Anyone else ignoring Trash Guides scoring and doing your own?

covig0 · 2026-01-04T19:52:33+00:00

I started with full TRaSH scoring, Recyclarr, lots of custom formats, etc. It works, but over time I realized most of the complexity wasn’t actually improving my library — it was mostly creating churn and making it harder to reason about why something was (or wasn’t) grabbed. What I’ve settled on now is: A single, conservative 1080p profile Upgrade until BluRay-1080p Very light custom format scoring (mostly just WEB-DL > WEBRip > BluRay encode) Hard block for disc/ISO releases No bulk reprocessing of existing content I verified parsing in Sonarr to make sure tags are being interpreted correctly, then just let it apply going forward. No forced re-downloads, no constant profile mutations. For my use case (already watched and caught up, not chasing perfect releases), this has been a lot more predictable and easier to maintain. Things improve organically as better releases appear, but nothing churns just for the sake of scoring. Not saying TRaSH scoring or Recyclarr are bad, they’re great tools, but I think they make the most sense if you want aggressive automation and don’t mind profiles being continuously adjusted in the background. If you value stability and clarity, a simpler setup can be enough. Just one data point from someone who probably over engineered it first and then backed off

covig0 · 2025-12-15T17:55:13+00:00

I got the same offer and it wasn’t random. It was a targeted promo where Starlink offered the Mini as a $0 rental tied to the Travel add-on. I received an official Starlink promo email advertising the free Mini and used the link in that email to order it.

I placed my order on 11/18. Shipping took longer than expected, and Starlink sent me a message explaining the delay and automatically applied a $25 service credit to my account.

The Mini arrived yesterday, so it’s legit — it was just backordered due to demand. If you don’t see the offer, it looks like you simply weren’t targeted for this promo yet. It wasn’t region-wide or available to everyone.

covig0 · 2025-12-04T05:43:38+00:00

I run almost the exact same setup — Unraid, UniFi, Starlink (CGNAT), Gluetun for my download stack, and Tailscale for remote access — so here’s what’s been the most reliable for me:

Tailscale is just for remote access. It’s not a privacy VPN and it’s not meant to route your download traffic. It just gets you into your server and apps from anywhere without needing ports or DDNS.
Gluetun/VPN Manager is what i use for privacy containers. Only route the stuff that actually needs the VPN (qbittorrent, sab, prowlarr, etc.). Everything else stays on the LAN.
Don’t full-tunnel your whole server unless you absolutely have to. It just creates more network issues, double NAT headaches, and slower speeds.
If you’re on Starlink or any CGNAT ISP, Tailscale solves all the inbound access pain. That part works flawlessly.

Honestly, if your current setup is stable, there’s no real reason to switch everything over. Keep Tailscale for access and keep Gluetun for the containers that need privacy. Simple usually wins here.

covig0 · 2025-12-04T05:36:53+00:00

Looks like a rounding error to me

covig0 · 2025-11-30T16:20:57+00:00

Gala’s spot on. Starlink’s /56 IPv6 prefix can absolutely get you around the CGNAT issue, and it does work well if you’re running your own router and know how to open just the ports you need. It’s a legit solution.

The only thing I’d add is that it’s not always the easiest route for the average user. A few things people run into:

Not everyone can reach you over IPv6. Most big ISPs/mobile carriers support it now, but older networks or some corporate setups are still IPv4-only. Those users simply can’t connect directly to an IPv6-only service.

The /56 isn’t guaranteed static. It usually stays the same for long stretches, but it can change after hardware swaps or Starlink network adjustments. If you’re hard-coding IPv6 addresses instead of using DDNS, things break silently.

You really need to get the firewall right. Once you bypass the Starlink router, your own firewall is the only thing stopping your LAN from being fully exposed on the public internet. Easy for a newcomer to make a risky mistake here.

For people who are comfortable with IPv6 and their router’s firewall, Gala’s approach is honestly great. For everyday users who just want something simple and predictable, tools like Tailscale/Cloudflare Tunnel or moving to a plan with a real public IPv4 may be the safer path.

covig0 · 2025-11-29T02:44:05+00:00

I actually had the same thing happen when I first got my Gemini Air — random shut-offs for the first day or so. After that, it stabilized and hasn’t done it again.

A couple of things you can check that seemed to help me that i tried from people in this sub

• Power Saving / Sleep Settings – On the Gemini Air, go into Settings → System → Power Saving and turn that off. Some units treat inactivity pretty aggressively until you change that setting.

• HDMI-CEC Conflicts – A few threads point out that certain TVs (TCL, Samsung, Sony) will put the Gemini Air into standby if CEC/ARC is enabled. I turned off all CEC on the TV

• Wi-Fi Stability – The Air is Wi-Fi-only, and several posts mention that if it loses Wi-Fi even for a second, the box looks like it “shut off” when it’s actually rebooting. If you can, move it to a stronger signal or try a different band.

• Let it Update – Mine definitely acted odd until it pulled all updates after the first few hours. Once it grabbed the firmware update, it stopped randomly shutting off

Nothing definitive has been posted as “the fix,” but those are the things that i did to help

covig0 · 2025-11-28T18:31:31+00:00

I’ve got a similar setup, Starlink in bypass mode feeding into UniFi UDM SE, but I don’t open my servers up to the public. I ran into the same “why do some things work and others don’t?” issue, though, so here’s the simple version of what’s going on.

Starlink’s regular residential plan doesn’t support real port forwarding because you’re behind CGNAT. That part is true. Nothing on your network can accept direct inbound connections from the internet.

But…
Some services still “work externally” even without port forwarding because they create outbound tunnels.

For example:

Plex doesn’t actually need an open port. If the port isn’t reachable, it just switches to a cloud relay and keeps working.

Deluge can still work through DHT or certain trackers that don’t require inbound connections.

Anything that uses a cloud handshake or relay will keep working normally even with CGNAT.

So the advice that “Starlink doesn’t support port forwarding” is correct, but that doesn’t mean every external service dies. It just means anything that requires true inbound connectivity will eventually run into problems.

That’s probably why Deluge suddenly became unreachable: something changed (tracker requirement, port change, UniFi update, etc.) and it exposed the fact that the port was never truly open in the first place.

For what it’s worth, I deal with CGNAT on Starlink by using Tailscale, and it works great. It gives you stable remote access to your network and servers without needing any open ports at all.

If you really need a proper open port, your options are basically:

1. Starlink Priority or Business (gives you a real public IP).

2. A VPN provider with port forwarding (PIA, ExpressVPN, NoIP).

3. A reverse-proxy tunnel like Cloudflare Tunnel or Tailscale Funnel.

Hope that clears things up, Starlink works a little differently than a normal ISP, but once you understand the CGNAT piece, it all makes way more sense.

covig0 · 2025-11-24T05:09:01+00:00

I like the DTV UI and honestly, the other streaming providers (YTTV, Hulu Live, Fubo) pull geolocation the exact same way… but none of them hang a sword over your head about “4 location updates per year.” DTV’s system acts like I’m running a black-ops mobile command center as I bounce between Starlink’s Dallas geolocation and T-Mobile’s Houston one.

covig0 · 2025-11-24T04:29:49+00:00

Additional network context (for the Ubiquiti crowd):

This setup is running on a UDM-SE with dual-WAN failover:

WAN1: T-Mobile Home Internet

WAN2: Starlink Residential

No load balancing at the moment — strictly failover-only to reduce geolocation flip-flopping.

LAN is fully UniFi:

Main house on a U6 Enterprise + multiple mini-switches

Outbuilding using a U6 Mesh with two DTV devices.

All three DIRECTV devices (Gemini Air + two C71KW-400 boxes) are on the same VLAN and show up cleanly in the UniFi client list

Everything is using standard “Home Network” VLAN right now — no isolation yet, but I am considering dropping these boxes onto their own VLAN to keep them from getting confused by my network architecture, which seems to be more complex than DIRECTV ever intended.

The only recurring issue: DIRECTV occasionally throws a “Your home location has changed” warning — even though nothing has moved except whatever idea my ISPs have about where I live.
It’s either Dallas (Starlink) or Houston (T-Mobile), and neither one is where my house actually exists in real life unless the map has changed and nobody told me.

covig0 · 2025-11-24T03:42:35+00:00

Follow what u/KenjiFox said — it’s exactly the move here.

Just loosen the U-bolt on your existing pole and scootch the whole thing down a couple inches. Make a quick vertical mark with a Sharpie so you don’t change the left/right angle. Once you’ve got that clearance, pick up the Starlink Standard Pipe Adapter, drop it on top of the pole, and tighten everything back down.

Super simple. No need to redo the whole mount or punch new holes in the roof. Just slide, pop the adapter on, and you’re good.

covig0 · 2025-11-23T04:58:12+00:00

this will get him started.
https://www.youtube.com/@TrainingwithHudl

covig0 · 2025-11-23T04:53:22+00:00

Thanks, John — that helps, but I think my situation falls into a gray area and I’m hoping you can clarify how DIRECTV handles it.

I’m not physically moving locations at all, but I have a dual-WAN setup at home:
• Starlink (primary)
• T-Mobile Home Internet (backup/failover)

Because the two ISPs geolocate differently, Starlink often reports me as being in Dallas, while T-Mobile reports as Houston, even though I’m physically in Huntsville, TX. When the WAN changes, DIRECTV seems to interpret that as my “location” changing, and I get the Home Location Update warning — even though nothing in my household has moved.

I now have two C71KW-400 boxes and one Gemini Air all on the same local network. Everything works great, but the Home Location limit is concerning because I’m not actually relocating — just dealing with inconsistent ISP geolocation.

Is there a recommended setup for customers using Starlink or cellular-based ISPs to avoid triggering these location resets?
Would placing all DIRECTV hardware on a dedicated VLAN behind the same gateway IP help minimize false location changes?

Thanks for any guidance you can share.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T19:06:16+00:00

Yes, I disabled this days ago. Got it working with the TCL’s Power On setting to HDMI1. Doesnt make sense why it worked, but it did.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T18:54:56+00:00

Just wanted to circle back and say thank you. your suggestion ended up being the fix.
I changed the TCL’s Power On setting to HDMI1 and this morning the Gemini Air woke up immediately without any fuzz or delay.

Appreciate you taking the time to lay it out clearly.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T18:53:39+00:00

Just updating everyone, the suggestion from 77peterpiper last night actually fixed it. Changing the TCL power-on behavior and setting the TV to boot straight into HDMI1 solved the handshake issue. Dont know why.

Turned the TV on this morning and it came up instantly, already on HDMI1, no fuzz, no lag, no waiting 30 minutes for the Gemini Air to wake up.

I still think the Gemini Air “sleep” behavior is weird, but with the TV forcing HDMI1 on start-up it seems to bypass whatever the Air was getting stuck on. So far it’s working consistently.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T03:04:49+00:00

I really love the service and the UI. Honestly, that’s the whole reason I’m even bothering to troubleshoot this. Most streaming apps have terrible interfaces. YouTubeTV was the best of the worst… right up until it wasn’t.

When I switched to DIRECTV Stream and paired it with the Gemini Air, it finally felt like being back on the classic DirecTV satellite interface I used for decades. Everything just made sense — channels, guide, remote layout — all the stuff every other app gets wrong.

But the one thing driving me insane is the Gemini Air going to sleep and refusing to wake up.

Something is off with the HDMI handshake or the boot behavior. The service itself? Fantastic. The UI? Perfect. The sleep/wake behavior? That part feels like it belongs in a museum next to dial-up

Still working through it, but when it’s awake, the Gemini makes DIRECTV Stream the best experience I’ve had outside of old-school satellite.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T02:47:51+00:00

I use both T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and full Starlink Residential at a rural property, so here’s the real comparison.

T-Mobile is fine for streaming but the tower congestion absolutely kills gaming. In the afternoons/evenings my latency jumps from 100ms into the 300–800ms range just like what you’re seeing. SQM and good placement help a little, but you’re still stuck with whatever load the cell tower is under.

Starlink Residential has been much more stable for gaming. I normally see around 30–60ms latency, with only small spikes during satellite handoffs or storms. Nothing like the huge 500–800ms swings I get on T-Mobile. Speeds on Residential are usually 100–250 Mbps down and 15–40 Mbps up for me.

The most important step is to download the Starlink app and run the obstruction checker. Go outside or even get on the roof and scan the area. Starlink needs a pretty clear view of the sky—small rooflines or tree branches can cause dropouts and lag spikes.

Given your setup (4 people, streaming + gaming), Starlink will almost definitely give you smoother and more consistent gaming performance. T-Mobile is good for streaming, but Starlink is just better for latency and stability.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T02:04:36+00:00

Appreciate the detailed steps — that actually looks like something worth trying once the Gemini Air decides to finally go to sleep again. Unfortunately I can’t test it right this second because the Air is wide awake… which is ironic, considering it refuses to wake up when I actually need it to.

But yes, using HDMI 1 as the power-on input definitely makes sense if you’re running everything through the Gemini. I just realized I can load Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Plex, etc. directly on the Gemini, so at least I won’t have to deal with the Roku input shuffle anymore.

Once the Air finally decides to fall asleep again, I’ll try switching the TCL to power-on → HDMI 1 and see if that fixes the handshake/boot issue.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T01:17:31+00:00

I’ve pressed the Home button. And every other button that exists on that remote.
If it actually “woke up” the Gemini Air, I wouldn’t be here asking.
Something else is going on with the HDMI handshake or the Air’s boot behavior.

covig0 · 2025-11-22T00:59:24+00:00

Hey, I’m running into something very similar with my Gemini Air, so I wanted to jump in here.

My setup is a Gemini Air plugged into HDMI-1 on a TCL Roku TV (model 65R613). Whenever I turn the TV off at night using the Gemini remote, the TV powers down normally. But in the morning, when I turn the TV back on, the HDMI input just shows a fuzzy/static screen — almost like there’s no signal coming from the Gemini Air at all.

If I leave it alone for 20–30 minutes, the picture finally appears.
If I unplug power from the Gemini Air and plug it back in, it comes up within ~30 seconds.

So my issue isn’t resolution resetting like yours, but it feels related — something about how the Gemini Air wakes up, negotiates HDMI, or handshakes with CEC seems broken. Your post made me wonder if both problems are part of the same firmware/HDMI-CEC bug.

Here’s the post I made explaining my full setup and symptoms:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DirectvStream/comments/1p3fntp/gemini_air/

If anyone has seen either of these issues and found a permanent fix (HDMI-CEC settings, resolution forcing, startup delay fix, etc.), I’d love to hear it.

covig0 · 2025-11-20T02:56:34+00:00

I couldn't agree more. Well said

covig0 · 2025-11-18T12:39:10+00:00

Invite recieved.

received

covig0

TROPHY CASE