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I have also been running it for some time. Channels App for Live TV and DVR integration is the best DVR I have used. I run my DVR on a MAC Mini but you can also run it on various NAS boxes. The built in commercial skip (COMSKIP) is very nice.

Features

  • Series Passes that record all/new episodes for any show.
  • Team Passes that record every game of your favorite teams.
  • Precise retention rules to auto remove recordings.
  • Adjust the padding of recordings to make sure you don’t miss the end of that game.
  • 14 days of guide data.
  • Robust search to find things to record or to create Passes.
  • Fully manageable directly from Channels for Apple TV.
  • Use as many HDHomeRun devices as you want.
  • Prioritize HDHomeRun devices for recording or ignore some completely.
  • Commercial indexing to allow you to quickly skip through commercial breaks.
  • Remote access to your DVR and HDHomeRun devices.
  • Watch live TV or recordings via browser through the Channels DVR web admin.
  • Auto updating. Channels DVR will always be up to date without having to do anything.
  • Tons more!
 
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Yea... that's to rich for my blood. Eyetv only charges $20.00 a year for Tv Guide info.
No. There is no annual payment option. $96 per year ($8 per month) is higher then other options. However, EYETV is not FREE. I think I paid about $80 for it and then $20 per year. And, from my experience the Channels DVR with integration with Channels Live is simply the very best option for an Apple TV. If you only have 1 TV I can see this being compared to the CABLE Company DVR. But in my case with 8 TV's and this replaces FIOS 2 DVR and 2 STB at a cost of $70+ per month and it only covered 4 TV's. This option by far is much better both in cost and usage then I had before.
 
$8 a month? You're heading into Time Warner set top box rental territory. Is there a price break if you sign up for a year?

I pay $20 a month for a DVR from Verizon, then $10 a month per additional non-DVR box. This is considerably cheaper, with way better functionality.
 
Yea... that's to rich for my blood. Eyetv only charges $20.00 a year for Tv Guide info.

You've kidding right? $8 is too expensive for a polished software?!? Plus this is not $8 per Apple TV. You can use their DVR service for multiple Apple TVs. Go compare that to any pay tv box rental. Even non DVR box rental add up to more than this.

Sometimes this forums Walmart mentality that everything should be offered to them at a loss, just astounds me.
 
No UK support (yet?).

Quite expensive, especially when freeview is free and standalone dvr's are cheaper than the annual payment.

Plex DVR is also in beta, includes UK support and is cheaper. Less functionality right now though.
 
No UK support (yet?).

Quite expensive, especially when freeview is free and standalone dvr's are cheaper than the annual payment.

Plex DVR is also in beta, includes UK support and is cheaper. Less functionality right now though.

Which is better? Price or reliability and functionality?
 
Channels has been updated for DVR, in public beta at the moment:

https://community.getchannels.com/t/channels-dvr-is-now-available-in-a-public-beta/800

Costs $8/month.
You do also need a HD Home run box, OTA antenna or a cable card and a place to run the server software (Mac/Linux/NAS). I've been running it for a while, it's nice.
I own a Connect box, but since only OTA, don't find much value in the DVR service for what I would utlimately timeshift. I pay the $12 a month for commercial less Hulu and I get most of the streamable VOD i need for $4 more a better value i feel. Hopefully the Full hulu experience upcoming with Cloud DVR and CBS will make it even better
 
I own a Connect box, but since only OTA, don't find much value in the DVR service for what I would utlimately timeshift. I pay the $12 a month for commercial less Hulu and I get most of the streamable VOD i need for $4 more a better value i feel. Hopefully the Full hulu experience upcoming with Cloud DVR and CBS will make it even better

Channels uses HomerunHD hardware which has a model that uses CableCard. If I've read it correctly, the Prime Model is what you need to utilize the DVR function.
 
Channels uses HomerunHD hardware which has a model that uses CableCard. If I've read it correctly, the Prime Model is what you need to utilize the DVR function.
No. Any current model will work. They are trying to support some older models.

I think the poster meant that if he is only going to record OTA then $8 is too much with other options available. Personal preference.
 
No. Any current model will work. They are trying to support some older models.

I think the poster meant that if he is only going to record OTA then $8 is too much with other options available. Personal preference.

Some things are just worth the money.
 
We just got this set up. We'd already been using Channels for pausing live tv and after our first week of testing we're pleased and willing to pay the $8 for the ease of use and simple commercial skipping. We have Hulu for most channels, but this catches the ones that aren't available there. So much nicer than trying to get Com skip to work with other applications. I guess we might suspend use when there aren't shows to record in the summer, but we'll have to wait and see. Considering what we paid for Dish mostly for the DVR service, this is worth it to us.
 
Which is better? Price or reliability and functionality?
That's an interesting point well made and if you pushed me I'd have to say the latter :)

Waiting for UK support and then I'll give it a go. Plex DVR could be great, but right now is still missing quite a lot of the fundamentals and appears way way behind.
 
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