Setting up DVR storage on a Linux-based device

Before you continue, make sure you have the following:

• HDHomeRun DVR subscription
• One or more compatible HDHomeRun device: see List of DVR compatible HDHomeRun devices
• A recent and supported release of Debian or Ubuntu.

Coming soon

The following instructions are for manual install and configuration of the HDHomeRun RECORD engine on a Linux machine. These instructions are intended for experienced users who want to experiment.

1. Create a folder for recordings.

2. Download the latest HDHomeRun RECORD for Linux release: https://download.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/hdhomerun_record_linux
   BSD-based (FreeBSD, FreeNAS) systems should use this link: https://download.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/hdhomerun_record_freebsd

3. Copy to the recordings folder and rename “hdhomerun_record”.
4. Create a configuration file hdhomerun.conf in the recordings folder. Add the line:

   RecordPath=<full Linux path to recordings folder>

5. Make the file executable

   chmod +x hdhomerun_record

6. Start the HDHomeRun RECORD engine:

   ./hdhomerun_record start
   
   ./hdhomerun_record status

7. To start from a different directory:

   /<path to recording folder>/hdhomerun_record start --conf /<path to recording folder>/hdhomerun.conf
   
   /<path to recording folder>/hdhomerun_record status

8. Check the log file. The progress release builds of the record engine generate detailed log files by default. The log files are placed in the HDHomeRun directory and are named YYYYMMDD.log (UTC time). Note that all timestamps in the log files are in UTC time, not local time.

   No log file - this usually means the record engine was not able to find the config file, was not able to find RecordPath in the config file, or the path specified doesn't exist.

Once you finish setting up a DVR storage device, see our guide link below for instructions on using the DVR features in the HDHomeRun app.
Instructions on using the DVR features in the HDHomeRun app