Recording doesn't use a full decoder.

The incoming channel data stream is saved as-is. It will need a demultiplexer to separate out one channel from the multi-channel data stream, but it won't need to decode that stream, which is the intensive bit. Decoding happens when you play it back later.

Ah, I did check out the specs again and it does indeed say it has a bunch of tuners, not decoders.

Mental slip then. Thanks for the correction, very interesting.

> proactively decode the previous and next channel

Do you find yourself actually moving up and down the channels, and not through the guide to somewhere else entirely different than where you once where? My first move if I'm switching channels is to go to the guide, not to a channel one above or below my current channel.

I suppose it could run on the previous channel, but it certainly can't guess my next channel.

The first startup I worked with was an IPTV startup that would send the I-Frames for the channels on either side of the channel you were watching at the higher bandwidth tiers so you could channel flip instantly like the old days.

Toxic culture and relationships so the startup imploded, but there was some cool tech.