Recordings Look Horrible

No recording to the main MacBook Pro ssd

I had this issue for a long time - on a relatively-new iMac running on Wifi using USB external storage for recordings. I took the following measures:
-replaced my external USB drive - unlikely for you, but try using an external storage. SSDs do eventually fail in cases of heavy read/write use.
-Trimmed down other processes running on the machine. For example, backup programs, system utilities, etc. I particularly trimmed my backup sessions to the middle of the night when there would be no recording.
-turned off the commercial skip feature (if this is done after endcoding, this likely didn't help at all)
-updated to HDHomerun latest firmware (i believe it does NOT auto-update)
-power cycle my router (poor firmware on routers can make routine reboots a necessity!)
-cleared streaming cache and turned off all experimental features

Also, watch you activity monitor during an encoding operation. Maybe something has changed in your system and now your resources are being taxed by the encoding process.

If I think of other measures I took to improve encode quality I will come back and post again.

The single best thing you can do is to plug the dvr into Ethernet because Wi-Fi is terrible for recording from the hdhomerun.

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Backing up Aman here. Something heavily reliant on the network shouldn't be wireless...plug that guy in. Next is get an external hard drive...SSDs are not designed for that type of data writing/reading.

4 posts were split to a new topic: Issues with recordings on Mac DVR

Finally got around to testing for packet loss...

This was after about 30 seconds

.....nn.nnn.n..n.n.nn.n..nnn.n.......n........n.n.....n

“n” indicates network packet loss.

Someone else reported issues after upgrading to Catalina, but they were using Ethernet. Issues with recordings on Mac DVR

Ethernet is simply not an option at all. Have disabled location and airdrop and still having same issues. Even tried the sysctl.conf file in /etc that HDHomeRun has in their troubleshooting.

you can get a thunderbolt adapter for your macbook that will enable ethernet. I don't use a macbook for my dvr, but do have a macbook that is connected gigabit ethernet using such an adapter.... it works great.

The issue is more of the room where the MacBook is being on the opposite side of the house from the router and modem, with no wiring ran yet. I’ve been considering for a while getting a Synology DS218+, and that would be plugged in directly. I just worry about the lower RAM of that canceling out the good that it does by being plugged in.

Hmmm.... but the laptop can move, right? Thats one advantage to having your DVR on a portable server.

As far as the RAM on the Synology, the 218+ model has more than enough RAM, more than Channels will ever use. Channels doesn't use much RAM. I'm running ChannelsDVR on a DS916+ with 2GB RAM. I have many other things running on it, including Surveillance Station recording 24/7 live HD streams from 2 cameras, a couple Docker containers, and various websites. RAM is currently reporting as 63.4% free. I have multiple clients, a minimum of 2 TVs that are on different live channels all day long, and can be doing 4+ recordings, watching recordings, comskiping completed recordings, etc, all without issue.

Yea it can move. I’m not going to move it because it just isn’t a good location to keep a laptop

You could use a pair of HomePlug adapters to give you a point to point ethernet connection between the two without having to run a cable?

I have a similar issue, but only appears to be with NBC (HDHR Prime via Comcast, Nvidia Shield with USB3 storage, hardwired gigabit). I'm pretty confident it's the coax signal from Comcast, as we've seen same issues with their STB (but not nearly as frequent). I've even disconnected the spare bedrooms from the second splitter (first splitter has modem plugged in) to only be our Comcast DVR and the HDHR, and also swapped that second splitter from a 4-way to a 2-way 2.4Ghz.

And particular numbers or data I should be looking for in the logs. I'm going to have Comcast come out and check the lines, but I'd rather have data to backup my claims. I know a previous Comcast tech told us they need to be checked every few years with frost and thawing here in New England.

First thing to check would be the Signal Quality and Strength numbers on my.hdhomerun.com under Tuner Status

I had the same problem with NBC kept breaking up even on my Cable Box ... after some hair pulling it was the Coax going into the bedroom that had a bad connector it was loose tightening it fixed it .. had to crimp it tight.

Thanks, I'll check the first split (but I think I've done that already) and signal quality on the tuner when I get home this weekend.

I got the synology ds218+ setup today. Ran the same packet loss test and didn’t get the n for packet loss but got lots of t’s in there and channels that were previously clear now have all kinds of signal issues

You ran the test from the Synology?

It’s just the tuner test I ran from terminal. Don’t know if I knocked something loose to suddenly ha e reception issues