In Praise of Channels DVR

[GeoffT]

After many weeks of what my wife would call "faffing about" with how best to run and control the Channels DVR system, I have finally gone live with it.

I have the server running with the OEM image on a Raspi4. For Sources I have 2 HDHomerun quattros for FTA TV and use a custom channel for some IPTV.

For the clients, after trying Apple TV, a TV with Android TV built in, and a cheap Android TV box, I finally settled on using Nvidia Shields. Not the cheapest option, but works by far the best for me. I'm using a Flirc plugged into each one so that I can use my own IR remote programmed exactly how I want. I also run the Android app on 2 tablets.

It's been a steep learning curve, and I've had to ask a lot of (mostly stupid!) questions on here, but now that it's working I really am super impressed with it. I love the concept of a central recording server, and being able to watch anything, live or recorded, on any of the clients is brilliant.

I am still finding my way around it all, and I'm sure I will have more stupid questions, but I just wanted to say "Great Job" to all the team behind it and the helpful community on here too.

[jator]

WAF ("Wife Approval Factor") is very real. It's a high bar, and Devs cleared it.

[maddox]

@jator

WAF ("Wife Approval Factor") is very real

This is the highest compliment we can receive.

[mjitkop]

I can confirm about the WAF.
As a matter of fact, my wife is the one who uses Channels DVR the most in the family!
She loves automatic commercial skipping. She only uses TiVo now for the channels that are no longer available in Channels DVR (via TV Everywhere).

[GeoffT]

One of the things that has really helped with WAF for me is a combination of ad skip and Virtual Channels. When we aren't watching anything specific on TV she tended to put on one of the UKs 70s or 80s Music Video channels as background. Trouble is they are so full of ads that it seemed every time you switched to them you hit an ad break. So I've recorded loads of them, let them be ad skipped and then put them in a set of Virtual Channels. Voilà, ad-free music channels whenever she wants.

[Bigbillsd]

Back in the day it was Wife Acceptance Factor... You folks must have newer model spouses, mine never Approves of anything, at least not that I can remember. She eventually Accepts them... usually begrudgingly. -Bill

[scooter_scott]

WAF was the only way I was able to switch to Channels. I think I have a post just like this 5 years ago when I first converted from tivo

[MiniCooperMann]

We had bounced around from our ISP's IPTV and DirecTV and then decided to try streaming services before the prices were raised so high, we tried almost every streamer and something about the UI/DVR settings made it difficult for my wife to consistently use. I decided to just get an antenna for an HDHomerun and came across the channels app and it instantly became my wife's prefered interface. She liked the guide, the DVR, everything clicked from day one. WAF approval is super high in our household as well, and it's been amazing to see all the improvements. She loves downloads and uses it almost weekly on her ipad mini. I love tinkering with the back end stuff, creating virtual channels for the family and love being able to skip commercials. All of that and the speed of support from the community and the devs makes it so that I always recommend Channels DVR when people ask for my advice.