NEW: Channels DVR backend for Nvidia SHIELD

Beta Community DVR Beta
#87

Given your response and @timstephens24 latest positive results with the Pro, I’m thinking that the 16gb (~8gb free) Shield may not be up to intensive tasks.

Also, if the current process is utilizing the “adopted storage” SDXC, then this card may be causing the problem, if too slow.

After completion of last 3 b-b show test (6 @ 1 hour - on 1st 3 now), I’ll remove it and do a few more tests. Also, I will then attach a smaller powered USB3 as “adopted storage” and test with that. Recordings will still be directed to “removable storage”, powered USB3 8TB, in both cases.

Latest results (seem to support hypothesis):

No problems with 3 half hour shows. Recordings and comskip success all 3.
On 3 full hour shows. Recordings all OK, however 1st file processed failed comskip, the following 2 were successful.

#88

AFAIK the internal storage should not affect the recording process. Data is received from HDHR and written to external storage.

#89

Well that hypothesis was a bust…BUT

Common to ALL comskip failures (on my tests)

720P broadcast

Note: Found that some stations are advertising 1080i, however when analyzing the actual file created…every single one was 720P

#90

My external storage keeps getting unmounted somehow every 3 days (or so), so my log is full of ‘transport endpoint is not connected’ instead of recording what it was supposed to today. Since I’m using a Pro, can you allow saving to the internal storage so I don’t have to deal with this?

#91

I can look into how this would work…

My understanding is that you’d have to store the recordings into the storage area for the app, which also means that all the recordings would be deleted when the app was uninstalled, and it would be quite hard to move the recordings to another system.

#92

@DebbieFL Are you still seeing this since the factory reset?

#93

All tests done yesteday/today AFTER reset

11 (720p) shows failed out of total 35 recorded. (Total is both 1080i and 720p)

Testing included 4 different 720p channels in single recordings, multiple and back to back configurations. No 1080i failed

#94

Comskip failures are a known issue. I’m more concerned about “transport not connected” drive disconnects at the moment.

#95

No problem, just trying to help track down reason for these failures, for when you have time to analyze. :grinning:

One more thing … maybe a bit more descriptive.

There was only 1 720P show (which was a 1/2hr show) which had success on comskip out of the total 12 tested/recorded. The balance of 23 tests were 1080i, which were all successful. Multiple and back to back tests included a mix of each.

#96

Thanks. Usually I can still get to the app area, either SSH’ing in with an app or a file browser. Worst case I could just root it if I really wanted to get to the files.

#97

Did your Pro come with latest S/W or did you have to perform Update?

If latter, then a reset might help. See @karlmitchell comments.

For the past year using the Shield for Plex, I lost one or the other (or both) of 2 network storage locations on Shield multiple times, even though neither NAS disconnected from my network. Shield itself also seemed to maintain network connection (and I never did a power shutdown on Shield).

1 Like
#98

IIRC each app’s files are completely private, so even with SSH or a file browser you can’t access them. The only option is to root the device, which is beyond the capabilities of most users.

Anyway, I think you can achieve what you want by

  1. stopping the DVR (uncheck DVR box)

  2. run this curl command:

    curl --data-binary ‘{“Path”:“DVR”}’ -XPOST http://x.x.x.x:8089/dvr

This will end up storing your recordings in /data/data/com.getchannels.dvr/files/channels-dvr/data/DVR

#99

I had to update, and I did a hard reset after I updated. Generally do that with any new device I get (and usually on version jump OS updates).

#100

Done…

Let’s see how internal works :stuck_out_tongue: Thanks a ton!

#101

Sound advice, which I’ll be following in the future…Thanks :grinning:

#102

Overnight Failure:

2017/05/31 22:39:27 [SYS] Starting Channels DVR v2017.05.25.2249 (android-arm64) in /data/data/com.getchannels.dvr/files/channels-dvr/data
2017/05/31 22:39:28 [HDR] Found 1 devices
2017/05/31 22:39:29 [SYS] Started HTTP Server
2017/05/31 22:39:33 [DVR] Recording engine started in /storage/E848DA7348DA404C/NVIDIA_SHIELD/Channels
2017/05/31 22:39:33 [DVR] Waiting 3h35m26.703269383s until next job 1496297700-ch456 The Town (2010)
2017/05/31 22:39:33 [SYS] Created database snapshot: backup-20170531.223933
2017/05/31 22:39:43 [IDX] Pruned 19 expired airings from USA-FL61795-X in 210.448125ms.
2017/06/01 02:15:00 [DVR] Starting job 1496297700-ch456 The Town (2010) on ch=[456]
2017/06/01 02:15:00 [DVR] Waiting 5h44m59.952656762s until next job 1496318400-ch658 Narrow Margin (1990)
2017/06/01 02:15:00 [TNR] Opened connection to 1318CAEB for ch456
2017/06/01 02:15:16 [WRN] Buffer for 1318CAEB ch456 is more than 50% full (clients=1, len=16777684)
2017/06/01 02:15:18 [DVR] Recording for job 1496297700-ch456 from 1318CAEB ch456 into “Movies/The Town (2010) 2017-06-01-0215.mpg” for 2h59m59.940053741s
2017/06/01 02:15:19 [ERR] Could not lookup program MV002783580000: invalid response for /programs/MV002783580000?imageAspectTV=2x3&api_key=: 503 Service Unavailable
2017/06/01 02:25:38 [TNR] Closed connection to 1318CAEB for ch456
2017/06/01 02:25:38 [DVR] Error running job 1496297700-ch456 The Town (2010): write /storage/E848DA7348DA404C/NVIDIA_SHIELD/Channels/Movies/The Town (2010) 2017-06-01-0215.mpg: transport endpoint is not connected

#103

Apparently the Shield likes randomly disconnecting your USB (and NAS mount points). It’s aggravating.

1 Like
#104

I’ll give it another week, but at this point, I’m ready to return to Qnap. Way too many disconnects. So sad :sob:

#105

5.2 should be out by then as well, and I know with it comes writing to a NAS and fixes for disconnects from a NAS, but not sure about USB.

#106

@timstephens24, thanks for the heads up. Hopefully not just for Plex DVR:

" To allow for all of this on SHIELD TV, the update essentially brings two new features: Ability to write to network storage (allowing customers to record TV shows and movies directly to their network attached storage (NAS) via Plex) … "

This is good news, I’d much rather write to NAS than USB 3. And hopefully it will eliminate the USB disconnects or make same moot.

P.S. On my latest…Shield did not totally disconnect from the USB 3, it was just reading the drive at 0kb. Was able to eject and re-add without a reboot of drive.

Wonky!