How Much CPU Power Does Channels Need?

Channels DVR Server
#1

I'm running Channels on a Mac Mini, 2.6 Ghz, dual core i5, 16 GB memory. I have another, notably older, Mac Mini, 2.53 Ghz Intel Core Duo, 8GB memory.

I've just installed Channels early this week for testing and experimentation. It seems to be working fine on the first computer. If I move over to the 2nd one, am I going to lose much in abilities? If so, any idea what I'll lose?

Along that line, how much horsepower does Channels, realistically need? And what functions use a lot of CPU power (and memory) and what doesn't?

If it matters, I'm not using Channels as the server, only as the DVR. I'm experimenting with Plex and UMS (Universal Media Server) as a server, since they also handle other media, not just the DVR recordings.

#2

commercial detection and transcoding use the most CPU. The streams from HDHomeRun are not touched (no further processing)... so if you are doing these on a different system, you are probably fine. if you can run the HDHR app on your old computer, Channels isn't going to be much different.

#3

I tried to find a place in Channels, under Settings, to turn commercial detection on or off and couldn't find it. Is this something in a stock install and, if so, is it normally enabled?

Thanks!

#4

It's on the web UI of the dvr as a checkbox

Core 2 duo is quite old and not the ideal setup, but with commercial detection off it might be ok. What version of macOS can you run on it?

#5

Running 10.11.6, El Capitan. After that, I hit a few times where it wouldn't upgrade, so I gave up at that point.

I'm seriously considering putting Linux on that Mac. The problem is I would have to offload some USB drives hooked up to it, reformat them in an FS Linux uses. (It's been over a decade, but I remember Linux used to have issues with Apple drives - or maybe didn't read them at all.)

Commercial detection is not a big deal to me. A lot of what I watch on a DVR is stuff I keep on in the background. (I can work best with some noise in the background.) So I'd have no problem cutting off commercial detection.

#6

I'm no Mac expert, but isn't the lack of quick sync on the core duo likely to be an issue?

#7

If you're just watching at home then you don't need QuickSync or transcoding.

Sounds like it might be just fine for your use case.

#8

No, I don't watch outside of home (well, that includes the house and the barn, which is a recreation/pool/guest house, but it's on the same LAN). We're far enough in the boonies we can't get cable, so bandwidth is an issue and I don't want to waste it on video when we're not home. If we're out almost anywhere, there'll be more viewing choices than we might have at home.