Mark as Recorded - Want this but hacked workaround

Channels DVR Server Feature Requests
#1

I've got recordings of some Series Episodes from before using Channels DVR that I keep archived. Channels DVR doesn't know I recorded them previously, even if I import them, so my Series Passes keep offering to record them. I've just been going to the Scheduled Recordings view and selecting to skip them, but it's turned into a chore.

For Series where I have complete Seasons already recorded, I can use advanced passes to only record Seasons I don't have. This is for Seasons where I'm missing a few episodes and want to record them.

Since the feature "Mark as Recorded" isn't available, I found a fairly simple work-around.
Instead of just letting Channels DVR record them all as they come up and then deleting them (could be 30 or 60 minutes each epsidoe), I decided to "fake" recording them with Channels DVR.

I created manual recording jobs for about 12 episodes today. Each was one minute in length.
The key was using the correct SeriesID and ProgramID for each episode.
Channels DVR now thinks it recorded them.

It would be so much easier to use the Channels DVR interface and just "Mark as Recorded" instead of "Skipping", or having to re-record something you already have that Channels DVR doesn't know about.

#2

Not sure how you created the "fake" recordings, but could you rename the previous recording with the "fake" name and then run Fix Video Timestamp to correct the recording length? Then Channels will find the videos as if it had recorded them.

#3

Using this method How to create a Manual Time/Channel based recording job
I get the info needed for each episode from the scheduled recordings http://x.x.x.x:8089/dvr/jobs

After each one is recorded (it just records whatever is on the channel for 60 seconds) I delete the recording.

Not sure what you're trying to say. I aready have the episodes outside of Channels DVR, so I'm doing this so Channels DVR thinks it recorded them and wont keep trying to schedule them.

#4

I understand. With imports stored separately, my Channels recordings are located in at least two locations. It would be nice to combine all into one folder. My suggestion was aimed at that point by used the "fake" video recording name to rename your older files and then move those files into the official Volumes/Drive/Channels/TV/Show Name folder.

I have moved the Channels recording into my import folders, but sometimes the "TV" guide source fails to recognize the correct show title - even for shows Channels had previously recorded. Even trying to find a match fails.

You solution at creating the "fake" episode gives me something to explore for those show titles -- bring the import into the official Channels environment. Thanks.

#5

This would be helpful because I use channels and Plex. And if I delete files from channels I need to be able to mark stuff already recorded.

#6

If I import a show into channels that channels has never recorded. Then run Fix Video Timestamp on the imported show, will channels then mark that imported show as already recorded and not try and record it again in the future?

#7

No. The imported programs are not a part of the recorded database. Two separate things. (The developers have said this is an issue they'd like to address, but there's no timeline.)

#8

Thanks I thought maybe by having channels process it with the Fix Video Timestamp it might add it to it's databases.

#9

My experience with imports started with a large collection of movies recorded OTA with different software. I found that Channels does not care about the recording — it only cares about the recording file name.

Many of my older recordings have been rebroadcast and I set Channels to re-recorded them. Because my older recording had commercials already cut out or were a higher quality, I wanted to replace the new recording with the old.

Copying the Channels file name and renaming my old recording with it allowed me to add the old recording into Channels as if that recording had been made by Channels. I did find that some of my older recordings were LONGER time-wise that the official Channels recording. Fix Video Timestamp solved that issue by changing, say, a 120 minute recording to 143 minutes.

I am not sure where Channels stores Imports in its Database, but Channels must store information because it knows the length of each Import recording as part of the Scan Sources process.