Playback term for in progress recordings?

Playground
#1

I have been wondering if there is a term for a playback feature that allows for the player to work on files that are time shifted and playing on the fly? Of course the Channels DVR playback software does this, but my two other players that I use, Plex and Kodi doesn't have the functionality.

Kodi will play back the video files that are still recording but once it gets to the time line when the file was started, you can no longer fast forward or pause. The file will play past the end time when the file was loaded, but ONLY if you let it play.

Plex player has even further limitations. It just stops at the end time. If you load a file that ChannelsDVR is still recording, it has no idea the file is still "growing" and will just stop at the end time it showed when you load the video file.

I would like to put in a feature request to both Kodi and Plex developers. However, I don't know what to call it! Is there a term I can use to make describing this feature easier.

Also, I am curious if any other players are able to playback active recordings, and are able to pause, skip forward and back like the Channels software is able to do?

#2

Well I found a term that I saw on "TechHive".

Live TV time-shifting and catch-up

Going with that until I find a better term. Again, too bad Plex has zero support for this, especially considering they have a live TV option.

#3

If that is what you're thinking of, the term is timeshifting. And Channels does this natively.

I'm unfamiliar with Plex's Live TV & DVR implementation, so I cannot comment on that.

As to Kodi, timeshifting is something that Kodi already supports, and has for years. Of course, implementing it is up to the individual PVR client and DVR backend that you are using. I know that the MythTV and Tvheadend backends support timeshifting, as does the one for SiliconDust's HDHomeRun DVR. If you were unable to use timeshifting in Kodi, you either did not have it setup properly, or you were using a PVR client and/or DVR backend that did not support it.

As far as other software that supports timeshifting, nearly every other standalone package does. I'm not sure which ones you have experience with that do not, but I imagine such software would be rare for the category.

#4

I use Kodi with PlexKodiConnect and it doesn't fully work. Once you get to the end time where it was when you loaded it, you can no longer skip forward or back. It will just go to the end time. It will continue to play but without the skip options so it is pretty useless for this application.

Yes, I am fully aware that Channels DVR software does time shift. That is why I said "Of course the Channels DVR playback software does this"...

#5

This has nothing to do with that. I am only talking about playback of Channels DVR recordings on the fly, as they are recording, "time shifting".

#6

Then your problem isn't with Kodi, it's with PlexKodiConnect. And after doing a quick search, that is a video plugin, not a PVR client. In short, it doesn't have proper timeshifting abilities for live TV because it is not a proper live TV plugin for Kodi.

To get the full abilities of Kodi for live TV and recording, two conditions must be met:

  1. Use a proper DVR backend; and,
  2. Use a proper PVR client addon that works with your DVR backend of choice.

Plex may be able to act as a DVR for Kodi, but you are not using the proper addon type, and that is why your experience is poor.

#7

Actually, your original question was how to request this feature for other software. Since that has nothing to do with Channels, I'm going to close this thread.

#8

You are talking about something completely different than what I am but thanks for taking the time...

#9