So I'd like to try out a couple of different DVR configurations. Is it OK to install and run a second Channels DVR server while keeping the existing DVR (on a separate computer) running as-is?
I assume I can connect my Channels DVR viewing app to either server by changing the IP address, yes?
Also, if I create or remove scheduled recordings on the second DVR, will that affect the first DVR at all?
Sure. The installations are independent and won't affect each other.
Great! Thanks.
You can also run them on the same device through docker.
Is this a new feature? I wanted to run different servers a while ago and was told it was not possible at the time.
You could always use multiple servers. The problem is that they don't pool resources, and your client can only connect to one at a time.
Also, you can only really use ONE server as the server you connect back to remotely.
Just be sure you turn off bonjour on all the servers and manually connect to them from the client with Connect To Channels DVR and manually enter their IP address. Otherwise you'll have a mess on your hands with bonjour discovering different servers and swapping them.
I think this thread answers my question. I have had a remote DVR for a couple of years. Today I set up a local DVR. Now I can’t see my remote DVR. Is there no way to see them both from the client?
Not concurrently. The client can only be connected to a single DVR at a time.
However, IIRC, you can connect to a remote DVR and still use a local HDHR tuner together (although the local tuner will only be available for live viewing, as the DVR won't be able to see it).
I have no way to test this, but it seems to me it should be possible to copy the recordings from the remote computer running the remote DVR to the local computer running the local DVR, and then use the import feature of the local DVR to add them to your local DVR's list of recordings.
This is a great idea! Is there a way to automate the transfer of recordings? I recall doing something similar on my TiVo system using PyTiVo and/or KMTTG I think.
Sounds like you want to sync files between two devices over the Internet.
Channels DVR doesn't do that.
You have to consider your DVR servers and what commands or software will let you sync files.
You may have different options if you're running a site-site VPN between them, such as remote mount a directory on the remote server to your local server. Hope you have a good high speed connection both ways if you do that.
You could do it with a combination of ssh and rsync. Easier if both machine are Linux. Not so much if they are Windows.
Another option would be to use a cloud-based drive like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. as a "go-between" (eg. mount the cloud drive like a local drive on both machines.... remote machine has a scheduled task to copy recordings to cloud drive, local machine has a scheduled task to copy recordings from cloud drive to local drive and then delete them from cloud drive). Finding enough storage for this option might be difficult.
I have 2 channels DVR servers in different time zone recording different TV and I would like to access all the content remotely via the apple TV app.
I fear this is currently not supported from the read of this LONG old thread. PLEX does support this.
Does Channels DVR support multiple remote servers now like Plex?
If you map the Movie and TV folders from one server to the Movie and TV import on the other server. You could make the content available on both servers, minus commercial skipping information. You'd also need enough bandwidth to move the files without transcoding.
I believe the limitation is one remote server per account. You could subscribe with two different accounts and achieve this, if my understanding is correct.