Recording TV to network storage

[jthompson]

Hi all

 

We're looking for a way to quickly and easily record TV programmes to network storage. The idea is that we would be able to schedule recordings from our desk (or anywhere, really) using an EPG in a web interface, rather than having to go and stand in front of some actual TV equipment somewhere to do it. The recorded programmes would then just be available to teachers as regular video files sitting on a file share.

 

Has anyone set up anything like this at their school? Something like an HD HomeRun device coupled with a Plex or Kodi server? An HD HomeRun just by itself wouldn't be suitable, I don't think, as I understand it requires you to use their app which on the free tier only provides 24-hours of lookahead in the EPG.

[strawberry]

Windows media server and a script to convert to AVi files.

Hot potato can be used as a web interface.

[FragglePete]

Look at ClickView - they record FTA TV from within their Datacentres and you can go back nearly three weeks and capture stuff. Gives you access to a whole heap of Videos as well. You can build up your own library and also have a Local Cache server which helps saves your bandwidth. I appreciate it's not a free solution but it does the job well.

 

You needed a ERA and ERA+ license to be able to capture and stream Free to Air programs in your school - but this is now centrally funded for schools by the Dfe.

 

Pete

[mavhc]

MythTV should do it, get 6 tuner cards and record every channel at once https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Record_multiple_channels_from_one_multiplex

 

https://www.mythtv.org/wiki/UK_Television

 

https://angrytechnician.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/how-to-stream-every-channel-from-freeview-onto-your-network/

[Arthur]

At home I have a couple of HDHomeRun Quatros and use Channels DVR to record TV programmes. It works really well and has a nice web interface. The DVR server runs in a Docker container on my Synology NAS although you can run it on lots of other OSs. Programmes are recorded to a share on the NAS.

[sted]

Windows media server and a script to convert to AVi files.

Hot potato can be used as a web interface.

i thought that was dead and diddnt get listings anymore? (not to mention its only available up to windows 8.1 iirc)

[jthompson]

Look at ClickView - they record FTA TV from within their Datacentres and you can go back nearly three weeks and capture stuff. Gives you access to a whole heap of Videos as well. You can build up your own library and also have a Local Cache server which helps saves your bandwidth. I appreciate it's not a free solution but it does the job well.

 

You needed a ERA and ERA+ license to be able to capture and stream Free to Air programs in your school - but this is now centrally funded for schools by the Dfe.

 

Pete

 

We're aware of ClickView but can't justify the cost (there's not enough demand for TV recordings here, hence the need for something as cheap as possible to cater for the few people who will need it).

[FishCustard]

This is probably stupid, but would the catch-up services (iPlayer etc) work?

[jthompson]

It's for things that people are wanting to retain indefinitely, but which might only be available on catch-up for a limited period.

[elsiegee40]

Umm... is this even within the terms of service of any of the broadcasters?

 

There’s a reason these things aren’t available indefinitely and schools don’t have the automatic right to bypass it.

[mavhc]

Downloading 10000 images in an mpeg stream from iplayer, bad, downloading 10000 images in an mpeg stream from broadcast tv, good.

 

Logic!

 

What would be even better is when that broadcast stream is using IPTV.

[pete]

Umm... is this even within the terms of service of any of the broadcasters?

 

There’s a reason these things aren’t available indefinitely and schools don’t have the automatic right to bypass it.

 

Most schools have an ERA license: https://era.org.uk/the-licence/the-era-license/

 

..which explicitly allows it.

[jemal]

It's also quite expensive but quite a big fan of Planet eStream (https://www.planetestream.co.uk/). I think it's very similar to clickview (not used it myself). We have it on-site with a machine with several tuner cards and recording the popular channels and keeping stuff for a week to allow teachers to transfer recording they may have seen the night before over to the permanent storage. I think all new customers are now downloading their EPG programmes from estream's cloud servers, and there's stuff there many years old that can still be retrieved and permanently held as part of the school's storage. Teachers can use the inbuilt video editor to trim parts themselves, and insert annotation and quizzes into the video. It also does our display signage screens. Broadcast recordings can also be made securely available to students to watch from home, for flipped homework etc. It can also catalogue youtube videos to keep all those resources in one place (albeit youtube is shown as an iframe when viewing). Also handy using their cloud repository for the majority of films teachers show, as you can fairly quickly find and retrieve a broadcast recording of a film from somewhere like Film4 from 5 years ago, after you find a teacher has 'sourced' their own films from questionable sources.

 

If you do make your own recordings and place on the network, be aware ERA license stipulates things like clearly marking or labelling recordings as being available only under ERA, and restrictions how those files are shared, etc