@DebbieFL is using a 2010 core2duo and it is too slow to transcode video for web playback. See Hardware Suggestions and Reviews
The Intel Quick Sync came out with Sandy Bridge in 2011, if you want the hardware transcoding that’s the minimum i would start ( and its gotten better every year). that would exclude “Core 2 Duo”.
if someone is looking for cheap and tiny, i wouldn’t go mac mini, but find a newer processor in a microITX or something like that and just load Ubuntu on it. that would still give you Plex and channels capability for those who want it.
I recently purchased a 2012 I5 Mini Mac on e-bay for $275 + shipping. I really wanted an I7 but, the price was about $270 to $300 more.
It runs the Channels DVR and a Plex Server with no problem. I haven’t done much testing other than to turn it on and use the features. One unexpected thing is that the Plex server on the Mac Mini can play videos from my iMac.
I went with the 2012 because it is the last model than can be upgraded, i.e., replace the internal hard drive with an SSD. I have an external SSD (via USB 3) that I use to boot. I also, bumped the RAM to 16G. I use an external (USB 3) hard drive to record shows.
This fits well for me because I am 100% Apple. Be aware that the 2011 and earlier don’t have USB 3. The 2011 do have Thunderbolt.
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I have an off topic question about Plex, which seems to come up on many of these DVR server hardware conversations. Not sure where to put it so I will start here.
Why are so many folks using a Plex server? My understanding is that Plex is useful when your smart tv devices didn’t have the processing capability to decode complex streams. Plex does the heavy lifting and transcodes files into something the light weight front ends can handle. But aren’t we at the point that many devices can handle the decoding natively without the need for Plex? The 4th Gen AppleTV needed for the Channels app can decode the large OTA MPEG2 streams so it has proven to have some capability here.
In my case I store movies and television shows on a network share and use Infuse Pro on my 4th gen Apple TVs to decode the files right on the AppleTV. Apps like Infuse Pro and MRMC provide the metadata to organize your files and a good job with all current video formats including HEVC so what is the advantage a Plex server brings to the mix? I want to make sure I’m not missing a use case.
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Not to stray too far off topic, but I use Plex because it is one central place to store media that can be used across a whole range of devices, either at home or away. It automatically transcodes to format, resolution, and bit rate as needed. It keeps watched/unwatched status and metadata in sync at all times. Basically it “just works”.
However, their DVR beta is still very “beta”…no live TV, no traditional grid EPG, etc. It amazes me how much further ahead the Channels guys are, because I assume Plex has a fair few more developers working on the DVR. I’m not too optimistic about the Plex DVR to be honest, and I plan on using Channels when it’s available in the UK. And the ability to point Plex to the Channels DVR directory and play recordings on non-Apple devices is a great bonus.
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Another option besides a Mini is an Intel NUC with Linux installed. You can drop a Plex server and Channels DVR on there. There are lots of options to balance performance and price and the footprint is as good as a Mini.
See Intel NUC
Great combination, although the ram upgrade was probably not necessary for Channels DVR…
stoli412, Thanks for the Plex feedback. I use a USB 3.0 drive plugged into my router to store my content and Infuse Pro on my AppleTV and iOS devices for viewing. Infuse Pro takes care of the metadata and watched/unwatched status and stores the data to my icloud account so all my devices are in sync. I don’t need the transcoding because Infuse Pro can play all formats I use on any of my devices. I can’t stream high bitrate files while away but Infuse does have an option to create a local copy of a file on a device so that is what I do when traveling.
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I’ve tried Infuse on my AppleTV. I really like that it plays all sound formats natively. I really wish Plex did that, but they insist on using Apple’s built-in video player. (And don’t even get me started on how the AppleTV won’t do native frame rates for any app). 
It’s even worse here in the UK where TV is 50Hz whilst most steaming services are 60Hz, let alone 24Hz for films.
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My kingdom for a new Apple TV that cares enough about video to allow for dynamic refresh rate changes 
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Don’t understand why Apple didn’t setup the AppleTV, a device sold worldwide across multiple television standards, to support dynamic rate changes. I believe the Commodore Amigas supported flipping back and forth between 50Hz and 60Hz back in the 90s.
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I upgraded my 2014 Mac Mini to an SSD, but it was not an easy task. 
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I have a Mid 2011 Mac Mini 2 core i5 with 16gb ram and so far so good. I haven’t had any trouble and I’m also running macOS Sierra. I should also note I’m currently using a 1tb Hybrid HD in it that I just put in not to long ago after the original drive failed.
What RAM do you have, the entry level one comes with only 4GB, however I’ve seen a few on eBay at 8GB with the same 1.4Ghz i5 at an extra £50. Do you use the 4gb or 8gb RAM?
On the ATV4 I’ve been running Kodi (with the Paradox build installed) for catch up TV and iPlayTV for streaming live PPV stuff which I can’t get on Channels. Thing is Apple will find a way of blocking the Kodi App on the ATV4 as it’s not an official TVOS App Store app. And iPlayTV keeps freezing. So my main drive is to get the Mac Mini for these two items. However, if we get the DVR in the U.K. and working com skip needs 8gb or ram to work fast, then it’s worth the extra few quid. If it works fast with the 4gb model, then bonus.
If you sign into Trakt on infuse and you also use Kodi and sign into Trakt on Exodus and Salts, it shares all your watched, favourites and seasons or even episode progress across all the apps. I only figured that out a few weeks ago, just thought I’d share 
I have one with 4Gb and another server at a remote location with 8Gb. Both work great. Comskip takes around 33% more time with 4 compared to 8 Gb, but it’s still pretty fast. Transcoding performance is pretty much the same. Go with whatever deal you find around. Good luck!
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But works fine on both, and they’re both i5 1.4Ghz 2012 models? Just ones 4gb and the others 8gb of DDR3 Ram?
The 4Gb is last year’s model, the 8Gb is an upgraded 2012. The specs are very similar, just bumped up a little bit on last year’s. They both run Channels with no hiccups whatsoever.
BTW, iPlayTV is a very good app, too bad it doesn’t look like it’s going to be updated anymore.
I know. The set up and interface were great I iPlayTV. Much better than the IPTV app. I keep getting freezing and buffering with a lot of the others. That one played the best. Any recommendations?
I’m thinking of getting a 2010 Core2Duo model. I don’t care about web playback. Just playback on my apple tv. Will that model be able to handle com skip well?