Recording format questions

Channels DVR Server
#1

I’ve been using the Channels app on AppleTV for two years now. I want to try the Channels DVR.

My questions are about the recording format. In the FAQs, I’ve read that the Channels DVR records in MPEG2. I know that HDHomeRun Prime can stream either in MPEG2 or MPEG4, but cannot transcode. Most of the channels delivered by my cable provider are in MPEG4. So, does it mean that the Channels DVR will first transcode from MPEG4 to MPEG2 and then save the recording in MPEG2?

What will happen when I stream the recordings? Will they stream in MPEG2 or will they have to be transcoded to MPEG4?

Also, I’m interested in streaming the recordings over the Internet. Do I need a VPN tunnel to my network to stream over the Internet, and what format will the recordings be streamed: MPEG2 or MPEG4?

Thank you.

#2

Recordings are stored raw from the tuner, so they will use whatever format is coming from your provider. There is no transcoding.

The DVR has a remote access feature built in so no VPN is required. If your recordings are already mpeg4 they can be streamed directly. You can also choose to transcode to a lower bitrate if you are streaming from a location with poor network speeds.

1 Like
#3

Thank you. Can you update the FAQs to reflect the fact that the recordings are in the same format as the encoding of the channel received by the HDHomeRun?