For a certain type of cord cutter, the demise of Windows Media Center has been rough. Microsoft’s media software provided an easy way to record free broadcast TV from an antenna to a PC, creating files that could be streamed to other devices with server software such as. Now that Windows Media Center is retired, Plex has stepped up with its own over-the-air DVR solution. With a Plex Pass subscription and SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun networked TV tuner, Plex users can record free broadcast channels through an antenna, and then stream those recordings to the Plex client app on practically any other device, both at home and on the road.
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But while Plex’s DVR software is powerful, with lots of granular settings for managing your recordings, it’s not for everyone. Setup can be a hassle, and the lack of built-in support for live and time-shifted TV will be a dealbreaker for some. Bill of materials Mentioned in this article. On SiliconDust To record over-the-air channels with Plex, you need an antenna hooked up to a SiliconDust HDHomeRun tuner, which connects to your home network router over ethernet. The basic Connect model costs $100, while the $180 HDHomeRun Extend has built-in, hardware-based h.264 transcoding, which consumes less bandwidth and storage for recordings. For cable subscribers, the $120 HDHomeRun Prime supports CableCARD input, but some channels—such as HBO—have extra encryption to prevent recording. SiliconDust SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun Extend ($180) feeds live broadcast TV into Plex’s DVR software.
You also need a PC, or Nvidia Shield TV ($200) to run Plex’s Media Server software. And to store recordings, you’ll need plenty of hard drive space. If your PC doesn’t have ample space built-in, or your don’t opt for the $300 Nvidia Shield TV Pro, expect to spend at least $50 for an external USB drive. All told, the hardware will cost at least $350 if you’re using a Shield, and more for PC-based setups, and that’s before you add the Plex Pass subscription at $5 per month, $40 per year, or $150 for lifetime service. Obviously this solution makes the most financial sense if you already own a PC, NAS box, or Shield, or you were planning to get one for other reasons. Setting it up Mentioned in this article. On Plex The major caveat with HDHomeRun is that it requires a wired ethernet connection to your router.
While this connection allows the tuner to preserve picture quality, it also means your router must have access to solid antenna reception, whether it’s from a nearby indoor antenna or a rooftop antenna wired through the house. Once the tuner is running, you can set up DVR through Plex’s web client, which is accessible from any computer or mobile device. This part is easy: Plex automatically finds your tuner, detects the zip code, and begins pulling in local TV guide data. After setup, you’ll see “Program Guide” and “Recording Schedule” options in the sidebar menu on Plex’s web client, and these menus are where Plex really shines. You can browse through currently-airing and upcoming programs, drill down into TV shows and movies by genre, sort by name or air date, and search for shows by name. TechHive / Jared Newman Plex’s program guide gives you plenty of potential DVR fodder.
Plex also offers plenty of options to manage recordings, letting you record entire TV series, new airings only, or individual episodes. There’s an option to record only from a specific channel, and an option to replace recordings with higher-resolution versions when possible. Every recording can be programmed with start and stop buffer times, and you can auto-delete recordings after a certain number of new episodes become available.
(That last option’s crucial for late-night TV and the news.) TechHive / Jared Newman Granularity is Plex DVR’s strong suit. Anywhere you are, not any way you want It’s only when you sit down to watch that things start to get confusing. For recorded TV, you must use Plex’s client apps, which are available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web browsers, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox consoles, PlayStation consoles, and even some smart TV platforms.
You don’t need to be inside the house either, as Plex supports remote access to your server. Recordings funnel into the same system Plex already uses for other video sources, such as ripped DVDs and downloads. The Plex app has separate sections for TV Shows and Movies, and automatically pulls in thumbnail artwork and descriptions. Plex also remembers what you’ve watched, so you can quickly pick up where you left off. It’s a pretty slick system. Jared Newman / IDG Recordings appear within the existing TV and movie sections in Plex’s client apps. But for live TV, you must use a completely separate set of apps, because Plex doesn’t support live viewing on its own.
On Windows, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, and Xbox One, you can use HDHomeRun’s own apps, but those don’t support time-shifting for live broadcasts. Apple TV and iOS users can download the third-party Channels app, which does support time-shifting, but these apps cost $15 extra. PC users can also install third-party Plex plug-ins for live and time-shifted TV—with the added benefit of Roku support—but these are cumbersome to navigate and have longer channel load times than HDHomeRun’s native apps. SiliconDust The official HDHomeRun apps for live TV only run on Windows, Android, Android TV, and Xbox One. And no matter what solution you go with, you won’t be able to start a recording and watch while the program is still in progress.
Unless Plex adds its own live and time-shifted TV support, the whole situation is going to be a mess for the average consumer. The saving graces here are HDHomeRun’s excellent picture quality, Plex’s powerful recording options, and the overall quality and ubiquity of Plex’s client apps. But the issues with platform support, the lack of time-shifting, and the overall rigamarole of setting everything up makes this more of a power-user solution than a mainstream one.
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Psd menu templates encore tv. I will be putting together a new Media PC in the upcoming months. My current Media PC ( with 2 flaky USB connections) runs Windows 7 and uses ServerWMC as the PVR through one of Silicon Dust's older HDHomeRun dual tuners. I have worked as a software developer for Windows programs for 20+ years.
I like the idea of going to a completely new OS like Ubuntu or PI. Every time I attempt that route, I go from someone who knows a LOT about computers to someone who cannot even get a text editor open. That is to say, I think I am stuck with Windows. For the new PC, I will likely go with the (it has more USB ports, faster CPU, and better graphics). For the operating system, I would like to hold out for a release version of Windows 10. I know Win 7 to Win 8 users get the option for a free upgrade, but I would rather update and reconfigure the Media PC as little as possible. The next Media PC will likely be in use for 5+ years (if all goes well) and I am seeing a lot of reports that Microsoft is ending Windows Media Center - so the channel listing would be worthless with ServerWMC.
NextPVR or MediaPortal appear to be the only options, but I do not know the Pros and Cons of each - or other good options that are available for MediaBrowser. I would like to hear recommendations on which Live TV app I should pick. Tips on how to get the apps configured are also welcome.
Which is better on Windows? Which is better with HDHomeRun? It has a few moving parts but here's how I've been getting live TV to my living room. I currently have an ATSC antenna hooked to a HDHomeRun. The HDHomeRun is configured within NextPVR on my media PC running Windows 8.1.
The windows PC is running Emby with the NextPVR plugin. I have a roku3 with Emby channel in the living room streaming live TV. After some initial buffering it works well.
Besides NextPVR I also used Windows Media Center with ServerMCE with the same setup. Windows MCE is by far the easiest to setup. The biggest reason I moved to NextPVR was the flexibility to edit the guide data for my channels as my zip code is in between a couple major cities and I pickup channels from both. Windows MCE didn't have guide data for some of my channels and there wasn't an easy way to fix it. NextPVR has an option to select metadata from an XML file per channel.
Hdhomerun Dual Software
Very flexible. Plus like you mention the writing is on the wall with Win MCE and I wanted to check out other options. Still have Windows MCE installed on system though just in case I need to fall back on it. I also tried to install Media Portal but found for me had a fairly steep learning curve to set it up. NextPVR was more intuitive for me. It's also important to note that almost all 'free' EPG information comes from the Windows Media Services API. So lack of guide data from Microsoft would also probably mean having to purchase a service for guide data.
You don't mention what clients you'll want to use? Facebook hacker software free download. I've been eyeing the newest HDHomeRun 'Extend' which has built-in h.264 encoding. This enables applications be installed on endpoint clients that will directly connect to the HDHomeRun stream eliminating the whole media PC for live streaming.
Dvr Software For Hdhomerun
Will the HDHomerun Kodi app record Live TV for later viewing? That may be what you are saying NextPVR and Emby are for. I looked into NextPVR once, but I have no knowledge of Emby. The Kodi app will not record or act as a PVR, only live tv playback. You're correct, I am saying that is what Nextpvr is for. Sorry, when I said Emby, that may have confused you because Emby is the new name for Media Browser. Emby, by itself does not record tv, it will just stream live tv via the Nextpvr plug in to other devices or your already recorded tv shows.
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