Mac Mini as DVR server

#29

So I got everything set up on my Mac Mini M1. I went with an external HD and pointed storage to that. When I watch live TV I've noticed that it is way snappier and quicker moving from channel to channel. And, commercial detection for an hour show took like 5 minutes. I do have gigabit internet as well.

The only issue that I'm seeing is that last night I watched a recording I had made and some of the colors seem pixelated. Would anyone know why this might be? I was thinking maybe it's the network? It says it recorded in HD but it doesn't look like HD. I'm using Locast and TVE watching on an Apple TV 4th gen if that matters.

#30

@noviceTV to prevent the HD from going to sleep on a Mac you go to the System Preferences > Energy Saver then check the box that says "Prevent HD from falling asleep".

If you're using a newer MacBook it's in System Preferences > Battery > Power Adapter.

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#31

I also learned you have to set the Mac OS to auto-login and turn off encryption. That way you don't have to have a mouse or keyboard connected to the Mac Mini. I then use VNC to remote into the Mac Mini from my MacBook so I can control it and do any needed updates.

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#32

TVE is not stunning quality. It all depends on the stream provider on how high or low definition they want their stream to be.

#33

Make sure the Apple TV is set to SDR mode.

You can also enable Experimental under Settings > Playback > Advanced > Video Driver inside the Channels app.

#34

@tmm1 How do I get the Apple TV to SDR mode? I knew about 4k SDR for the 4th gen 4k model but I just have the stand 4th gen.

#35

tmm1 Is this 1080p SDR or a different format?

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#36

Oh yea that model can't do HDR/SDR. So the default settings should be fine there.

#37

Should I static the IP on the Mac Mini? Cox doesn't offer static IP on the router for residential customers only businesses where I live.

I know how to static the IP on the Mac Mini but I've on these forums that changing the Configuration from Using DHCP to Manual causes issues the Channels DVR working outside the home. Can anyone confirm this? Do I need to static the IP? In case the internet goes out or I need to reboot my modem. Cox told me they dynamically refresh IPs every few days. I'm not sure if that is true but if it is I definitely don't want the issues.

#38

You're confusing a whole bunch of different things together.

You don't need a static IP from your ISP.

In your home, you can configure your router to use a DHCP static reservation for the devices you care about. This is preferred to a static IP on the client side. It tells the router to hand your device the same IP every time, so you don't have to change anything on your Mini.

Automatic vs Manual for port forwarding is a separate thing and not related to DHCP or static IPs.

Mac Mini static IP address
#39

How do I do the DHCP static reservation? I'm using the cox gigabit modem/router.

On the other issue, I've already set up port forwarding.

#40

Find the model number and then google for the model plus dhcp reservation.

If it doesn't support reservations, then you can go to your Mac under System Preferences > Network and change from DHCP to Static and pick an IP (or use the same one currently assigned).

#41

Thanks!

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#42

This is what I see on the Mac Mini. I don't see a setting for Static from the dropdown. Which do I choose?

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#43

Here ist he an image:

Screen Shot 2021-03-30 at 10.54.14 AM

#44

The second and fourth option both let you specify the address manually. That's the same thing.

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#45

So if I change it to Using DHCP with manual address I can just save it and all is good moving forward?

#46

Yes that means your Mac will always use that address, so it won't change.

#47

Perfect, that is what I want so it doesn't mess anything up with my Channels DVR if I have to reboot the Mac or the internet goes out and comes back up.

I did read another thread where someone said setting this to manual on his mac mini caused connection issues so he switched it back to DHCP and it worked. Do you know if there are issues with this?

#48

It's more likely it was setup incorrectly. Besides, DHCP helps with change to the network over time.