Hello,
First time posting and relatively new plex pass user. In Fact, I got the pass for the sole purpose of trying to replace my SageTV setting from way back in the day (still running after 10 years…same hardware and everything!!!). Anyways, I need some help with setting up the DVR in Plex. I updated the server to the latest build, which now has support for the 2+2 tuners in the card. I tried for a long time to get it to work by running multiple scans on the two different tuners that show up for the PCIe WinTV-quadHD card (2 tuners on one of the icons and the other 2 tuners are setup on the other PCIe icon…why can’t I duplicate the settings from one to the other???)
My problem is that the Scan finds 835 QAM channels, but Plex “disregards” 3 for some weird reason and I have attached two pictures to show the Scan at 97% and then the after result. Most of the 800+ channels are encrypted, which I don’t care, I have a prime that handles those via NextPVR…for the moment, depending on how this goes as I don’t have very many tagged copy-once). I know exactly which channels are missing and you can see it in the second picture, which only shows one 14.3. The Scan magically makes 14.1, 14.2 and 14.4 disappear for no apparent reason. I really don’t watch channel 14.1 (FIOS QAM WFDC-DT HD version), but that channel was the only one in the QAM viable range that aired US vs Mexico earlier this month (we tied them in their home of Azteca!!). I found the SD version of that same channel by enabling one channel at a time and picking a mapped channel at random, since it is the only way to be able to tune to that channel via live tv (I am using a mi Box android TV box). Do you guys know how long it took me to go over that many channels, for which Plex did not find a match? A really…really long time, but I hate giving up, but I am about to do it as I feel this is a show stopper for me. I did not want to go back to SageTV even if I hate change.
Now, let me tell you that you guys do a terrific job with the Movies and I really love Plex for that. However, I would love if you can copy SageTV a little, once you get chase play working (join a recording in-progess). SageTV has a feature that it keeps the recording engine going for a while if it detects that you started watching before a recording ends (even if there is padding). So, let us suppose for a moment that you are watching a sporting event 30 minutes after it started and that you added 1.5 hours of padding at the end of the recording, but after 3 overtimes, the padding was not enough and you are almost at the end…oh NO!!!. Well, SageTV allows you to pull up the EPG while still watching the recording and the EPG show that SageTV is still recording the TV show right after, so the recording stream for the show right after your sporting event is being saved in some temp folder, and you can hit the record button which tells SageTV…Hey, don’t disregard that temp recording and actually save it as a really recording. In other words, if there is nothing else to record in the schedule, SageTV keeps recording the TV stream, just in case you want to see the fallowing show, if you don’t, then after about 30 minutes it ends the temp recording stream and releases the turner and deletes the file from temp. For sporting events, I really have that NextPVR does not do this and you are SOL if your padding was too short. Not only that, SageTV makes it easier to add padding while your almost at the end (hit record button, click adjust stop time add more time. Take effect instantly).
Sorry for the long post, but as you can see I really hate to say bye SageTV (having render issues with my new RX 460 that prevent me from using it on my new Ryzen rig). I know Plex is not going to be just like SageTV, but why not copy some elements that work really well on SageTV. Its not like am asking you to copy their grid style and logos setup or how they let you copy one runner setup to another(s) (NextPVR does this too). If you guys want to compete with real PVRs, you guys really need to see what those other solutions do well and try to be better than them. I could not comprehend why I could not tune to a channel that was not mapped? WinTV 8.5 is able to show all of the channels and tune to all of them with not guide data whatsoever! In fact, that is how I was able to see the channels that I was missing in Plex. Otherwise, I would have not known that a channel is available and tunnable if it wasn’t for WinTV 8.5. I am sorry that my tone is getting the better of me and I know very well that you guys are still in Beta, its just that going one channel at a time to make sure 14.1 was not there some where really took a lot from me (went to bed at 3 a.m. today!!!). Thank you and thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Max
