Using an awful native app to local sd card on the camera itself. Would much rather use a remote solution and not need to maintain local storage on the camera.
I'm sure there are other solutions available, but the Channels path seems so simple!!
So you want to use a TV DVR as a CCTV DVR. If it's simply about keeping it on the same device, why won't you consider some other proper camera DVR software that can run on your NAS? If it's a Synology NAS, Surveillance Station will run natively without issue. For any NAS, I bet you can find packages for ZoneMinder.
I'm just trying to figure out why you're trying to shoehorn a CCTV system into a TV DVR, which are inherently different paradigms.
On its surface, maybe. But when you look at trying to implement it, it's a nightmare in practice.
That's where we disagree. Channels enabled m3u content, this would allow us to record it.
Cool! Let's have a Channels dev say that. Again, I respectfully disagree with that assertion.
Worst case, I'll hack together a script that dynamically generates a vanilla xmltv guide each day.
I can understand it.
If you ever had a TiVo, think of all it's tuners constantly buffering (recording) to the hard drive so you can switch between tuners and trick play through the buffer on each tuner. Now replace the tuners with IP cameras.
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You could use xteve to create a m3u for the cameras and have xteve generate a "dummy" xmltv guide with 30 min slots for each camera. Then put the m3u and xmltv links from xteve in Channels DVR.
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I suppose it is.
If you can describe how a CCTV system of a constant ring buffer for each camera fits into a linear TV DVR paradigm, then I will happily explore how this might be accomplished using a multitude of hacks and tricks to get Channels to work for your purposes.
(I personally do not see how the series/episode and atomic movie recordings that are used in Channels matches to a live feed with an always available—but time-limited—rewind buffer. This is the paradigm discrepancy that I was referring to.
Personally, for your purposes, I feel you would be better served by a secondary CCTV system, that you can then optionally integrate into Channels:
- Use M3U playlists to integrate live feeds of your cameras into Channels' guide/interface.
- Add the directory that holds your CCTV recordings to Channels as a "Local Content" source.
By employing those two methods, you will have the UI ease you are looking for, including having your past buffer available. However, you will also be able to enjoy the benefit that a secondary—and proper—CCTV system affords, such as motion detection, notifications, scheduling, etc.)
I don't suppose you have an example of adding an xmltv link into an m3u handy?
Xteve provides a m3u and xmltv automatically
Maybe my question is wrong! Where in channels do we set custom xmltv sources?
Using a text editor create a m3u file for your cameras. You will use this file for xteve. It will look something like this:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-chno="1" tvg-name="Camera 1",Camera 1
http://x.x.x.x/what_ever_the_camera_url_happens_to_be
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-chno="2" tvg-name="Camera 2",Camera 2
http://x.x.x.x/what_ever_the_camera_url_happens_to_be
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-chno="3" tvg-name="Camera 3",Camera 3
http://x.x.x.x/what_ever_the_camera_url_happens_to_be
Save the file as "camera.m3u" or whatever makes you happy.
You don't need a xmltv file. In xteve, you will assign each m3u (camera) entry to a "dummy" channel and choose the duration (30 min).
--
To answer your next question, xteve will create a url for a xmltv file and m3u file. You will use those in Channels DVR.
Thank you!
Where? (I can see the setup options for the m3u url in sources under m3u playlist), I just don't see an option to assign a specific xmltv source to the m3u?
To the right of the camera m3u source, there is a gear with a drop down. Choose the drop down and pick add provider (or something like that). Then there will be another drop down with USA selected. Click that drop down and under XMLTV choose custom URL.
Awesome! Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for.
For the xmltv url in Channels, you will enter the url shown in xteve for xmltv.
...or a link to the web server, serving the "dummy" file, which in this case I'm generating in the Channels DVR /var/www/ChannelsDVR location.
Not sure as Channels DVR isn't generating anything, it consumes the m3u and xmltv links from xteve. The xmltv file is not "dummy". The guide information for each camera are "dummy" entries inside the xmltv file.
As an extra to this:
You can emulate a rolling recording with a cronjob coupled with Ffmpeg to set a duration for the input, and to check how long to keep the previous recordings. Couple that with a RESTful call to Channels' endpoint to prune imported content to ensure that the library only reflects recordings/files on disk, and you can achieve the CCTV DVR functionality without actual software beyond cURL, Ffmpeg, and standard userland utilities available on basically any platform.
To close the loop on this, the xteve-dummy xmltv epg is exactly what I wish Channels would make available as part of the m3u options.
Fantastic idea and works great in xteve.
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I agree. This is the only reason I run Xteve, to create dummy data so I can easily record channels with no EPG data from within the Channels UI.
This is now easier in the latest DVR pre-release:
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