v0.7

ChannelWatch v0.7 - Notification Enhancements & Bug Fixes

This release focuses on improving the notification system with enhanced email and Discord integration, better UI documentation, and several important bug fixes. ChannelWatch v0.7 delivers a more reliable and user-friendly notification experience.

📧 Enhanced Notification System

• Improved Email Integration:

  • Better support for custom SMTP servers
  • More reliable email delivery across various providers
  • Clearer configuration options with detailed formatting examples
  • Enhanced error handling for email delivery

• Advanced Discord Integration:

  • Improved formatting for Discord notifications
  • More reliable message delivery
  • Better handling of rich media content

• UI Documentation Enhancements:

  • Comprehensive formatting guides for all notification services
  • Clear examples for complex configurations
  • Detailed explanations of parameter options and requirements
  • Improved error messages for configuration issues

🔧 Bug Fixes & Technical Improvements

• Fixed Image Selection Logic:

  • Corrected case-sensitive bug in channel/program image selection
  • Ensures proper image display in notifications regardless of case formatting
  • More consistent visual experience across different alert types

• Security Enhancements:

  • Improved handling of authentication credentials
  • Enhanced security for stored settings
  • Better protection for sensitive configuration data

• System Refinements:

  • Removed deprecated MQTT support for streamlined options
  • Enhanced error handling for notification delivery failures
  • More robust connection management for notification services

🧩 Email Configuration Improvements

• Support for Custom Email Configurations:

  • Simplified format for common email providers
  • Advanced options for custom SMTP servers
  • Better handling of secure connections (STARTTLS and SSL)
  • Improved port configuration for various email services

• Format Documentation:

  • Clear examples for Gmail, Outlook, and custom SMTP servers
  • Visual guidance for parameter formatting
  • Troubleshooting tips for common email configuration issues

🔄 Update Instructions

This update maintains full compatibility with existing v0.6 installations. To upgrade:

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Access the web interface at http://your-server-ip:8501 to review and update your notification settings.

This release enhances ChannelWatch's notification capabilities with more reliable delivery, better documentation, and improved security. The fixes for image selection ensure a more consistent visual experience across different alert types.

We recommend all users upgrade to v0.7 to benefit from these improvements. As always, feedback and feature requests via GitHub issues are welcome!

v0.6

ChannelWatch v0.6 - Modern Web UI & Simplified Configuration

This release represents a major architectural overhaul of ChannelWatch, introducing a modern web interface and significantly simplifying the configuration process. The project has been restructured for better maintainability while adding powerful new features that enhance the user experience.

🌐 New Web-Based Interface

ChannelWatch now includes a comprehensive web interface with:

• Dashboard: Real-time overview of system status, disk space usage, active streams, and upcoming recordings
• Configuration Panel: Visual interface for managing all settings without environment variables
• Diagnostic Tools: Built-in utilities for testing connectivity, API functionality, and alert delivery
• Responsive Design: Full compatibility with mobile devices and desktop browsers
• Status Monitoring: Live view of system operations and component health

Key Benefits:

• Simplified Management: All configuration is now done through an intuitive web interface
• Visual Feedback: Real-time status indicators for each system component
• Persistent Settings: Configuration automatically saved to volume-mounted storage
• Accessibility: Access control panel from any device on your network

🏗️ Complete Architecture Overhaul

• Project Restructuring: Code organization completely redesigned with clear separation of concerns
• Component Architecture: Modular design with reusable UI and backend components
• Error Recovery: Improved error handling with automatic reconnection for network issues
• Performance Optimization: Enhanced efficiency for resource-constrained environments
• Configuration System: Centralized settings management with validation and persistence

⚙️ System Improvements

• Simplified Deployment: Installation reduced to a single Docker Compose command with volume mounting
• Eliminated Environment Variables: All configuration moved to the web interface for easier setup
• Enhanced Reliability: Automatic recovery from connection issues and service interruptions
• Diagnostic Capabilities: Built-in tools for troubleshooting network, API, and alert functionality
• Improved Notification Delivery: More robust handling of notification provider connections

📋 Technical Improvements

• Modern UI Framework: Built with Streamlit for responsive, interactive web interface
• Backend Refactoring: Cleaner code organization with consistent patterns
• Consistent Error Handling: Standardized approach to error recovery throughout the codebase
• Health Monitoring: Self-healing capabilities for critical services
• Documentation: Updated installation and configuration instructions

🚀 Simplified Installation

Docker Compose setup is now dramatically simplified:

name: channelwatch
version: '3.0'
services:
  channelwatch:
    image: coderluii/channelwatch:latest
    container_name: channelwatch
    network_mode: host
    volumes:
      # Path to store configuration, logs, and settings
      - /your/local/path:/config
    restart: unless-stopped

After starting the container, simply access the web interface at http://your-server-ip:8501 to configure all settings.

This release transforms ChannelWatch into a more accessible, maintainable, and user-friendly solution. The modern web interface makes configuration intuitive while the architectural improvements enhance reliability and performance.

We encourage all users to upgrade to v0.6 to benefit from these significant improvements. As always, feedback and feature requests via GitHub issues are welcome!

v0.5

ChannelWatch v0.5 - Comprehensive Recording Event Monitoring

This release introduces a major new feature to ChannelWatch: Recording Event Alerts. Now you can stay informed about the entire lifecycle of your Channels DVR recordings, from scheduling to completion, cancellation, or manual stops. This enhances your visibility into DVR activity alongside existing channel and VOD monitoring.

🎬 New Alert Type: Recording Events

Get detailed notifications for various recording stages:

• Scheduled: Be notified when a new recording is scheduled (📅). Includes program details, scheduled time (using friendly formats like "Today" or "Tomorrow"), and expected duration.
• Started: Receive an alert the moment a recording begins (🔴). Differentiates between scheduled and manually initiated recordings. Includes program details, channel information, start time, duration, and integrates with the Total Streams count.
• Completed: Know when a recording finishes successfully (✅). Provides actual duration and updates the Total Streams count. Handles delayed or interrupted recordings gracefully.
• Cancelled: Get alerts if a scheduled recording is cancelled before it starts (🚫). Includes details of the cancelled program.
• Stopped: Be informed if an active recording is manually stopped before its intended completion (⏹️). Provides the duration recorded before stopping.

Key Features of Recording Event Alerts:

• Rich Metadata: Notifications include program title (and episode title), channel name/number, start/completion times, and duration.
• Robust Status Handling: Intelligently determines the final status (Completed, Cancelled, Stopped, Delayed, Interrupted) even with API inconsistencies. Includes a retry mechanism to ensure completion alerts are sent only after DVR processing is finished.
• Stream Count Integration: Recording activity is now seamlessly integrated into the Total Streams count reported in notifications.
• Fine-Grained Control: Enable or disable specific recording event notifications (Scheduled, Started, Completed, Cancelled) using new RD_ALERT_* environment variables (e.g., RD_ALERT_SCHEDULED, RD_ALERT_STARTED).
• Clear Formatting: Uses status emojis and consistent formatting via the AlertFormatter for easy readability.

⚙️ System Improvements

• Enhanced API Integration: Leverages JobInfoProvider and ChannelInfoProvider for more reliable fetching of recording job details and channel information.
• Improved Reliability: Implemented retry logic for handling recording completion events that might have processing delays within Channels DVR, preventing premature or missed notifications.
• Refined Time Formatting: Standardized and user-friendly date/time formatting across alerts.
• Better Data Management: Includes specific cleanup logic for stale recording jobs, scheduled items, and pending completion checks.

📝 Documentation Updates

• The README has been updated to include details about the new Recording-Events alert type, its features, and associated environment variables (RD_ALERT_SCHEDULED, RD_ALERT_STARTED, RD_ALERT_COMPLETED, RD_ALERT_CANCELLED).
• Examples for the new recording notifications should be added.

This release significantly expands ChannelWatch's monitoring capabilities by adding deep insight into recording activities. Users upgrading will benefit from a more complete picture of their Channels DVR usage.

We encourage all users to upgrade to v0.5 to take advantage of these new features. As always, feedback and feature requests via GitHub issues are welcome!

v0.4

ChannelWatch v0.4.0 - Expanded Alert Types and Enhanced Capabilities

This release significantly expands ChannelWatch's monitoring capabilities with multiple new alert types, enriched metadata display, and improved reliability - all while maintaining the lightweight footprint that makes it ideal for home media centers.

🎬 New Alert Types

VOD-Watching Alert

• Track when recorded/DVD content is being watched
• Rich metadata display with title, episode, progress, duration
• Device identification and tracking
• Support for both 6-file and 7-file patterns
• Single notification per viewing session
• Detailed logging of viewing activity

Disk-Space Monitoring

• Get alerted when recording space runs low
• Configurable thresholds (percentage and absolute GB)
• Detailed space usage information

📺 Channel-Watching Improvements

• Program Titles - See exactly what's playing on each channel directly in notifications
• Program Images - Choose between channel logos or actual program images in alerts
• Enhanced Metadata - Richer program information with improved formatting
• Decimal Channel Support - Full support for subchannels (13.1, etc.) for broadcast/OTA channels
• Total Streams Counter - See how many concurrent streams are active across your system
• Stream Source Identification - Cleaner display of M3U, TVE, and Tuner sources

⚙️ System Improvements

• Platform Support - Added multi-platform builds for amd64, arm64, and arm/v7 architectures
• Performance Optimizations - Preloaded cache at startup for faster operation
• Expanded Configuration - Control exactly what appears in your notifications
• Cache Management - Configurable TTLs and improved validation
• Session Tracking - Enhanced reliability to prevent duplicate alerts

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed IP address extraction from various event formats
• Improved timestamp and duration formatting
• Enhanced session tracking reliability
• Fixed events/min calculation for accurate stats
• Resolved disk space monitoring persistence issues

📝 Documentation Updates

• Comprehensive configuration guide with all environment variables
• Expanded troubleshooting section
• New notification examples for each alert type
• Clear platform compatibility information

This release represents a major step forward in functionality while maintaining the ease of use that makes ChannelWatch valuable. Users upgrading from previous versions will benefit from the expanded monitoring capabilities and improved reliability without sacrificing performance.

We encourage all users to upgrade to v0.4.0 to take advantage of these new features. As always, we welcome feedback and feature requests through GitHub issues.

v0.3

ChannelWatch v0.3.0 - Major Architecture Overhaul

This release represents a complete rewrite of ChannelWatch with a focus on reliability, extensibility, and user experience. The application has been redesigned from the ground up to provide real-time monitoring and multi-provider notifications.

🏗️ Architecture Improvements

• Switched from log file monitoring to real-time event stream connection
• Implemented a modular, service-oriented architecture
• Added session tracking and automatic cleanup for improved reliability
• Enhanced error handling with automatic reconnection logic
• Improved logging system with rotation and verbosity controls

🚀 New Features

• Multi-provider Notification System

  • Added Apprise integration supporting 70+ notification services
  • Maintained Pushover support with enhanced formatting
  • Added channel logo support in notifications

• Advanced Diagnostics

  • Real-time event stream monitoring tool
  • Connection testing utilities
  • Comprehensive logging with configurable verbosity

• Improved Configuration

  • Streamlined environment variables
  • Docker-optimized deployment
  • Better default settings

📚 Documentation

• Complete rewrite of documentation with detailed examples
• Added comprehensive troubleshooting guide
• Expanded configuration options documentation
• New table of contents for improved navigation

🔧 Technical Enhancements

• Reduced memory footprint (~30MB RAM)
• Optimized Docker image size
• Faster startup and event processing
• Improved thread management

This version provides a more robust foundation for future features while maintaining the lightweight footprint that makes ChannelWatch efficient. All existing configurations will need to be updated to the new format detailed in the README.

We're committed to continuing development of ChannelWatch based on user feedback and needs. Future releases will focus on additional alert types and a potential web UI as outlined in our development roadmap.

Please see the updated README for complete setup instructions.

v0.2

ChannelWatch v0.2.0 - Security Enhancements

This release focuses on enhancing the security of ChannelWatch through dependency updates and supply chain attestations, ensuring a more robust and compliant Docker container.

Security Improvements

• Updated setuptools to version 65.5.1+ to resolve CVE-2022-40897 and CVE-2024-6345
• Updated pip to version 23.3+ to address CVE-2023-5752
• Updated requests to version 2.31.0 for improved security
• Implemented Docker BuildKit integration with provenance verification and SBOM generation
• Added full compliance with Docker Hub supply chain attestation requirements

Documentation Updates

• Added version history section to README.md
• Updated documentation to reflect security enhancements

This release maintains full compatibility with existing configurations while significantly improving the security posture of the application. Users are encouraged to update to this version to benefit from these important security enhancements.

We remain committed to providing a secure and reliable tool for monitoring Channels DVR activity. Future releases will focus on adding new alert types and notification methods as outlined in our development roadmap.

v0.1

ChannelWatch v0.1.0 - Initial Release

This is the first public release of ChannelWatch, a lightweight Docker-based utility that monitors Channels DVR log files and sends Pushover notifications when TV viewing begins.

✨ Features

• Real-time monitoring of Channels DVR log file
• Push notifications via Pushover when someone starts watching TV
• Detailed viewing information including channel name, number and resolution
• Configurable check intervals via environment variables
• Low resource usage suitable for running on NAS devices and small servers

🚀 Installation

The easiest way to run ChannelWatch is via Docker:

version: '3.0'
services:
  ChannelWatch:
    image: coderluii/channelwatch:latest
    container_name: channelwatch
    volumes:
      - /path/to/your/config:/config
      - /path/to/channels-dvr.log:/channels-dvr.log:ro
    environment:
      LOG_CHECK_INTERVAL: 10
      Alerts_Channel-Watching: TRUE
      PUSHOVER_USER_KEY: your_user_key_here
      PUSHOVER_API_TOKEN: your_api_token_here
    restart: unless-stopped

📋 Requirements

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Channels DVR with accessible log file
• Pushover account (for notifications)

🔮 Next Steps

Future releases will include additional alert types and notification methods.

💬 Feedback

Feedback and contributions are welcome! Please open an issue for bug reports or feature requests.