Fairly new to Channels, been using it for about 2 weeks. I understand that the live TV buffer is a function of available space on the client device. Given my 2nd gen FireTV doesn't have a ton of space available, I installed a 128G micro SD card, had the FireTV format it, and moved the Channels app to the SD card. When watching live TV, it only pauses for about 2 minutes tops. Does the client app not use the SD card for storage?
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I have Channels DVR installed on my 64 GB USB and have a large Live TV Buffer ... That FireTV is quite old I am not sure about using extra storage as Internal Storage.
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If the FireTV can see it and use it for the Channels app, not sure why the app wouldn't be able to take advantage of it. I have a FLIRC in the USB port. This is the card I have in it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NY23WBG
Looks like it should work unless the SD Card cannot keep up with the buffer. Maybe the developers can help if you submit diagnostics after viewing livetv.
SD card not used for storage unless adopted for internal storage.
I would recommend you use the beta app with Settings > Debug > Always HLS option enabled
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I think the developers have done a great job with the HLS option in the beta client. I use it all the time for my limited memory storage streaming devices. It takes a couple of seconds longer to change channels, but you can get up to 4 hours (server option) of pause/rewind buffer stored on the server. Hopefully one day soon they will put this option in the released client.
Like Edwin_Perez, I have also had some success adding more storage to my FireTV stick 4k Max using a usb cable adapter and a usb 3 128GB Samsung flash drive. It has to write and read very fast to work properly, so not just anything will work.
For people without the AppleTV streaming device, I think the best option is to use HLS.
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So I went looking for the beta and found this thread... which seems to indicate I can't install the beta on my device since I'm running the latest version for my device which is FireOS 5.
Would a USB hub and a flash drive work? I realize that the 2nd gen FireTV is only USB 2.0.
That issue was long fixed. Install the beta using these instructions:
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Where can I find out more about what HLS adds to Channels? Does it require any processing overhead on the server? I like the idea of adding pause buffer capacity directly to the fire sticks, particularly if the HLS option slows channel changes and requires the beta client. Which flash drives are recommended for this?
I use the Firestick 4k Max device. It makes it fairly easy to add extra memory. Adding memory to other Firesticks is not as easy. Lots of information about it on the internet.
Adding memory that works well for Channels DVR pause/rewind buffer is still somewhat experimental. Originally I added 32GB flash drives that I had laying around. They seemed to work fine for a few months, then one died completely and the other one seemed to be having performance problems. In December I decided to try again with adding memory. So far it is working very well, but I have only been using it for just about a month. You need to be sure you move the Channels DVR app to the added memory. The Max makes it easy to move. I have added extra memory to my two most used devices, and use HLS on my other two devices. I was really satisfied using HLS, but like to tinker a little bit. Edwin Perez is using some different memory that is working well for him, just search this forum.
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Thanks. The first instructions I found involved ADB commands and didn't say they didn't apply to the MAX. Fortunately I found this before I went any further How to Add Storage to Fire Stick OS 7/6/5 [A Full Guide] (TLDR: Fire TV Stick 3rd Gen, Fire TV Stick Lite 1st Gen, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max 1st Gen all work via officially integrated means). I tried a few different flash drives and only found one that could keep up: Amazon.com , but I need it elsewhere. I'll try to find a high speed endurance card and reader combo and a couple more of the newer fire sticks. Then all I need are OTG cables and a USB 3.0 hub/ethernet combo for my set.
So HLS is like tuner sharing in that it doesn't stream direct from tuner to client, instead putting the server in the middle, and doesn't transcode on the server? Is the server side live TV buffer the primary benefit?
You are correct, and no transcode if you are using Direct playback. It uses the Streaming folder on the server for the temporary buffer storage. It does take at least an extra 2 or 3 seconds to start a stream. On my Max, OTA streams generally are completely running in about 5 sec and TVE streams are running in about 3 or 4 seconds.
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