Mecool M8S Pro L

i am seriously considering buying the M8S Pro L because I want to run Android TV OS and don’t want to spend the $ for Nvidia Shield. The M8S has great reviews. But I really need an easy to use DVR experience. I can’t easily determine if the device has Quick Sync. Will Channels DVR run on this device?

It won’t run Channels or Channels DVR. It’s not running an Android TV OS just normal Android 7.1.

1 Like

Not true from the reviews. The newest boxes do run Android TV 7.1. Not the recent Oreo. But, it is non-tablet version.

If it’s actually running Android TV and has the Play Store, you can run the Channels app. (Definitely beware though because most of the “tv boxes” run a hacked up tablet version of Android.)

For Channels DVR, only the SHIELD is supported since it’s the only hardware that has Gigabit Ethernet, USB3, and a hardware transcoder.

Sorry then, I checked and I have the M8S Pro+ and it definitely didn’t have Android TV on it, so I guess they’re upgrading.

I was under the impression the client had to have Quick Sync. I guess I am misread. I already have HDHomeRun Prime and their DVR service running on a MacBook Pro as an experiment. I currently use a Fire Stick as the client thanks to Samsung. My users (wife and daughter) are not happy with the HDHomeRun app or DVR. The prime device is awesome. So, I want to replace HDHomeRun DVR with Channels DVR running on my MacBook. Replace the Fire Stick with an M8S Pro L running the Channels app. If my users are happy I may replace my MacBook with NAS. This config sounds promising based on your reply. Not a big investment. Especially if my users like. I will reply if I proceed.

The MacBook is a good place to run Channels DVR.

The M8S Pro L is also pretty powerful for a client. Certainly better than the Fire Stick. You can also consider the cheaper MiBox (available at Walmart) which has the advantage of the new Oreo UI.

Intel QuickSync is a transcoding technology, optional on the Channels DVR computer for compressing video efficiently when you use the away-from-Home feature. The MacBook’s intel cpu will support it.

I bougt the M8S Pro L. I plan on starting with that as the client with Channels DVR running on the Mac Book Pro. I plan on replacing within the first month. Just to free up my Mac Book for other needs. I’ve been searching for a NAS alternative. First on the list is Intel NUC (BOXNUC6CAYH). Next is the ACEPC AK1. I know the AK2 is coming but that may be overkill. Both appear to support transcoding by checking the Intel Support App. A key requirement for me is an internal drive. I’d prefer fanless but haven’t found one yet.

I will update with my progress…

1 Like

The NUC makes a great DVR. Just make sure you buy the right type of RAM

Good to hear. I plan on running Linux on the NUC. I have experience with CentOS and Ubuntu. Considering Linux Mint. Any recommendation on which Linux and how much ram?

2GB should be plenty if you’re doing nothing but the DVR on there.

I prefer Ubuntu myself but I’ve heard good things about Linux Mint as well.

The M8S Pro L arrived today. Super easy to setup. I have Channels app running on it without any issues. Love the builtin pause and rewind. The guide is awesome. I will setup Channels DVR on my MacBook this weekend. After that, setup the NUC assuming my family likes the new setup.

1 Like

I came across the Mecool KM8 yesterday, which is supposedly Android TV certified as well and comes with Oreo installed. I ordered one to try it out.

(Note: No 802.11ac or 5ghz wifi, and ethernet is only 100mbps.)

It looks like the M8S Pro L is a better buy actually. Supports 802.11ac, has more ram and storage, and has a newer GPU and CPU. Hopefully they decide to upgrade it to Oreo.

Glad it’s working well for you!

Channels DVR is now setup on my MacBook. So easy to install and configure. Even with an external drive. Guide download was flawless. Great job with usability.

Time for my users to explore and provide feedback. Early feedback is very promising.

2 Likes

Channels DVR was running on my MacBook so I have moved on to the next phase. I have a NUC6CAYH. I configured with 4GB memory and a 500 GB SSD. I have one thing to checkout because it is prompting me about the new memory when Ubuntu boots. Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS minimal installation. I had to install curl afterwards so I could install Channels DVR.

I get an error when installing Channels DVR. The error is below. Not much info. Any suggestions how to proceed?

$ curl -f -s https://getchannels.com/dvr/setup.sh | sh
Downloading Channels DVR 2018.10.08.2134 (linux-x86_64) to /home/jerry/channels-dvr.
ERROR: Installation of Channels DVR failed.
ERROR: Please contact [email protected] with the full output above.

My 5G network is flaky. I am trying with my 2.4G to see if that helps. I noticed the Download message is now displaying more dots so maybe the download did not complete the first time.

Problem solved. I downloaded the setup.sh, turned echo on and ran locally. It prompted me for my password as I did not run the script as root. After I entered my password I see the message saying Channels DVR has been installed.

Hmm you're not supposed to run setup.sh as root, but I guess it doesn't matter.

I’m guessing sudo wasn’t installed. The install script requires it.