ATV4K: "Live TV" and Recordings both do not PLAY

[DSperber]

Strange symptom. When I choose a channel to watch, there is a brief bit of activity where it looks like something is starting to be presented on the screen, starting from the bottom of the screen and moving up.

And then just about right away, it stops. And there is no live TV picture appearing.

In contrast, if I play a recording, it seems to get started properly. The recordings are shown, and I can select them to begin playback. But when I actually do push ENTER on the recording to start playing, it immediately starts and stops, identically to what happens trying toplay live TV as well.

I had thought it was a problem on with Live TV which would need a tuner (from Flex-4K) needed to be accessed in order to satisfy the live TV request, but that something prevented that tuner from being allocated and assigned for use by the NextPVR app running on the ATV4K. Potentially it could be a BitDefender Firewall problem, and that perhaps some exception rule is needed for some special port number? Just speculating.

However the fact that it fails the same way when actually starting playback of a recording, which doesn't need a tuner, shoots down that theory. So it's got to be something else.

Note that there is no problem getting both Live TV and Recordings when running NextPVR client on the NVidia Shield Tube, as well as NextPVR client on Win10, as well as Kodi on Win10. So this would suggest it's something specific to the ATV4K client app and not related to BitDefender Firewall. Also this is the Win10 NextPVR Server that is booted at the moment, not Win7. I probably should try booting to Win7 to see if the problem persists, or if it is more compatible with the ATV4K client such that things now work. I will try that in a bit.

Anyway, neither starting live TV nor starting playback of a recording works, using Win10 server, and ATV4K client.  Zip of Logs folder attached. Note that I first STOP'ed and then START'ed NextPVR Service so as to ensure a clean log starting point for the tests. Then I tried several Live TV channel attempts (both ATSC 1.0 to keep things simple) followed by several recording playback attempts.

[mvallevand]

It doesn't seem to be using the sid properly for timeshifting. Does ticking Allow Unauthenticated Logins on Settings->Access make it work?

Martin

[DSperber]

That did the trick. Both live TV and recordings now play.

So is that good or bad? Seems like theoretically it's and indication that the ATV4K app is not confirming in some way. The Android app on Shield Tube works fine without needing to "open the front door" by checking this option, which I would think lessens security.

Anyway, that did solve the problem. So for now I will leave that option checked. But I think the underlying problem should be looked into and truly resolved as needed.

Thank you very much.

[sub]

I am intending to an updated build of the Apple TV app in the next few days, so I'll check this.

It's not a security risk unless you've got your NextPVR server exposed to the internet.

[DSperber]

It's not a security risk unless you've got your NextPVR server exposed to the internet.

I do have the "allow remote access" box checked. I thought that was required in order to access the server from client apps around my home network, not just from outside in the wide world.  Is that not correct?

I thought I had initial problems getting to the server from my streaming devices specifically because I hadn't checked this box. I then asked if by "internet" was meant any client other than on the PC hosting the server, and the answer was "yes". So I checked the box, and sure enough the Shield and ATV4K clients were now able to connect. Before checking the box they were not.

That's my memory. I can certainly retry it now, but that option is definitely checked. That's also why I changed not only my password but also the PIN (from default 0000 to my own setting). Presumably that is now "secure". But if I'm now also allowing unauthenticated connection attempts, well that does truly seem insecure if by doing so that negates the whole purpose behind having to provide the correct password and PIN.

So what is the true story here? Should I have the "allow remote access" box checked if I only want to connect to the server from here in my home, via my home network?

[sub]

"exposed to the internet" as-in "configured router to forward requests from some specific external port to your NextPVR server". There is no tick box in the NextPVR settings that'll make the server visible to the outside world - that only happens if you explicitly open a hole in your firewall/router to allow requests in.

I then asked if by "internet" was meant any client other than on the PC hosting the server, and the answer was "yes".

That was most definitely not the answer. The internet is the internet, not your local network. Clients on your local network are just on your LAN. The Internet is things outside your local network.

[DSperber]

"exposed to the internet" as-in "configured router to forward requests from some specific external port to your NextPVR server". There is no tick box in the NextPVR settings that'll make the server visible to the outside world - that only happens if you explicitly open a hole in your firewall/router to allow requests in.

I then asked if by "internet" was meant any client other than on the PC hosting the server, and the answer was "yes".

That was most definitely not the answer. The internet is the internet, not your local network. Clients on your local network are just on your LAN. The Internet is things outside your local network.

Perhaps I'd asked the wrong person, or asked the wrong question. For some reason I checked that box, and was obligated to change the default password and choose another PIN. But I never set up any port forwarding in my router (which I assume would have been for 8866, to the IP address of the server's PC?) because I certainly had no intentions of ever trying to or needing to access TV from my home server while I was somewhere else around the world.

So, I will revisit this again. I will experiment with un-checking that box to see if I can still connect from all the clients. If un-checked truly prevents outside access, then also checking this "allow unauthenticated access" to temporarily overcome the ATV4K problem no longer worries me.

Thank you for clarifying this all.

[mvallevand]

Many things were suggested trying to get around the problems you had until you figure out you had installed some VPN like securiyt on your phone, but as sub says remote access is not necessary. If you don't port forward the Internet it really isn't worth changing but it would probably be easier for you if the PIN was 0000

Martin

[DSperber]

Many things were suggested trying to get around the problems you had until you figure out you had installed some VPN like securiyt on your phone, but as sub says remote access is not necessary.  If you don't port forward the Internet it really isn't worth changing but it would probably be easier for you if the PIN was 0000

Martin

I've just confirmed that you both are correct. Both NextPVR (on Shield and ATV4K) and uidroid (on Shield) do in fact connect with that "allow internet access" option UNCHECKED.

Just for closure I will go and hunt down that weeks-old post/reply where I asked about that option on day #1 when first installing NextPVR v5 (I'd previously been using v4). My recollection is that I was confused by the definition of "internet" in the text for the option for NextPVR Server although by all expectations it should have meant "out of my LAN and router/firewall, not inside my LAN". I don't know if I'd gotten far enough along to even try testing a client app but for some reason was motivated to ask about it in a forum post. And as I recall the answer was that I should turn it on.  I will find it.

But no point belaboring the issue further. You guys are absolutely correct here, it is NOT required for LAN access of clients. Experimentally proven.

As far as my other issue of inability to connect from my S21 phone when running WiFi, you are right that the cause was the Device Security app installed on the phone by Verizon as part of my "device insurance" coverage. It provided an automatic VPN (if you enabled it) that guarded you on unsecured WiFi networks. And my home LAN WiFi network had somehow been defaulted to "unsecured". So my home network was "invisible" to the phone when I was connected to its WiFi, which of course I always am when in the house. And when I plugged in a USB cable from phone to my PC, so that WiFi was no longer used to get on the network but rather the USB connection through my PC was used for a "wired" connection, the interference caused by Device Security and its VPN was no longer relevant. And now I could connect from S21 to NextPVR Server.

Anyway, the "internet access" option box is now UNCHECKED. And I feel better since I had to check the "allow connection from unauthenticated" to temporarily get around the ATV4K connection problem (which I've now confirmed occurs with both Win7 and Win10 servers).

Thank you again for setting me straight on this