR, plus the Scribe was only $100 more compared to a similar 4 tuner non-DVR from HDHR, and their DVR yearly fee was minimal. At this point, the benefit (for me) if Channels made use of the DVR (like if it just saw it as a NAS) would be that I still have a dead simple and cheap setup. But if I just need to do a separate Channels DVR then that’s easy enough I guess. However, there were multiple reasons why I instantly started looking at 3rd party once I got my HDHR setup. The GUI on HDHR is ancient and reminds me of an old device for kids. Then the quality of the output (live channels) from the HDHR is terrible on my iPhone and 2 4K FireTV sticks (my 2 4K pendants look ok however, just not quite as good as Channels). Below is what I posted on their forums if you’re into any tech rant stuff.
HDHomeRun's output of live and DVR was definitely a 30p look, which made 1080i stuff have jagged edge graphics and a very obvious de-interlaced 30p look (I work for a TV station and have worked in the video world for the past 27 years, currently doing most stuff in 4K 60p) so that was an additional thing I sought out more information about. I tried out Channels on my iPhone and instantly enjoyed the GUI much more, but then when I started watching live TV, I then noticed just how bad the HDHomeRun output was in comparison. Channels is outputting a 60p signal that preserves the smoothness of a live 1080i or 720p broadcast, but then also keeps the graphics smooth and clean. Here are some additional findings when I inspected frames in detail, along with the attached image which shows HDHomeRun on the left, and Channels on the right in each scenario. The channel 13 examples are 1080i, the channel 59 example is 720 60p:
HDHomeRun has 29 pixels of black at the bottom, 0 at the top, 1 pixel on each side
It’s scaled up to 100.3% compared to full size 1920x1080, which also results in a few rows of cropping at the top and bottom
Channels
1-2 pixels of black at the top, 0 at the bottom or sides
Black levels (bottom right corner of sample pic) the Channels App had a Hue, Saturation and Black level of 0, 0, 0 where the HDHomeRun had 293˚ Hue, 11% Saturation and 7% Black levels. Definitely washed out, and also the whites on Channels measuring 99%, the HDHomeRun whites only measure 92%, resulting in the very flat picture.
I was told by HDHR that the Fire TV Stick 4Ks were switched to software decoding of MPEG2 because the hardware decoder was broken from release and Amazon just released the fix a couple weeks ago. They are now going to send an update to switch the Fire Stick 4Ks back to hardware decoding. Obviously that likely won't help with decoding on iOS (unless they switched it for both) and also it doesn't improve their GUI for live TV grids or DVR listings and functions. So I still may eventually move to Channels and just not use the DVR function of the Scribe in that case.
Quite honestly, I wish SiliconDust would just stick to making really good tuners and stay out of the software, DVR, TV streaming business. The DVR and UI is hot garbage, and we all know how their venture into "Premium TV" turned out.
Channels DVR is by far the best in this area of dvr of OTA feeds , S Dust can’t even make an Apple TV app for their DVR . Main reason I’m with channels DVR.
Nice to see a fellow Indiana resident 
Yes! I'm just trying to stop giving Spectrum Cable a bunch of money each month for channels I don't watch! haha
Spectrum has 3 cheap streaming packages. I have Choice which is $25 for locals plus 10 cable channels (you pick from 65). They also give you HBO, Showtime, Stars, the Movie Channel and Encore for $15.
Just for kicks I used VLC to open the HDHomeRun tuner on the local network, chose a channel, and the image quality from that on iOS and FireTV is the best of any. Top HDHR, middle Channels, bottom VLC
VLC has many options for deinterlacing. Which one was selected?
On the FireTV is Decoder set to Hardware or Software in the app?
That's where it gets interesting. The graphics above were from a 1080i news broadcast, and were taken from an iPhone. The settings for VLC in that were Deblocking: Medium, Deinterlace: Off and Hardware Decoding: ON
On one of my 4K FireTVs (pendant) the VLC and Channels looked identical. VLC had hardware decoding off (which that shouldn't have hardware decoding anyhow I think?) and deinterlace was on auto.
On a 4K Fire Stick, VLC was a little noticeably better than Channels, similar to the iOS example in my pic. I will have to check tonight, but I'm pretty sure I looked and hardware decoding was also off, and deinteralce was on auto.
In fairness, the subscription is less than half the cost you guys are asking for.
True, but SiliconDust's DVR requires a constant internet connection. Recording rules are only checked every few hours, and only the rules for the next few upcoming hours are stored locally.
Also, if your internet goes down, you cannot access SiliconDust's app. It REQUIRES an active internet connection when to app starts to even load its user interface.
Offline access to my TV and recordings is worth the less-than $5/mo more that Channels costs over the HDHomeRun DVR service.
