One glaringly missing feature of Channels DVR Android TV client on streaming boxes (e.g. Shield) is automatic refresh rate. This makes it annoying when your library is made up of a combination of 24Hz, 50Hz and 60Hz sources. For example, when you use Live TV as well as personal library.
Any chance this could be added on Android TV client?
Btw, the auto refresh rate works really well on Apple TV. I know it can work well on Android TV as well, since Emby does it.
Android is the stepchild don't hold your breath for any improvements in Android UI and Performance.
Hate to say it but I agree, still waiting on download option for Android.
dont worry, they gave up on TVOS also. but hey, they split the server status page into 40 sections!
either they are rewriting the whole client software base and continue saying they dont do timelines, they got sick of eachother or they are trying to sell.
yup, im assuming a lot of things. its the only thing to do around here since bugs arent fixed anymore and almost every thread is about them not answering or fixing things.
I find the developers very responsive to issues. The fact that they work directly with uses is rather unique.
Agree that devs are great at actively engaging on issue resolution. Enhancements are expected to be a crap shoot of ask vs what they believe is the appropriate capabilities to focus on. Having a consistent experience between Apple and Android is where I feel there's a gap. Apple has had download for some time now, yet Android does not. Seems like there's a similar capability with Apple on auto refresh rate. Can't tell you how annoying it is that I have to go into Shield settings and play around until I find the right refresh rate to watch a NFL game on CBS vs. FOX in my local market.
With that said, the pluses of CDVR far outweigh the deficiencies, so I don't want to come across as unappreciative. But the devs put themselves out there for us to give feedback, so as long as everyone is respectful in their feedback I have no qualms with giving honest feedback.
I use chrome cast with Google TV as my clients so I'm also Android. All my video settings are auto on the Android stick and my Samsung TV. I'm not having the issue you are. All content just plays, even 4k. Possibly you can set up the same way. Different devices may not have the same options
Still, it might play all but refresh rate simply does not work in Channels DVR.... on Android Systems.
This is not channels dvr doig this. Tvos has this capability at the operating system level. You should reach out to nvidia to complain about this...
Not going to respond to any specific individual(s), but I'll just point out that only a few weeks ago @eric fixed an issue I came across in Android/Google TV within about 8 hours... on a Sunday.
Unforunately as I approach my first year renewal for Channels I am seriously considering whether to just go back to Plex.
I'm in the UK and Channels on Android Tv/Google TV is basically unusable due to stuttering picture, sound going out of sync and then the picture blanking out on live TV.
Although Channels is a step above Plex, when I play a live channel or recording on Plex it just works a lot better - not perfect but it is still managing to play 25p/50i content on the 60p/120p screen - tried on a couple of Sony Google TV's and the result is the same.
I'll start my own thread about this as there's a couple of other things I feel could be made more bearable (like why a day can't be chosen from the guide in advance - why on earth do I have to scroll all the way through the guide just to get to a few days later, and that's only if the guide catches up and actually fill in the programme details and also it's hit and miss whether it's kept the right times for the programmes! Anyway, I digress...)
It's a lot of money a year for something that just doesn't work quite right.
Have you tried enabling developer mode for your Google TV? I believe there is a setting buried in there to match the framerate of the content you are watching.
I'm not sure that's a thing on anything under Android 12 of which there are very few supported TV's at the moment.
I've never heard of frame rate matching being able to be activated on my Sony 2021 TV's (still on Android 10 as are the vast majority of Sony Google TVs) even through developer options. I've had a quick look on Reddit and Google and don't see anything about this, but I'm happy to be take a look if you can point out where this info is?
Of course the Shield TV does this just fine with the Channels app, but I sometimes like to watch TV in bed, and the problems are all the more prevalent on Channels compared to, say, Plex, or Netflix even.
I dont think i have had frame-ratecissued on Shield Pro or Tube. If I have, i did not notice. What android box are you using?
Could also just be my frame rate and local content match. So IDK.
No, it's fine on my Shields (2017 and 2019) - they have auto frame rate switching (if the app has bothered to code it, which Channels have - Netflix, Amazon, Disney, not so much, but that's another story).
My problem is with the vanilla experience on the Sony Google TV in the bedroom - 50hz (25p/50i) OTA TV here in the UK, so an issue when this Android 10 TV cannot auto frame rate switch as the apps are stuck at 60Hz.
The trouble is that the other apps manage it fine (probably because its a 120Hz panel and obviously 24 fps content goes into 120 no bother), but even Plex can manage to playback the recorded or live content without going out of sync or blanking the picture. Channels cannot do this.
I just cancelled my renewal anyway, much searching here tells me this is a long time problem (maybe more so for UK customers) and there is no sign of it being fixed; there's also a few other things I tried to troubleshoot but again, with the Android app it seems not much attention is paid to real world basic functionality (like being able to select a future day on the EPG instead of having to haphazardly scroll for miles through it hoping it keeps the correct time and manages to fill in the guide as it goes along), so I'm out.
A shame as I feel the Channels infrastructure has a lot to offer. But it's far from perfect and if I want far from perfect I may as well just go back to Plex which I already paid a lifetime Plex Pass for a few years ago.
I looking at it more, it seems it is more an issue with the TV than Channels. Doing a quick search, apparently native Google TV apps on Sony TVs are locked at 60hz and only hdmi sources can switch to 50hz.
Here are a few examples:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bravia/comments/106itjm/50hz_through_native_apps/
Yes, I'm painfully aware of that, I've mentioned as much above and in my other posts in other threads, which is why I run a Shield TV 2019 on my main living room 85" Sony and my old 2017 Shield TV in my kitchen 40" Panasonic.
My point is that other apps manage the 25/50 Hz just fine on the Sony TV I have in the bedroom (and also in my kids rooms).
Plex, although not as smooth as running 24p content does manage a reasonable job for OTA stuff. Also the BBC iPlayer also seems to play just fine, also running 25p.
Channels on the other hand just starts blanking out at random intervals and I am thankful I'm not epileptic! When it does play ok the sound just get slowly out of sync.
I've no idea whats up with it compared to the other apps - all I know is that I'm not buying another box when the Plex app on the Sony TV just about manages it (and enough for me to deem it watchable).
Are you running a channels server or just the OTA? If its a server, are you sure its not set to try and transcode? Perhaps the Audio is in a format not supported by the TV?
Have you looked at the decoding settings in the Channels App on the Sony? Could be an issue with Software vs Hardware decoding.
I went to software decoding (which admittedly did fix problems when playing back on our main TV through the Shield TV 2019 - a device that can play basicaly ANY file, so goodness knows why Channels doesn't work with hardware decoding on that), anyway, it seemed to fix the blacking out of the picture but still the audio going slowly out of sync remains.
I mean, its a 2022 model Sony Android (now Google) TV and it plays any recorded TS files from OTA Freeview on Kodi so I cannot put the blame on the TV not supporting audio when it clearly does.
I'm afraid there are just too many problems with the Android app and Channels itself to justify laying out the cost for another year, so I'm out.
I have the Channels server on my Synology DS1821+ with HDHomerun doing the OTA duties. As the DS is an AMD unit there is no hardware transcoding and anyway, as I've said, Plex manages to play live TV and recordings without going OOS and the HDHomerun app can also do it better than Channels.
I'm going to have a try with TVHeadend and Jellyfin or suchlike, maybe stick with Kodi for recording with TVHeadend and just play the recordings back through Plex as the DVR offering on Plex is equally excruciating to use, just in a different way to Channels.
I thought Channels would be the answer, but it's not, certainly not for Android TV which seems like an afterthought and certainly not for UK viewers.
I wish you the best luck on your adventure. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I have definitely had Android/Shield issues. I will not pretend they don't exist. However they have been minor.
As far as decoder. I agree Shield plays EVERYTHING outside of CDVR with no issues. VLC nor Plex has ever found a video that has given me playback issues. But with Shield set to Hardware within CDVR I have had lots of playback issues on my Shield. My solution has been 2 fold. First is switch to software decoding. Not ideal, cant use AI upscaling. I also heard (i have not verified, i could be wrong) that SW decoded is capped at 30fps instead of 60fps. Second solution is better quality local media. Most local media I had playback issues with was bittorrent/usenet aquired video. I would get no video and audio only. But since I switched to more legit sourcing of video (DVD/BlueRay Rips/Anystream) i have not had issues with hardware decoder.
But 100% of my DVR recordings work fine no matter what settings I am on. Its only ever been local media that had given me issues.
But if you find out grass is not greener on other side, we will welcome you back. If you find a better solution, come back and post that too. The devs/mods have usually been pretty accepting of discussion of competitors and conparisons.