Option to Record To Multiple Locations?

Channels DVR Server
#1

Currently in the trial period for Channels DVR since we have been having playback issues on Android TV of live TV shows as they are currently recording through Plex. So far everything seems to be working well!

My question is: Is there is a way to set where specific shows get recorded? The "DVR Database" seems to let you add multiple "Storage Paths", and Channels has done a good job of detecting what is in there and not recording duplicates. Is there a way to set Season Passes to record to a specific Storage Path though?

I currently have one folder of TV shows set up to automatically convert using another program running in the background, and a different folder set up to not be seen by that program. I do not see a way to keep this current configuration within the settings of Channels, and would require me to manage it manually.

#2

There is not currently a way to do what you wish within Channels. The recordings will always go to the primary storage location, and if playback is requested of a recording and it is not found in the primary location, additional storage paths are searched for the requested recording.

What you are asking is not an actually supported workflow, but you can make it work. Set up a regular task (scheduled task, cronjob, systemd timer, etc.) to copy your files to a different location, process them there, move them to an additional storage path, and remove the original. As long as the path structure remains the same, Channels shouldn't have issues finding the content when you request it for playback.

Correct. That workflow does not work with the way Channels handles recordings and its database; if you want to maintain such a workflow, you must manage it yourself.

#3

I would like a backup recording location in the event that the primary is not available.

For example, my primary recording location is an external drive. If I lose power, the computer reboots but the external enclosure does not power up so no recordings happen. This is not a problem as power outages rarely occur, however, the last 3 times we've gone on vacation, we've had a brief power outage of some sort at my house.

Yes, I know I could make it an internal drive, but that defeats the purpose. And maybe there are enclosures that have this feature, but I think a backup recording location could also be useful in the event the primary drive fills up also.

Thoughts?

3 Likes
#4

Doesn’t hurt to put in a feature request for this, but it’s a fairly niche request so it may not happen, at least not soon. My first suggestion would be to put your DVR server and disk on a UPS so it can tolerate brief power interruptions without incident.

#5

Record on a SSD or another drive that is powered directly by the PC. Once the PC restarts, the Channels recording drive will always be available.

#6

I do something similar in SageTV ... setup both an external large drive and the internal drive to record ... I then setup SageTV to record to the drive with the most space. That way if the external drive was unavailable for some reason it would record to the internal drive.