Cutting the cord

[Northwestcoug]

Update on Youtube TV; it's way better than Sling. After the first 2 days of the free trial, I cancelled Sling. It's just better and easier to use. Using the DVR to watch the game was seamless. It's a little cumbersome to use with an Apple TV remote, but the remote on our newer LG TV works great.

[Moliere]

One less than before!

Bedroom: 1
Family room: 2

[Jeff Lebowski]

We have a few Apple TV's that we connect to our wifi with hulu and netflix and I have HFN's dirty channel passwords for the tv in my home office. It works great and took about five minutes to set up, though I'm sure I could have gone with something way more complex with minimal benefit.

Dude, you set up netflix? Way to go!

[old_gregg]

Update on Youtube TV; it's way better than Sling. After the first 2 days of the free trial, I cancelled Sling. It's just better and easier to use. Using the DVR to watch the game was seamless. It's a little cumbersome to use with an Apple TV remote, but the remote on our newer LG TV works great.

agreed. it’s great.

[BigPiney]

Update on Youtube TV; it's way better than Sling. After the first 2 days of the free trial, I cancelled Sling. It's just better and easier to use. Using the DVR to watch the game was seamless. It's a little cumbersome to use with an Apple TV remote, but the remote on our newer LG TV works great.

nice

[BlueK]

Update on Youtube TV; it's way better than Sling. After the first 2 days of the free trial, I cancelled Sling. It's just better and easier to use. Using the DVR to watch the game was seamless. It's a little cumbersome to use with an Apple TV remote, but the remote on our newer LG TV works great.

Still weird how it's the only major streaming service that doesn't work with Amazon Fire TV. I'd be willing to try it otherwise. Playstation Vue isn't perfect but it usually gets the job done for us. Sometimes, especially at night the stream can pause a lot. I'm not sure what that is. If it's my internet, other services I have don't seem affected, so that doesn't seem to be the reason.

[falafel]

Still weird how it's the only major streaming service that doesn't work with Amazon Fire TV. I'd be willing to try it otherwise. Playstation Vue isn't perfect but it gets the job done for us.

It's due to a long-running feud between Google and Amazon. It's the last piece to missing from my streaming experience perfect.

[Northwestcoug]

Still weird how it's the only major streaming service that doesn't work with Amazon Fire TV. I'd be willing to try it otherwise. Playstation Vue isn't perfect but it usually gets the job done for us. Sometimes, especially at night the stream can pause a lot. I'm not sure what that is. If it's my internet, other services I have don't seem affected, so that doesn't seem to be the reason.

I don't do Fire. I tried Playstation Vue for a month, but it wasn't appreciably better than Sling IMO. What I really like about YouTube TV is that it includes the local broadcast stations. I don't need to switch over to my antenna anymore.

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK, I got my dig ant and tuner set up. Went into Plex and set up the live tv and dvr function. The whole process was trivial and it works beautifully. When you change a channel it takes a few seconds for the channel to start streaming, but haven't had any issues with buffering or pixelation yet. I have a great signal for BYUTV and that is the only one I really care about, so this should work.

The Samsung TV plex app kind of sucks, but it works well enough. I have an Apple TV in the other room with my not-so-smart LG TV and the Plex app there is awesome.

Turned on Youtube TV again. Works great.

A couple of little issues to work out and I will be cutting that cord.

Recap: I installed a 2-tuner HDHomeRun device that attaches to a digital antenna and to an ethernet jack. It distributes the digital OTA channels over your home network. Plex connects to this to provide DVR functionality and to add a nice interface to the channel list.

Last night I noticed that my Samsung TVs automatically detect the HDHomeRun device over the network. If I click on that source it pops up a list of channels. So if all I want to do it watch live TV, I don't even need to use the Plex app. Picture quality is great. Very nice.

[Uncle Ted]

Recap: I installed a 2-tuner HDHomeRun device that attaches to a digital antenna and to an ethernet jack. It distributes the digital OTA channels over your home network. Plex connects to this to provide DVR functionality and to add a nice interface to the channel list.

Last night I noticed that my Samsung TVs automatically detect the HDHomeRun device over the network. If I click on that source it pops up a list of channels. So if all I want to do it watch live TV, I don't even need to use the Plex app. Picture quality is great. Very nice.

Hmm... that is nice. Is that some kind of app in the Samsung smart tv? Couldn't you just split antenna wire and run the antenna signal into the HD tuner of the Samsung TV as well?

I suspect there would be a load on the HDHomeRun, not to mention your network, if it was feeding both the Plex server and the TV (e.g., if you were recording BYU TV and watching another stream on the TV). If you had coax splitter and feed the signal to your TVs then HDHomeRun would only be feeding one stream on your network, just to the plex server.

BTW, I assume that your plex server transcodes MPEG2 [video encoding of HDTV] to MPEG4 when you are DVR'ing something. How's the load on your Mac Mini when it does this?

[Uncle Ted]

I don't do Fire. I tried Playstation Vue for a month, but it wasn't appreciably better than Sling IMO. What I really like about YouTube TV is that it includes the local broadcast stations. I don't need to switch over to my antenna anymore.

The last time I looked YouTube TV didn't have the NFL network... this could be a deal breaker for me. I like NFL RedZone when I am not watching the Cowboys.

[Uncle Ted]

Still weird how it's the only major streaming service that doesn't work with Amazon Fire TV. I'd be willing to try it otherwise. Playstation Vue isn't perfect but it usually gets the job done for us. Sometimes, especially at night the stream can pause a lot. I'm not sure what that is. If it's my internet, other services I have don't seem affected, so that doesn't seem to be the reason.

Google doesn't like to play fair with others... but you can load 3rd party apps to get the job done: e.g., http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-watch...fire-tv-stick/

[Flystripper]

I don't do Fire. I tried Playstation Vue for a month, but it wasn't appreciably better than Sling IMO. What I really like about YouTube TV is that it includes the local broadcast stations. I don't need to switch over to my antenna anymore.

so does Vue. At least for my area it does.

[Flystripper]

Still weird how it's the only major streaming service that doesn't work with Amazon Fire TV. I'd be willing to try it otherwise. Playstation Vue isn't perfect but it usually gets the job done for us. Sometimes, especially at night the stream can pause a lot. I'm not sure what that is. If it's my internet, other services I have don't seem affected, so that doesn't seem to be the reason.

I have found that this pausing is a fire TV issue for me. If the family has been bouncing around between netflix, hulu, youtube, hbo and prime the PSvue app on the fire TV will start to pause stutter. If I reboot the fire TV which takes about 30 second it solves the issue. I have not had this issue with the apple TV (upstairs bedroom) or the PS4 which is in the other family room.

[Northwestcoug]

The last time I looked YouTube TV didn't have the NFL network... this could be a deal breaker for me. I like NFL RedZone when I am not watching the Cowboys.

It still doesn’t have it.

so does Vue. At least for my area it does.

It might have had one local station when I tried it out a few months ago. But not all the major ones. I guess it might have changed by now.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Cancelled cable today. Taking the set top boxes in.

This feels quite liberating considering how much I hate satellite/cable companies. Adios, suckers.

[Bo Diddley]

Cancelled cable today. Taking the set top boxes in.

This feels quite liberating considering how much I hate satellite/cable companies. Adios, suckers.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Hmm... that is nice. Is that some kind of app in the Samsung smart tv? Couldn't you just split antenna wire and run the antenna signal into the HD tuner of the Samsung TV as well?

It didn't show up in the list of apps, but in the list of input sources.

No need to split the signal. The whole point of the HDHomeRun device is that it broadcasts your TV signal over your home network. That is how it is captured by Plex.

I suspect there would be a load on the HDHomeRun, not to mention your network, if it was feeding both the Plex server and the TV (e.g., if you were recording BYU TV and watching another stream on the TV). If you had coax splitter and feed the signal to your TVs then HDHomeRun would only be feeding one stream on your network, just to the plex server.

BTW, I assume that your plex server transcodes MPEG2 [video encoding of HDTV] to MPEG4 when you are DVR'ing something. How's the load on your Mac Mini when it does this?

Can't detect any problems yet.

I really like this set up. I just pulled up plex on a web browser at work and with a few clicks set the Plex DVR to record all future BYU sporting events on BYUTV. I can also stream signals from my home server to here. Pretty slick.

[Uncle Ted]

It didn't show up in the list of apps, but in the list of input sources.

No need to split the signal. The whole point of the HDHomeRun device is that it broadcasts your TV signal over your home network. That is how it is captured by Plex.

Wow... well integrated. Nice.

Can't detect any problems yet.

I really like this set up. I just pulled up plex on a web browser at work and with a few clicks set the Plex DVR to record all future BYU sporting events on BYUTV. I can also stream signals from my home server to here. Pretty slick.

I assume you can also download recordings to your device for offline viewing. I love that feature about plex when I am going to be jumping on a plane or something.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Starting to have some issues with my Plex system. The Samsung app is super buggy. Constantly hangs. Also, the DVR doesn't record all the stuff it is scheduled to record.

While I tinker with it, I have ordered a Tablo. Going to try both systems and return one of them.

[Pelado]

Starting to have some issues with my Plex system. The Samsung app is super buggy. Constantly hangs. Also, the DVR doesn't record all the stuff it is scheduled to record.

While I tinker with it, I have ordered a Tablo. Going to try both systems and return one of them.

Did you order the 2-tuner or the 4-tuner model? Right now you can get the 4-tuner model with free program guide for the first year.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Did you order the 2-tuner or the 4-tuner model? Right now you can get the 4-tuner model with free program guide for the first year.

Dual 64. I don't see myself every recording more than one thing at a time. I have YoutubeTV for most of the channels I want.

[BigFatMeanie]

I've had zero problems with my Tablo. It just works.

4 tuners!