# Plex DVR is here!



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12747590/plex-dvr-HDHomeRun-OTA-recording








> Plex DVR recording is finally here thanks to a new partnership with the SiliconDust, the makers of the HDHomeRun digital tuner. Plex DVR enables free over-the-air access to 86 of Nielsens 100 most watched shows in the US for 2016, according to Plex. One show that it won't work with is Game of Thrones because that's only visible on encrypted HBO channels. Plex says that "Broadcast TV delivered via antenna is available immediately  no waiting an extra day (or months) to watch, as is the case with many streaming services," with a wink and a nod directed at Hulu. And while that sounds like time-shifted, or even live streaming of broadcast television shows, Plex says that currently only shows recorded to completion can be viewed with Plex DVR. Still, you can keep adding tuners and storage to record as many shows at a time as you like.
> 
> Once recorded, Plex DVR users can view their shows from pretty much any device, online or off, from anywhere in the world thanks to a multitude of clients for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices; Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and other media streamers; Xbox and PlayStation game consoles; and many brands of smart TVs.
> 
> ...


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Plex DVR User Guide

https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/sections/205778607


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I will download the beta and try it out. This is a pretty interesting option for OTA users.

No live tv yet...


----------



## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Well it looks like one of Tivo's partners is now a competitor of sorts. I love my Tivos and am not going to run out and buy a HD Home Run just to give this a try but nice to know other solutions are coming on board. I can see this as a possible replacement if Tivo ever failed or for folks now cutting the cord.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Set up was a breeze and it allows you to remux the .ts file to .mkv or transcode it to h264 while it records. Program Guide by Gracenote is very complete and goes out two weeks. Its "massaged" by Plex to offer suggestions, upcoming shows and even shows that will air soon that you have in your library. 

Add MCEBuddy to this and you have a nice DVR that will cut out commercials.


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

How does this exactly work if no live tv, and how can it compete with Roamio OTA (or Bolt)? I don't get it....


----------



## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

PLEX? that garbage again. Worst buggy program ever. Wont touch it with a Anthony Wiener sized pole.


----------



## reneg (Jun 19, 2002)

bradleys said:


> I will download the beta and try it out. This is a pretty interesting option for OTA users.
> 
> No live tv yet...


Looks like the HDHomeRun Prime is supported by Plex too which takes a cablecard.


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

reneg said:


> Looks like the HDHomeRun Prime is supported by Plex too which takes a cablecard.


But no cci byte-crippled channels. The modified Tivo model HD is still the only fully-functional DVR available as far as I know (or the original s3 if you don't have mpeg4 channels).


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

I just learned about this via Engadget. The article there notes:

_Plex's DVR offering is launching in beta today, and it'll get an official release in a few months. *You'll eventually be able to power it from NVIDIA's Shield set-top box*, which got the ability to run Plex servers back in June. _

This is pretty exciting. As you may know, the NVIDIA Shield Android TV is a "one box" solution for Plex, meaning that it can act as the Plex Media Server (no separate PC required) while also acting as a Plex client with the normal endpoint UI. I think it's the cheapest total Plex solution available.

What is even more interesting about running Plex DVR on the Shield is that Google has built native DVR support into the new version of Android TV (7.0 Nougat) and into the upcoming version of their Live Channels app, which presents a traditional grid-style TV listings UI that combines TV channels from connected tuners (OTA or CableCARD, like the ones that Plex DVR will work with) as well as live streaming internet channels. Live Channels will soon gain the ability to schedule, play and delete recordings of shows selected from its native program grid. The thing about Live Channels, though, is that it's merely a front-end UI that links to underlying apps that actually do the work. There has to be an app that can feed it the live video streams from the connected tuners -- this is already possible with Silicon Dust tuners thanks to an app from that company. For Live Channels to serve as a DVR controller, there would also have to be an app that actually provides the underlying DVR recording engine -- I think Plex will eventually do this.

I'll bet that the NVIDIA Shield Android TV will be one of the most popular platforms for Plex DVR and, once it gets out of beta, Plex will enable their Android TV app to "plug into" the hooks provided by Google in the Live Channels app so that viewers can, if they wish, use Live Channels rather than, or in addition to, the Plex app for all their TV viewing, live and recorded.

So hopefully we'll have a system that offers full DVR capabilities with Gracenote data, using a traditional grid-style program guide, with ongoing service fees included into the price of a Plex Pass ($40/year, $5/month, $150/lifetime). All on the same system as a robust streaming app platform, all tied together with universal voice search, systemwide viewing recommendations, and picture-in-picture. (Oh, and games too.)


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

foghorn2 said:


> PLEX? that garbage again. Worst buggy program ever. Wont touch it with a Anthony Wiener sized pole.


I agree that the Plex app for TiVo is buggy and often sluggish to navigate. But I don't see those problems at all when dealing with Plex on my Mac, either through the web interface for Plex Media Server or through the Plex Home Theater app for viewing content. The Plex Home Theater app on my several years-old iMac runs extremely smoothly and has a much slicker UI than the Plex app for TiVo.

My guess is that Plex for TiVo is as bad as it is because of TiVo's crappy HTML5 app platform and likely because Plex doesn't spend a lot of time working on their TiVo app when it probably has one of the smallest user bases of all the various platforms they support.


----------



## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Which begs the question......will and if so, how well will the Plex DVR app work on a tivo? It could be an interesting way to get those OTA stations that aren't included in your cable plan onto your TiVo.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

HarperVision said:


> Which begs the question......will and if so, how well will the Plex DVR app work on a tivo? It could be an interesting way to get those OTA stations that aren't included in your cable plan onto your TiVo.


you dont because plex doesnt do live tv, its only a recording engine. there is no plex dvr app and there is certainly no way to send ota channels to a tivo that are not part of your package.

all recordings are done and managed server side, once recorded, they show up in your plex library and available to all plex clients. they say that they will add dvr controls to clients in the future.


----------



## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I can't imagine the Plex DVR app will ever work on a TiVo. If it works well on a PC, it might be better than other PC DVRs for OTA and cable, that is about all I would expect.


----------



## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

HarperVision said:


> Which begs the question......will and if so, how well will the Plex DVR app work on a tivo? It could be an interesting way to get those OTA stations that aren't included in your cable plan onto your TiVo.


I do that with Lifetime OTA Roamio on the same network as a Roamio Basic and Bolt on cable cards.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Chris Gerhard said:


> I can't imagine the Plex DVR app will ever work on a TiVo. If it works well on a PC, it might be better than other PC DVRs for OTA and cable, that is about all I would expect.


From my understanding, if you can load the beta of Plex Media Server that includes Plex DVR on whatever machine you're using as your server, then your recordings should automatically show up in whatever versions of the Plex client app you're currently using, including the Plex app for TiVo.

I wish I had a Silicon Dust tuner on hand, I'd pay $5 for a one-month Plex Pass so that I could load it up on my Mac and give it a spin. However, I don't.


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I believe this is just another iteration of the SiliconDust HDHR DVR app ported to another platform. I'm pretty sure the guide data format is going to suck because SD won't license the grid-style guide from Rovi, who holds the patents and copyrights. The Nvidia Shield already has the HDHR DVR app incorporated, IIRC.

SD needs to stop dicking around with other platforms and get DRM recording fixed first. This is by far the most important aspect of the DVR app that Kickstarter contributors want the most. The rest is mostly BS and not a top priority. 

I personally invested $160 for the Kickstarter campaign as well as an additional four years of program guide data, which I will never use. The app works, but the UI is horrible and completely unintuitive. This was back when I was looking for an alternative to WMC. I abandoned my quest when EPG123 was introduced and couldn't be happier.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

mr.unnatural said:


> I believe this is just another iteration of the SiliconDust HDHR DVR app ported to another platform. I'm pretty sure the guide data format is going to suck because SD won't license the grid-style guide from Rovi, who holds the patents and copyrights. The Nvidia Shield already has the HDHR DVR app incorporated, IIRC.
> 
> SD needs to stop dicking around with other platforms and get DRM recording fixed first. This is by far the most important aspect of the DVR app that Kickstarter contributors want the most. The rest is mostly BS and not a top priority.
> 
> I personally invested $160 for the Kickstarter campaign as well as an additional four years of program guide data, which I will never use. The app works, but the UI is horrible and completely unintuitive. This was back when I was looking for an alternative to WMC. I abandoned my quest when EPG123 was introduced and couldn't be happier.


Your belief is totally wrong, this is not SD's plex kickstarter goal. Plex created this in house, licensed Gracenote guide data on their own and present it their own way. They are only using the SD HDHR api's to hook into the hardware.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Aero 1 said:


> Your belief is totally wrong, this is not SD's plex kickstarter goal. Plex created this in house, licensed Gracenote guide data on their own and present it their own way. They are only using the SD HDHR api's to hook into the hardware.


If that's the case then they will never be capable of getting protected CableCARD channels. Last time I looked at the API there was no way to access protected channels.

Could be a decent competitor to something like Tablo though.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Dan203 said:


> If that's the case then they will never be capable of getting protected CableCARD channels. Last time I looked at the API there was no way to access protected channels.
> 
> Could be a decent competitor to something like Tablo though.


not true i think. its been my understanding that its the software doing the playback is what contains the Cablelabs license in order to play and record DRM'd channels. thats why Microsoft was the only platform besided Tivo to enable DRM recordings and it was able to record from Ceton, ATI, etc.

isnt that correct? if its correct, Plex would have to get a cablelabs license, not SD.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Dan203 said:


> If that's the case then they will never be capable of getting protected CableCARD channels. Last time I looked at the API there was no way to access protected channels.
> 
> Could be a decent competitor to something like Tablo though.


When you say "protected" CableCARD channels, is that the same thing as "encrypted"? Because Plex says their DVR software definitely works with SD's CableCARD tuner. But if it can't record from encrypted channels, what's the point of using a CableCARD? Just to map the QAM frequencies for unencrypted ("clear QAM") channels to the proper channels numbers as assigned by the cable co so that it can then be matched up with the appropriate listings data from Gracenote?


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Aero 1 said:


> Your belief is totally wrong, this is not SD's plex kickstarter goal. Plex created this in house, licensed Gracenote guide data on their own and present it their own way. They are only using the SD HDHR api's to hook into the hardware.


Right. And Plex says on their blog page, "Well be investigating the possibility of supporting additional tuners as we move forward." There are a few different USB OTA tuners floating around out there (like the one from Hauppage for Xbox); maybe they'll support some of those (where driver support already exists). Or maybe they'll support the Ceton network tuners (although I think those are only CableCARD).


----------



## jth tv (Nov 15, 2014)

What is the max number of tuners for Antenna ? It looks like 2 and that does not seem like enough.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

jth tv said:


> What is the max number of tuners for Antenna ? It looks like 2 and that does not seem like enough.


Yeah, both of the currently supported OTA tuner units only have two tuners. That's enough for me and a lot of OTA users but, as it currently stands, if you need more than that, your choices are restricted to either TiVo or Tablo. (Heck, given that I subscribe to Hulu, I'd probably be fine with a single-tuner OTA DVR.)

If Plex DVR takes off, though, perhaps Silicon Dust or someone will eventually roll out a 3- or 4-tuner OTA network unit.

Edit: Actually, I think you can use two SD dual tuners simultaneously, giving you a total of 4 OTA tuners. The Verge article referenced up top states "Still, you can keep adding tuners and storage to record as many shows at a time as you like."


----------



## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

jth tv said:


> What is the max number of tuners for Antenna ? It looks like 2 and that does not seem like enough.


Depends on if Plex is going to support multiple HDHomeRuns or not. WMC could use several of SiliconDust's HDHomeRuns at the same time.

I have a dual tuner HDHomeRun sitting unused but don't feel like messing with this right now. Maybe something to do over the winter.


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

atmuscarella said:


> Depends on if Plex is going to support multiple HDHomeRuns or not. WMC could use several of SiliconDust's HDHomeRuns at the same time.
> 
> I have a dual tuner HDHomeRun sitting unused but don't feel like messing with this right now. Maybe something to do over the winter.


I went ahead and bought one. I will try it for Live Tv first, see how it goes, and then if OK will explore the DVR options.


----------



## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

thyname said:


> I went ahead and bought one. I will try it for Live Tv first, see how it goes, and then if OK will explore the DVR options.


Using a HD Homerun for live TV on a computer is pretty simple. The Software that comes with it is all you need for that.


----------



## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

NashGuy said:


> From my understanding, if you can load the beta of Plex Media Server that includes Plex DVR on whatever machine you're using as your server, then your recordings should automatically show up in whatever versions of the Plex client app you're currently using, including the Plex app for TiVo.
> 
> I wish I had a Silicon Dust tuner on hand, I'd pay $5 for a one-month Plex Pass so that I could load it up on my Mac and give it a spin. However, I don't.


Yes, I would think that is correct. I understood his statement as regarding running the Plex DVR app (server) on a TiVo, not the existing Plex client app. I have a lifetime Plex account and don't care about this Plex DVR but got the letter yesterday and will follow the topic.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Yes, I would think that is correct. I understood his statement as regarding running the Plex DVR app (server) on a TiVo, not the existing Plex client app. I have a lifetime Plex account and don't care about this Plex DVR but got the letter yesterday and will follow the topic.


Oh, we'll NEVER see Plex Media Server available for TiVo. TiVo (probably) wouldn't allow it and Plex would have no desire to expend the resources necessary to develop and support it. Frankly, we're lucky to have a Plex client for TiVo!


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Aero 1 said:


> not true i think. its been my understanding that its the software doing the playback is what contains the Cablelabs license in order to play and record DRM'd channels. thats why Microsoft was the only platform besided Tivo to enable DRM recordings and it was able to record from Ceton, ATI, etc.
> 
> isnt that correct? if its correct, Plex would have to get a cablelabs license, not SD.


It's more complicated then that. They also have to get approval from CableLabs to store the recordings in an encrypted format and then they have to ensure that they "protect the path" all the way from the decoder to the screen.

I'm not 100% sure how MCE worked with the HDHomeRun but I believe that it had a special driver architecture that allowed external tuners to hand off the communication with the CableCARD directly to MCE's internal code. So SD wasn't actually doing any of the decryption, they were handing that off to MS completely. I believe that's why they're having so much trouble with their own DVR working with encrypted channels, because that portion of the process is complicated and expensive to get certified. The player part is a whole other issue. Once the channel is decrypted by the CableCARD and then reencrypted by the software/device's approved encryption scheme you still have to "protect the path" all the way to the screen. So at no point between the screen and the decoder is the video allowed to be decrypted. For PC applications this means that you have to go into a full screen protected mode that writes directly to the video card buffers and prevents screen scraping apps from capturing the video. There is a reason that for the last decade MS's built in MCE app has been the only one approved to record from CableCARDs. I think the only reason it's even possible for SD to consider this now is because Win10 added features that allow 3rd party apps to force a full screen protected mode that meets CableLabs requirements.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Dan203 said:


> It's more complicated then that. They also have to get approval from CableLabs to store the recordings in an encrypted format and then they have to ensure that they "protect the path" all the way from the decoder to the screen.
> 
> I'm not 100% sure how MCE worked with the HDHomeRun but I believe that it had a special driver architecture that allowed external tuners to hand off the communication with the CableCARD directly to MCE's internal code. So SD wasn't actually doing any of the decryption, they were handing that off to MS completely. I believe that's why they're having so much trouble with their own DVR working with encrypted channels, because that portion of the process is complicated and expensive to get certified. The player part is a whole other issue. Once the channel is decrypted by the CableCARD and then reencrypted by the software/device's approved encryption scheme you still have to "protect the path" all the way to the screen. So at no point between the screen and the decoder is the video allowed to be decrypted. For PC applications this means that you have to go into a full screen protected mode that writes directly to the video card buffers and prevents screen scraping apps from capturing the video. There is a reason that for the last decade MS's built in MCE app has been the only one approved to record from CableCARDs. I think the only reason it's even possible for SD to consider this now is because Win10 added features that allow 3rd party apps to force a full screen protected mode that meets CableLabs requirements.


If that's the case, you can forget Plex supporting that. It would be a monumental task to support the whole chain in all their clients. Especially with some clients like the Roku that still output through the analog hole.


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

atmuscarella said:


> Using a HD Homerun for live TV on a computer is pretty simple. The Software that comes with it is all you need for that.


I don't watch tv on a computer.

Between the built in Android Tv on my 65" 4K Sony tv, Apple TV, Fire Tv, and Xbox One, one of their apps for live tv should work


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Aero 1 said:


> If that's the case, you can forget Plex supporting that. It would be a monumental task to support the whole chain in all their clients. Especially with some clients like the Roku that still output through the analog hole.


They could use an open standard like DLNA DTCP-IP to protect the path between server and device. That would allow any device that supports DTCP-IP to play back protected recordings. However the other part, where they get approval to talk to the CableCARD, and reencrypt to disk is a lot more tricky. It's expensive and requires a long certification process. Plus I think it requires low level access to the hardware, which they won't have unless they develop some special driver framework or create the tuner themselves.


----------



## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Aero 1 said:


> you dont because plex doesnt do live tv, its only a recording engine. there is no plex dvr app and there is certainly no way to send ota channels to a tivo that are not part of your package. all recordings are done and managed server side, once recorded, they show up in your plex library and available to all plex clients. they say that they will add dvr controls to clients in the future.





Chris Gerhard said:


> I can't imagine the Plex DVR app will ever work on a TiVo. If it works well on a PC, it might be better than other PC DVRs for OTA and cable, that is about all I would expect.


The below is what I was talking about. The Plex client on TiVo reading from your server on your PC. Not the DVR server being on your TiVo. Of course that wouldn't work!



NashGuy said:


> From my understanding, if you can load the beta of Plex Media Server that includes Plex DVR on whatever machine you're using as your server, then your recordings should automatically show up in whatever versions of the Plex client app you're currently using, including the Plex app for TiVo. I wish I had a Silicon Dust tuner on hand, I'd pay $5 for a one-month Plex Pass so that I could load it up on my Mac and give it a spin. However, I don't.


 Have an HDHR Prime with a cablecard and a Plex server, maybe I'll check it out for a month.


----------



## BRiT wtfdotcom (Dec 17, 2015)

Any word on how Plex DVR handles conflicts and conflict resolution? This is where everything else that I have tried has suffered and been nearly unusable when compared to Tivo.


----------



## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

Hmmm, I have an original dual tuner HD Homerun that's now 6 years old and collecting dust. I wonder if it will work? I think I'll spring for the $5 bucks to test because Plex works fantastic on the Roku and if I could add this to record just a couple shows from CBS then everything would be on Roku for me and I could sell the Tivo Bolt I have as I just wouldn't need it. Then again, for $5 I could just sub to CBS All Access for a bit more and be done with it and get Star Trek. Hmmmmmmm.....


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

BRiT wtfdotcom said:


> Any word on how Plex DVR handles conflicts and conflict resolution? This is where everything else that I have tried has suffered and been nearly unusable when compared to Tivo.


I haven't had a single Dvr (TiVo, Comcast, directv, fios) that didn't handle conflicts the same way TiVo does.


----------



## davefred99 (Oct 31, 2004)

I think most everyone here is missing the point or purpose of this new Plex Dvr. The purpose is to collect OTA Free TV not Cable Pay TV. Most TIVO fans are looking for a better DVR solution. This is targeted after Cord Cutters, it is a direct competitor to HULU or Tablo. Cord Cutters will get there Pay TV from other OTT providers and Live TV can be had just hooking your TV up to the same antenna or from other OTT services. 

TIVO to remain relevant to Cord Cutters needs to focus on integrating better with OTT services as a Cable DVR it is just another Cable DVR alternative. This comes with substantial upfront costs and monthly fees or Lifetime subscriptions all of which Cord Cutters want to eliminate or at least cut back on as much as possible.


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

A big ick for me is the picture based "guide."


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

thyname said:


> I went ahead and bought one. I will try it for Live Tv first, see how it goes, and then if OK will explore the DVR options.


I returned the SD HDHomeRun today. Nothing wrong with it, but implementation (just for Live Tv) was terrible. I tried all the possible apps I could find on Fire, Android Tv, Xbox One, and Apple TV , and it was all crap. All kind of issues (picture freezing, very very long lag in changing channels, terrible guides, etc.)

I did not even bother for a DVR solution with it.

I also bought a TiVo Roamio OTA today (scored a good deal in a brand new one for $360, the 1tb one with TiVo service included for its life) and works great. The usual great TiVo experience.

Whoever goes for those alternatives to TiVo, either have no idea what TiVo is, or pathologically hate TiVo for some unexplained reason (the usual haterz)


----------



## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

I've had an HD HomeRun for over 6 years, got it when I first cut the cord in 2010. Never had any of the problems you describe. But then again, there aren't really any official "apps" for live TV tuning with it. The main use is software on a computer that will tune to the channels (WMC for example). So the problem you had was probably trying to use an app which don't really exist (last I researched anyway).


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

bonscott87 said:


> I've had an HD HomeRun for over 6 years, got it when I first cut the cord in 2010. Never had any of the problems you describe. But then again, there aren't really any official "apps" for live TV tuning with it. The main use is software on a computer that will tune to the channels (WMC for example). So the problem you had was probably trying to use an app which don't really exist (last I researched anyway).


I actually spend quite a bit of time with it. Did a bunch of research and inquired on their forums.

Here are my impressions on Live TV:

1 - interface on a Windows 10 is terrible. Using the SD HD native app. I could not even get picture on channels. Just blank screens. I did get voice.

2 - Xbox One app worked fine. Better interface and guide. Favorites features was good.

3 - on my Sony TV Android TV, the Google Store SD HD DVR Beta is terrible, all channels freezing most of the time. Bad guide. Useless.

4 - Same TV, I set up through main "channels" interface. Much better guide, but I experience frequent channel freezing. Not good.

5 - Best was SD HDHomeRun View app on Amazon Fire. Worked fine, and no channel freezing. Guide is bad. Very basic.

6 - InstaTV on Sony Android TV required separate purchase, which I was not willing to do.

7 - Same on Apple TV for InstaTV. Not willing to pay for it yet. Same for "Channels" on Apple TV.

8 - in all apps, terrible lagging on changing channels. Takes several seconds to do so. I am spoiled with changing channels on Bolt and TiVo in general. This is a major no no no...

Finally, I am computer savvy and use them full time for work. However, when I want to watch tv, I want to sit down with a remote, and not mess with a computer. I have enough of them during my day. Evenings are for relaxing on my comfy coach and bed....

Maybe it is just me. YMMV


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

thyname said:


> I actually spend quite a bit of time with it. Did a bunch of research and inquired on their forums.
> 
> Here are my impressions on Live TV:
> 
> ...


The consensus among Android TV users is that the native Live Channels app is the way to go with the SD tuners. People say the live TV app from SD has issues but Live Channels works well and has a nice grid-style guide. As a bonus, you can also include certain live internet video streams as "channels" in the same guide as the traditional channels from your tuner. Learn more here:

http://androidtv.news/2016/01/running-list-of-live-channel-sources/


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

NashGuy said:


> The consensus among Android TV users is that the native Live Channels app is the way to go with the SD tuners. People say the live TV app from SD has issues but Live Channels works well and has a nice grid-style guide. As a bonus, you can also include certain live internet video streams as "channels" in the same guide as the traditional channels from your tuner. Learn more here:
> 
> http://androidtv.news/2016/01/running-list-of-live-channel-sources/


I tried this. See #4 on my post, this was exactly what I meant. As I said, guide was good (although I still prefer TiVo guide, by a large margin), but I had major and frequent freezing on all channels.

Again, lag on channel changing was a big deal for me, on all apps


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

P.s I hate returning things, and really wished it worked for my OTA experiments, but I had no choice. I gave it a lot of thinking, and could not find any reason on why keeping it vs. just getting a Roamio OTA


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

thyname said:


> I tried this. See #4 on my post, this was exactly what I meant. As I said, guide was good (although I still prefer TiVo guide, by a large margin), but I had major and frequent freezing on all channels.
> 
> Again, lag on channel changing was a big deal for me, on all apps


Gotcha. I'm guessing the freezing was either due to using the Sony TV-based Android TV system (seems like I've read that SD is working on compatibility issues there) or maybe because your SD tuners or your TV were connected by wifi rather than Ethernet. At least for folks using Live Channels on the Nvidia Shield Android TV with the SD tuners and OTA, with everything connected by Ethernet, I've read good things.


----------



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

NashGuy said:


> Gotcha. I'm guessing the freezing was either due to using the Sony TV-based Android TV system (seems like I've read that SD is working on compatibility issues there) or maybe because your SD tuners or your TV were connected by wifi rather than Ethernet. At least for folks using Live Channels on the Nvidia Shield Android TV with the SD tuners and OTA, with everything connected by Ethernet, I've read good things.


My Sony android tv (65" x850c) seats next to my router, and is connected via Ethernet. I get a solid 100 Mbps at all times with Verizon FIOS.

All my devices are hard wired, either Ethernet (two gigabit switches), or MoCa 2.0.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

thyname said:


> My Sony android tv (65" x850c) seats next to my router, and is connected via Ethernet. I get a solid 100 Mbps at all times with Verizon FIOS.
> 
> All my devices are hard wired, either Ethernet (two gigabit switches), or MoCa 2.0.


Here's where I had read something relevant to your situation:
https://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=34435

Here specifically is a post from a SD employee back in April:

_Update on the Sony Android TV...

720p channels play fine.
1080i and 480i channels both fail - the HW codec in the TV seems to drop large sequences of frames.

Working on contacting Sony.
_

Don't know if this is related to what you experienced or not...


----------



## dadrepus (Jan 4, 2012)

Happy Plex owner with lifetime Plex with 3 lifetime Tivo's. So I got on the Plex forum to suggest that if one wants to record programs for "Over the air" that one buy a Tivo OTA. Not well received by most. The major complaint was the cost of Tivo. Lots of hate on that forum.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Here's a video review of the Plex DVR beta in case anyone's interested. I was impressed with the amount of options already built in, e.g. automatically replace an SD recording of a show with an HD version if it becomes available.


----------



## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

dadrepus said:


> Happy Plex owner with lifetime Plex with 3 lifetime Tivo's. So I got on the Plex forum to suggest that if one wants to record programs for "Over the air" that one buy a Tivo OTA. Not well received by most. The major complaint was the cost of Tivo. Lots of hate on that forum.


If someone wants a 4 tuner OTA DVR and thinks a 1TB Roamio OTA at $400 is too much money, I wish them luck in buying something else new that ends up being cheaper and runs anywhere near as well.

If they can live with a 2 tuner unit they maybe able to buy something that ends up costing less, but not much, unless they go used or already have a HTPC or one of the devices being talking about here that you can just add tuners too.


----------



## qz3fwd (Jul 6, 2007)

Grid EPG (lack of) really sucks. The tile view is not nearly as easy nor quick to scan to see what is on over a block of hours over all channels. if you know what you want to watch its OK, but I much prefer a grid. Maybe it is just what I am used to.

Lack of live viewing sucks. This is really a half complete project. I may give it a try but don't currently use Plex. Could be a nice addition to shield if they get it working on the NVidia.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I've owned TiVo for 16+ years. Can't remember the last time I used the guide or watched live TV. 

I wish TiVo had a KAM "last X days" option. That would fix a lot of gripes people have about limiting OnePass to one per show.


----------



## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Dan203 said:


> I've owned TiVo for 16+ years. Can't remember the last time I used the guide or watched live TV. I wish TiVo had a KAM "last X days" option. That would fix a lot of gripes people have about limiting OnePass to one per show.


You never tuned into live news during a big event??? Haven't even watched ONE sporting event live, like the Super Bowl, Olympics, etc. in 16 years?!?!?!


----------



## wizwor (Dec 18, 2013)

dadrepus said:


> Happy Plex owner with lifetime Plex with 3 lifetime Tivo's. So I got on the Plex forum to suggest that if one wants to record programs for "Over the air" that one buy a Tivo OTA. Not well received by most. The major complaint was the cost of Tivo. Lots of hate on that forum.


It's not hate -- it's love. Their love is for another product. Get over it.


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

HarperVision said:


> You never tuned into live news during a big event??? Haven't even watched ONE sporting event live, like the Super Bowl, Olympics, etc. in 16 years?!?!?!


You record, then start watching the recording at about the time where with FF you'll watch the last of the event as it actually ends. That's about as close to live as we ever get. That's not what everybody does?


----------



## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> I've owned TiVo for 16+ years. Can't remember the last time I used the guide or watched live TV.
> 
> I wish TiVo had a KAM "last X days" option. That would fix a lot of gripes people have about limiting OnePass to one per show.


No wonder why the only personal care item you ever use or buy is Brut 66. That was the last commercial you ever saw!


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

foghorn2 said:


> No wonder why the only personal care item you ever use or buy is Brut 66. That was the last commercial you ever saw!


Is Brut 66 twice as good as Brut 33?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

HarperVision said:


> You never tuned into live news during a big event??? Haven't even watched ONE sporting event live, like the Super Bowl, Olympics, etc. in 16 years?!?!?!


Maybe a live news event, but I can't remember the last one. I don't watch sports.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

foghorn2 said:


> No wonder why the only personal care item you ever use or buy is Brut 66. That was the last commercial you ever saw!


I try to avoid commercials at all cost. But I do occasionally catch one if I'm watching while doing something else or if I see something interesting fly by while I'm FFing. Although with Skip Mode that doesn't even happen much any more.


----------



## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Wil said:


> You record, then start watching the recording at about the time where with FF you'll watch the last of the event as it actually ends. That's about as close to live as we ever get. That's not what everybody does?


Yeah, I do that a lot. I just can't wait when it's my Eagles though, I have to wake up at 6am here in HI to see the pre game shows and the LIVE kickoff! 

Let the Carson Wentz era begin!!! :up:


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Wil said:


> You record, then start watching the recording at about the time where with FF you'll watch the last of the event as it actually ends. That's about as close to live as we ever get. That's not what everybody does?


For games? It depends. Usually not because my friends and family are watching a lot of the events at the same time and you can't sync everyone up. I do it more for basketball than other sports. I hate the time outs late in a college game.


----------



## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

TonyD79 said:


> For games? It depends. Usually not because my friends and family are watching a lot of the events at the same time and you can't sync everyone up. I do it more for basketball than other sports. I hate the time outs late in a college game.


Yeah that's another reason why I watch the NFL live. It seems everyone likes to text and tweet and Facebook all the big plays and the scores and it always ruins it for me, no matter if I keep telling them to not text me cuz I'm recording the game!


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Plex DVR working very well so far. Guide is pretty accurate with a few errors but thats being worked on. 

I setup a nice workflow with MCEbuddy and Comskip Donator that will pull the recording from my NAS, pull out the commercials and add chapter markings, and move it to the recommended Plex folder naming convention. All of that takes 16 minutes for a 1 hour HD episode and 6 minutes for a 30 minute SD episode.

Very good and fast tool for archiving instead of going through the Tivo KMTTG/VRD/Archivo download, decrypt, comskip, etc.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Are you finding that Comskip is accurate enough for a completely automated approach like that? Seems risky if it's actually cutting the video.


----------



## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Dan203 said:


> Are you finding that Comskip is accurate enough for a completely automated approach like that? Seems risky if it's actually cutting the video.


actually yes, its been on the money so far. a few cuts start at the end of the commercial before the video, but not cut video so far.


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

I am playing with it. It has a long way to go but it can be useful for some things.

I have signal issues for OTA but that is a different story that I have to work on but it is lacking a true guide. Just pictures of what is on now and what is coming up with no idea of when or how long the program is unless you click on it.

There appears to be no way to rescan for channels except to delete the Homerun box and readd it. Couldn't find anything anywhere (this is because of my signal issues and trying to readjust to find more channels; I wound up using the Homerun software to do that but I have more work to do).

I don't see a way to control it outside of the web interface. No options to schedule, start or stop a recording from a streaming device.

And no way to watch something until it is done.

Decent start but a very long way to go.

(The data is Gracenote, BTW.)


----------



## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

Bumping this 4 yr old thread instead of starting a new one... Question about all the Client Plex Players on the rokus, fire sticks, etc.... will they be able to view the recordings? If yes, I might explore this. No need for tivo minis and stuff in all your rooms.


----------



## smark (Nov 20, 2002)

siratfus said:


> Bumping this 4 yr old thread instead of starting a new one... Question about all the Client Plex Players on the rokus, fire sticks, etc.... will they be able to view the recordings? If yes, I might explore this. No need for tivo minis and stuff in all your rooms.


yes. They can watch Plex content on all of them and live tv as well if you have OTA.


----------



## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

smark said:


> yes. They can watch Plex content on all of them and live tv as well if you have OTA.


These tuners can take Fios or Spectrum cablecards? It's not just for OTA, right? What brand is the most reliable right now, HDHomerun?


----------



## smark (Nov 20, 2002)

siratfus said:


> These tuners can take Fios or Spectrum cablecards? It's not just for OTA, right? What brand is the most reliable right now, HDHomerun?


HDHomerun would be the best supported - Supported DVR Tuners and Antennas | Plex Support. You'd need an HDHomerun Prime I believe. Not sure you can record and watch though due to DRM that it's only in Windows.


----------



## siratfus (Oct 3, 2008)

smark said:


> HDHomerun would be the best supported - Supported DVR Tuners and Antennas | Plex Support. You'd need an HDHomerun Prime I believe. Not sure you can record and watch though due to DRM that it's only in Windows.


Really? Okay, never mind. Setting up Tivo was a PITA initially, all these error codes. I can imagine all the obstacles I'll be running into setting up a tuner with my PC. I'm using Windows. People running windows have issues recording?


----------



## wizwor (Dec 18, 2013)

HarperVision said:


> Yeah that's another reason why I watch the NFL live. It seems everyone likes to text and tweet and Facebook all the big plays and the scores and it always ruins it for me, no matter if I keep telling them to not text me cuz I'm recording the game!


You cannot figure out how to not let these things ruin the game for you? Good luck with operating a remote control.


----------

