Source failover based on signal quality?

Channels DVR Server Troubleshooting
#1

I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but I figured I'd ask just in case. Is there any way to configure a channel to failover to a different source if the quality goes below a set threshold?

Example/Use Case:
I get my local channels over the air via an HDHR Quatro. I also have an HDHR Prime, which also gets my local channels. My preference is to keep the Prime tuners open for cable channels and use the Quatro for locals, so I have the Quatro set as higher priority. But occasionally the signal quality from my antenna is lousy. I'd love to be able to tell Channels to automatically switch to the Prime if the Quatro signal quality goes below (to pick a number) 50%.

And the next question would be - If such a feature exists or becomes implemented, could it failover during mid stream so that there is minimal interruption?

#2

Once a recording starts, the DVR will only try to reconnect to the same channel/device so you don't end up switching stream types in the middle which can cause issues during playback.

Traditionally it has been hard to get signal quality metrics from the HDHR. However recently firmware upgrades have added a json endpoint that will make it much easier for us, so better signal quality integration is something that's on our radar for the future.

2 Likes
#3

Thanks for the super quick response! So if I am hearing you correctly, a mid-stream failover isn't an option because of the playback issues you mentioned. But it is possible that a future Channels release might be able to recognize a channel has a crappy signal quality prior to tuning it, and could automatically switch to another source at that time?

#4

Yea should be possible. Our short-term goal is to detect recordings with bad signal quality and mark them so they show up with a message in the app. Once that is working and reliable, we could also detect the same thing while recording and switch to another source.

1 Like
#5

I sure wish I could give you a "thumbs up" instead of a heart as a like. But you get it. :slight_smile:

#6

Sorry for dredging up such an old thread, but I was wondering if this was ever implemented?

#7

Wow, I've been using Channels for 4 years!

1 Like