How can I manage Channels so that I do not exceed my Xfinity monthly 1.2tb data download cap?

Channels DVR Server
#1

I am new to Channels and TV streaming and have been impressed so far.

But I noticed that I am on track to exceed my Xfinity monthly 1.2tb data download cap.
Are there Channels settings that you can tweek to lower your download burn rate?

I can see on the Channels DVR settings a 'Web Player - Server Quality' option.
For 1080p you have multiple option ; 10/8/6 mps - each has a different GB/HR burn rate.
Currently I have it set at 10mps which shows 4.4gb/hr.
If I set this to 6mps it drops the burn rate to 2.6gb/hr (approx a 40% reduction).
So if I understand this properly - given the same number of recordings - that should reduce my monthly data download burn rate by 40% - at that expense of a lower quality picture.
Do I have this right?

Are there any other Channels settings I can tweak to help manage my monthly 1.2tb data download cap?

#2

This option is for the resolution/bitrate used to transcode content when served via the DVR server's web UI. This setting has no bearing on the quality that is delivered to clients/apps (that setting is set in the app itself), nor does it have any bearing on the resolution/bitrate downloaded from TVE streams (that content is always the highest available, and cannot be changed).

If you are in danger of going over your data caps, your best option is to prioritize OTA tuners over streaming (Locast and/or TVE) sources, and to limit to amount of programming you view/record from streaming sources.

Channels does not offer any setting to change the quality of content that it ingests over the internet, only the quality of the content that the Channels DVR server can serve its clients.

1 Like
#3

Thanks racameron !

I have to admit that this really sucks.
This is a real problem - xfinity is not cheap once you exceed its data cap.
I come from a cable/dvr world - where I record tons of stuff - and then probably watch 25% of it.
IE;
I am recording about 10 hrs/day of US OPEN TENNIS right now.
On Thursday the NFL starts and I will be recording a ton of games.
So when I sit down to watch TV - I have options on what I want to watch.

I am assuming the traditional tv streaming services like SLING-TV and YOUTUBE-TV would not have this issue.
As you would use their cloud dvr to record the show - so there would be no traffic on my internet during the recording on the shows.
The only time I would see traffic is when I play the show on my tv - as it would be streamed from the CLOUD dvr at that time.
This would then reduce my internet traffic down about 25% from what I am seeing now.
Do I understand this right?

#4

Your understanding of cloud DVR is correct.

FWIW, I feel your pain. I planned on recording all of the NBA Playoffs until I saw how quickly it ate into my bandwidth cap.

I’ve heard that you can remove the data cap with an additional monthly payment. The last time I looked into this, Comcast charged $50 to remove the cap but it was only available in certain areas. If that’s within your budget, it may be worth a shot.

#5

That is what our household had to do was pay $50 for unlimited but they did credit us when they were offering unlimited due to COVID.... Between hallmark now , Netflix , Epix , Disney ,Hulu ,ESPN ,Prime and TVE that was the only way to go.

Verizon just gave us a Bundle deal on Disney+ , HULU, ESPN+

#6

If you can record more OTA vs. TVE its about the only thing you can do. If you intend to record a ton of stuff TVE and don't have unlimited data you will have a problem. I am about 3tb now using Channels.

#7

yea...pretty crazy thing to have a data usage cap in 2020..
EVERYTHING is freaking online now.
and the ever becoming more used 4K HDR content streams, remote working, online schooling, etc....gonna eat up far more data far faster.
And certain ISPs just take it as a chance to get more money from you.

#8

This was the main model for mobile for a long time but finally T-Mobile broke that up by getting the other big US carriers to offer unlimited. Now there is real choice... you can pay a little less for capped, but even then most just slow you down not charge more. That cycle hasn't happened yet with ISPs. They are losing in other places, and some appear to be wanting to try the capping stronghold... some others have had it for a while.

Amazingly, this is one place AT&T is being very forward thinking. At least in our neighborhood where they compete head to head with Spectrum, they did an end around and dropped the price of uncapped gigabit to $59, lower than their slower capped speeds. That is their standard price now, which I find to be a very reasonable price in today's market... and the free HBO Max just sweetens the pot.

#9

wow that is impressive. I wish that was available in my area. Xfinty seems to be the only game in town here for high-speed. Amazing xfinity is almost twice the price for 1/4 the speed.

#10

I was paying $60/month for 300mbps, capped at 1TB (which was made uncapped because I had Uverse TV). I canceled Uverse TV and was expecting to pay $30/month more to make it uncapped. Then I found in my account that the gigabit plan was cheaper than I was already paying, and uncapped... and was able to just switch my account to it without even talking to anyone. Spectrum has been advertising their version a lot so competition is what brings the prices down. In areas where there is only one ISP option, you are at their mercy for what they charge.

#11

I have xfinity, I pay them the $20/month for xFi advantage which leases their modem and gives unlimited data. It may or may not be available in your area but could be an option.

#12

I am going to have this same issue as well. So some feature/capability to reduce bandwidth would be great. As a service, not only do they have the 1.2TB cap, but it only gives 5MB upload speed which is pretty horrible these days.

#13

You can set the Quality of streams in the client app, and in the sever settings (for playback via web browser viewing) ... but i don't think those settings affect actual recording of the TVE streams, and it is just transcoding on sever, still pulling the raw data stream anyway?

I would think, to record TVE streams at lower resolution/bitrate, the sever would have to have on-the fly transcoding. But, then the sever still is pulling the raw data stream....so that does not save on data used.

so...it would have to be coded somewhere for Channels DVR sever to request lower res/bitrate stream from the source network stream. not sure if each TVE network supports manual selection of quality, or is just auto.

#14

If you don't care about remote DVR access, then add a WiFi adapter to your DVR server and configure it to use that as its primary internet connection.

Then connect the WiFi adapter to the xfinitywifi network, and login to it using your Comcast credentials.

xfinitywifi usually provides at least 30mbit of downstream bandwidth (more than enough for recording multiple TVE streams simultaneously) and will come right off your Comcast router if you rent a router from them (if not, you might still be able to use it if you have a nextdoor neighbor with Comcast equipment). And it does not count at all against your data cap.

This will break remote DVR access because xfinitywifi puts you behind a NAT and I don't believe it lets UPnP set up a port forward. It's likely possible to mitigate that with a more complex network configuration, fi you're sufficiently motivated.

3 Likes
#15

Nice! You mean log into the public Wi-Fi network that Xfinity adds to everyone's installation without any opt-in, unless the customer specifically tells them not to. Most people don't even know it's there.

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#16

i live in a large apartment complex, and there are no less than 15 different Xfinity wifi hotsopts AP's can see using a wifi scanner software. just sitting on my desk.

And yea, since my folks have Comcast internet and cable, i use my sub account login to access the free Xfinity wifi hotspot wifis when i need to test remote acces to something to my own network. And also use for my phone when out.

I hadn't even thought of connection my channels dvr sever to that, if ever my internet is out.
But would that not require all new rescan or re-authentication with TVE, since you are no at different network and location?
Obviously, this scenario would disable a HDHR tuner, as that resides on your local network.

#17

Not true.

The process as described above would use the WiFi from the Xfinity hotspot as the default gateway for non-local traffic, but still use the other local interfaces (such as the ethernet) for access to local resources.

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#18

i mean if you used the server on the wifi hotospot. not still connected to local network. cause it is connected to xfinity, not your home internet local network.
If you want to have both NICs online, u would have to setup the wired nic to block internet acces, via firewall, else the OS will default to the wired NIC for connectivity cause it higher priority and faster. Windows for sure always uses wired first.

#19

You just modify the routing table, so that local requests (such as 192.168/16) use your main router as the gateway (probably 192.168.1.1), and then set all other routes (usually 0.0.0.0/0) to use the gateway provided by the wifi connection.

Or you can even give the wired interface a static IP on the same subnet as the tuners, and then manually enter the tuners' IP addresses in the DVR's web UI so it can find them.

A split network like this is entirely possible. Yes it will require a little bit of manual intervention, but nothing that a little googling couldn't give you an answer to in the first 5 results.

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#20

If this works, it's a friggin genius idea! My only concern is whether Comcast had the forethought to track data usage by the login and then combine the wifi usage with our regular wired usage...

Might have to spin up a second instance of Channels DVR to test this out. :slight_smile: