Newbie and confused

Channels DVR Server
#1

I am considering Channels. I am a recent cord cutter. I dropped all Spectrum cable stations and just have internet. My TV's are TCL Roku TV's. I used to use TIVO DVR now I am subscribed to YTTV and a few other streaming services. The DVR function on YTTV sucks in my opinion, and I saw Channels have a lot of good things said about it.

I am confused if it will work with my setup? I am a network tech by trade and my network setup is good, I also use Synology NAS devices. I am rural and don't have access to OTA channels but use my YTTV for the locals. Will channels be worth the effort for me and if so what do I need? I've looked over what I could find, FAQs etc. and I'm still confused as it appears to me that I still have to have a cable TV package to get the full benefits of the DVR I am wanting?

Please advise.

#2

Few answers here:

  1. You will need a different client device. Roku's are not officially supported as a channels client, and the beta you may find is ancient, and not advisable. Good, inexpensive options would be the Amazon Fire Stick 4K, Chromecast with Google TV, or several other options. If you've been looking to switch anyway, the Apple TV is the "flagship" device for channels, so that's the best option, if feasible.

  2. Depending on your Synology NAS model, you can likely just use it, with little fuss. Best post your model to confirm, though, as transcoding is a big enabler, and differs between models.

  3. You can use TV Everywhere, as a source, from YTTV. Channels works "best" with HDHomeRun Cable and/or OTA devices, but TVE is a route many use, despite its beta status. Locals should also work, but you can try this on your NAS (assumingly) before looking at client changes.

In short - you should be ok to proceed, as long as you have a different client platform to try. If you have an iPhone or Android phone, you could even "try" everything using that, prior to changing TV clients, as a test.

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#3

One nice thing is that you get a very generous 30-day free trial so you have plenty of time to try things out and see how that works for you. :slightly_smiling_face:

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#4

One of the great things about Channels is that you can mix and match your sources from time to time, and you keep your library with you. I'm also a Tivo convert from years ago and I find Channels to be the best option. We have been all over the place from Spectrum, Uverse, YTTV, Hulu Live, antenna, etc. Our first foray into live streaming was YTTV and agree with you that its DVR stinks in many ways, but it did introduce us to "record everything you might watch" so you never have to watch commercials. We use Channels that way so have a large library.

There are many things you can use for sources, but you definitely do not have to use cable. HD Homerun with antenna is one option that is essentially free TV once you set it up, but where we moved a year ago we have limited over the air signals. You need to realize that if you use something like YTTV, you will not get a 1 for 1 for all the channels you subscribe to. Channels is able to provide you the TVE (TV Everywhere) channels from your provider. Every provider "pays" for a different selection of TVE channels. TVE is what allows you to run the apps and get live TV, like A&E, USA, etc. If you can add one of those apps to your streaming box and use your YTTV credentials to log in, and you can get live channels via the app, then you will get the channel in Channels. This website has a list of which providers support which TVE channels but I've found its usually not completely accurate and they often provide more - https://thestreamable.com/tv-everywhere-apps . Also, most of them now provide some form of the local channels via TVE. But its sometimes weird like Fox for me only is available at certain times of day.

Remember you can mix many sources. Pluto TV is a great addition is its tons of free TV that normally you have no DVR, but with Channels you now have it all via DVR. Its just not anything that is current.

As for where to run it, as others have said, what NAS do you have as most will run it OK, but some may not. For example the Synology J models are really slow. Personally, I run channels on a 10 year old Mac Mini and don't put it on my Synology. I use the Synology only for storage for Channels. But it will run on nearly anything.

My family has enjoyed that with Channels we can switch providers from time to time and the user interface remains the same and our library stays with us. We have a great collection of movies that have been accumulated from many sources. We do still use the source as well because if its something on a channel that there is no TVE for, then we can't see it on Channels. Like for some reason the Superbowl didn't work on Channels for some reason so we had to watch it on Hulu Live.

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#5

Your background is very similar to mine. I’m also a network tech, former Spectrum customer and former long time TiVo user. I just started using Channels DVR running on my Synology DS920+ NAS. I love it! I was a HUGE fan of TiVo and used to talk it up to everybody and I never thought another DVR could ever compare but I was wrong. I have to say Channels is the absolute BEST DVR around. You will not be disappointed and, as someone already pointed out, it has a very generous 1 month trial (that I’m still in myself) so you can try it out and find out how great it really is.

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#6

Same here: we have been a TiVo household since 2004 and if I ever said to my wife that I was going to take TiVo away, she would go to prison after murdering me. :joy:

However, I slowly started to introduce the Channels DVR app on the TV over the holidays and now it is being used every day. My wife even surprised me because she said some words that I never thought I would hear; while using the Channels DVR app, she said: "It's better than TiVo". :astonished: :exploding_head:

Right there, that says it all! :grin:

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#7

I know many users here use Amazon devices, but I am going to have to disagree with this recommendation.

Amazon devices are inexpensive for the same reason Roku devices are: they are loss-leaders meant to sell services and advertising. Every OS update seems to change/break the video decoding firmware in some way.

You are free to choose, but letting the lowest price be your sole factor will likely lead to future disappointment.

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#8

I am going to disagree with you nothing wrong with using FireTV devices ... That is all I use and have no problem playing anything thrown on them. To invest on Expensive devices just to use Channels DVR is crazy.

Most playback problems are Caused by a poor network configuration. Not the devices themselves.

#9

What do you recommend?

#10

Solely for Channels, you're probably right.

In my personal experience, the more expensive devices offer superior overall UX, not just with Channels, but with every app and measure.

In any case, I've said my piece, so now I'll step back.

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#11

Now that we can agree on.

#12

If I went with Apple TV which one do you recommend?

#13

I’m suggesting this to a new user who 1) owns Roku and 2) may not want to switch away from it. I would assume cost as a factor there.

Your own opinion of Fire devices doesn’t prevent the fact that channels supports them, so not sure why the disagreement is so strong here?

#14

Here's something for a newbie noone's mentioned yet...

There are 2 Channels apps. You want the "buy" the free app, which requires you to install the DVR server (the DVR server will require a subscription after the trial period). Do not buy the non-free app. It is meant for live-streaming from an HDHR tuner.

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#15

For the record, even we don’t suggest fire sticks.

If you already have them, then great. But if you’re buying new or picking a platform, we highly suggest against them.

Trust us, we get all the support requests.

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#16

Any available 4k model should work, but if you’re seriously looking to fully migrate, go for the latest one.

#17

No problems with FireTV's at all tried Expensive AppleTV but did not meet the Viewing needs in our household Channels DVR is just a media server with a DVR. So why would it require more expensive hardware than Plex Emby HDhomerun DVR etc .. maybe it is the player you are using?

#18

I suggest the latest AppleTV device. I am a fan of wired connections but if you don't have that capability then save 20 bucks and get the wifi one. I am an Android guy that started out with Firesticks and a Shield. The firesticks were all past their return window so they are all in the trash now. The shield is sitting on my shelf because I have heartburn about throwing that away since it is expensive. Not only is the Android TV interface loaded with ads and bloatware, it is cumbersome to navigate. And that is the Shield! The firesticks running Amazon's bastardized version of Android were worse! My wife CONSTANTLY complained about how she couldn't watch TV without asking me for help. I switched to AppleTV and it was like a breath of fresh air, no ads, no bloatware, a UI that actually made sense, OTA channels that actually played without pixelating (shield hardware bug that will never be fixed). My wife was still pissed however. I caught it from her for not switching to AppleTV sooner. "This is so much better and it just works, why were you so stubborn in switching to this? Everything just makes sense with this thing now"

My 2 cents and just my opinion, everyone's got one.

#19

Errr ok. I will take that correction, in that case. Mea culpa.

I’ve owned just about every client, and haven’t found the fire stick experience that poor, but I’ll absolutely take your word here.

#20

I recently bought a new Apple TV device. There are only 2 models to choose from, and they are only $20 apart ($129 vs. $149). I bought the more expensive one because it has twice the storage (128GB vs. 64GB) and an Ethernet port (the cheaper one is WiFi only) which seemed well worth the extra $20.