i need my recordings to be mp4 and the add markers added to the mp4 file. is there a hack or setting to change to do that?
No you will have to do that yourself using other tools like MCEBUDDY.
Or you could use the VRD integration and save as an MP4 file with VideoReDo.
But I would not rely on the ad markers you get from Channels DVR.
That is, if you want accuracy.
thank you i have mcebuddy and was going to try that. just wanted to see if channdvr could do so i dont have to reconvert.
thank you , i have mcebuddy to reconvert but was hoping on having channdvr make it as mp4 so i dont have to reconvert. i agree with the add markers, so i will use comskip to search for them. i made a app to readjust the add markers before i run it threw mcebuddy. but i do that for playon recordings which are pretty consistent. i normally have to shift the adds by couple seconds, then they are seamless.
Channels handles streams internally as MPEG transport streams (MPEG-TS). Non-TS are remuxed into TS. When a local client requests a non-original quality bitrate, or for remote/web streams, the TS streams are remuxed/transcoded to HLS.
Any other container/format/codec you want needs to be handled outside of Channels by third-party software.
Out of curiosity, is there a reason you need an MP4 container (as opposed to a more open container like Matroska (MKV) which supports many more codecs and features than MP4?
For what it's worth, I agree with @racameron, MKV is much more flexible and easier to work with.
Especially with MKVToolNix, you can create and/or modify chapters at will.
I also agree with @chDVRuser about using VideoReDo. So much freedom to define your cuts with the accuracy of one frame. Love it!
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i use to use avi years ago because it was universal and small sizes with decent quality. then over past years i switched to mp4 mostly because it was the most compatible with most devices. like windows, plex, android, playon, and other things ive tried over the years. i did try mkv for little bit but the size was a little to much for all the movies i had on my nas. so basically im stubborn i guess, to try a new format, lol. but i might play around with it some more. thanks for all the suggestions though 
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I think the confusion is the lack of understanding between containers and codecs. A container is just the format on disk that holds the video/audio/etc. streams and associated metadata; the codec is the actual encoding of those items. MP4 has been conflated to encompass both, but it shouldn't.
MPEG-4 containers are just the .mp4/.m4v file itself (or, MPEG-4 Part 14). It is quite restrictive about the types of video/audio/subtitle formats it can contain, as well as with what types of metadata you can ascribe to that file.
Separately (and similarly referenced) is "MPEG-4 Part 10", or more appropriately H.264 or Advanced Video Codec (AVC). This is the actual encoding of the video data.
A Matroska (MKV) container can contain not only all of the different codecs that an MP4 container can hold, but many additional codecs, too.
So, are you stating you need an MP4 container, or rather H.264/AVC video?
(Yes, this is a bit pedantic. However, the details matter to better understand what you feel your needs are, and how they might be met. Good help will only come when the situation is properly understood.)
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so mkv can hold many types of codecs so it can be played on more devices? if so thats good. but hopfully the size vs quality is not much different.
im using ffmeg to edit add markers and cut video because im making an app. and from what i know it only deals with mp4. im trying to do this editing as lossless. (if its already in mp4 format, i understand to get it into mp4 from original format, there will be loss though)
does mkv have a cmd line to adjust the add markers and cut out sections from video lossless?
also are you suggesting there is a way of getting channdvr to record in mkv format?
so i just gave the mkvtoolbox a test run. got it to change container from mp4 to mkv very fast. it played fine and size was the same. so i assumed it just changed the extension. so i changed the extension on the original mp4 to mkv and it played. so what i understand from you all is the container mp4/mkv is like a folder that holds the pieces and we can just change the extension as long as the codec inside is compatible with the player?
Again, you misunderstand. The container is the box. It does not change the size/quality of its contents. The codec is what affects size/quality.
The what you know is wrong. That is absolutely untrue.
MKV is a container, not a program. There are programs to add chapters (as mentioned previously). Since you are not modifying the video itself, only adding metadata (chapters) no quality is lost.
No. As I previously stated all after-recording operations require third-party software.
No. Your playback software obviously has some safeguards to allow playback from content it understands versus what it was given. What you did was basically tell someone you speaking Russian, while really speaking Italian; thankfully for you they also understood Italian, and were able to translate.
Here is my take:
You think you something in a certain way, so you're fixated on that. You want your software to match your imaginary need. However, you don't really know what your software needs, and you don't really understand what the layers beneath the surface mean.
If I'm wrong, I will happily accept it and apologize. However, you haven't given any details about the situation, and I'm not sure you can ...
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we kind of got off topic a little. wanted to go from mpeg to mp4. mostly because some of the programs i use though a fit if not in mp4. plus all my library is in mp4. its not about what format is better. mp4 has also met my needs as well.
Channels DVR records whatever video and audio codecs are in the source and places them in an mpeg transport stream container, The recorded filename has a .mpg filename extension, but the source video codec recorded could be mpeg2 or H.264 video.
You need to use a transcoder and/or remuxer to convert it to an mp4 container, regardless of what the file filename extension is.
ive been learning a bit more about the codecs and containers lately. i guess one of miss conceptions was mkv files are bigger in size than others. when its based off the original rip settings. like framerate / resolution. i understand there is a video file and a audio file in the container. usually h264/h265 for video and aac for audio. since these audio and video pieces are within the mp4/mkv container. do they have embed information in the audio or video that tells them this is a mp4 or mkv container. or is there another piece/file that gives that information?
Container is like a box. On the outside it says what type of box and what's inside. Inside the contents are the same audio and video codecs.
and if that is so, shouldn't you be able to change the file extension to something new and it work? instead of running threw a program to convert it.
i guess i think of the video as list of pictures\frames with an index file associated with it. kind of like a log file is normally a text document with a different extension. or kinda like a zip file is actually multiple files that are hidden. or like executables which unpack allot of hidden files.
i dont really need the answer to this im just curious at this point. and most places on the web describe like it has been described on here. but thats good for an IT class discussing theory. not in developing a new codec\container, the 1s 0s. i think the word container is just not the best way to perceive the file thats called mp4/mkv, its more of like a format, if its just 1 file.
The filename is separate from the container format.
Each container has its own specification. It has a header in a specific byte format that describes the contents. In the box analogy, the contents must be arranged in a specific way as specified by the container.
For example Matroska Structure Diagram
so it is 1 file that is encoded in a certain format. encoded with headers and so forth. mayby then a hex editor would give me the more granular stuff?