Posts: 11
Joined: Jun 2014
Reputation:
0
We have decided to give up satellite tv and pvr and need your advice. Our need is to be able to record live tv once a day using an Astc Tv card or attachment and play it back once a day with the same appliance like reliability we have enjoyed for the last 10 years from our proprietary satellite tv supplier. While we are computer savvy we don't want a system that will require us to invest time fixing things just to keep it running for this purpose.
We have zero preconceived notions about os's, devices and software. All we desire is rock solid reliability day in day out with no need for support. We don't even require system updates after install as these are perceived to break working pc or box based systems. We are even ok with not connecting the internet if so recommended to eliminate all the headaches associated with trying to make one gizmo do too many things.
Which of the many kodi versions should we use (os agnostic), which of the many pvr options should be used and which Astc tv device to enjoy rock solid support free recording and playback of USA based broadcast tv? The slate is literally blank and so is the cheque. If there is no such solution combo in the kodi world that would be nice to know too as I guess the only alternative would be to stick with satellite or cable a little longer.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Ed.
Posts: 11
Joined: Jun 2014
Reputation:
0
Hmm so its been a week and there is no input?
Does this imply that it is unreasonable for a newbie to think that once setup there can be any combination of Kodi and PVR that can work day in day out without hours of ongoing tech support?
Posts: 3,641
Joined: Jan 2011
Reputation:
57
bry
Team-Kodi Member
Posts: 3,641
Missed this. Yes. Librelec and an hdhomerun connect or extend will do this for you just fine.
Sent from my XT1254
first_time_user (wiki) |
free content (wiki) |
forum rules (wiki) |
PVR (wiki) |
Debug Log (wiki)
IMPORTANT:
The official Kodi version does not contain any content what so ever. This means that you should provide your own content from a local or remote storage location, DVD, Blu-Ray or any other media carrier that you own. Additionally Kodi allows you to install third-party plugins that may provide access to content that is freely available on the official content provider website. The watching or listening of illegal or pirated content which would otherwise need to be paid for is not endorsed or approved by Team Kodi.
Posts: 806
Joined: Nov 2015
Reputation:
33
If you want something truly appliance-like, your best bet is a Tablo or TiVo. Tablo does not include a harddrive, but they do have a Kodi video add-on to access your content from other devices that mimics the Tablo interface. TiVo includes a harddrive, but you need a special device from TiVo to access your main device's content on remote clients.
The other real difference between the two comes from subscriptions/pricing. The Tablo does not require a subscription ($5/mo; $50/yr), but with one you get 2 weeks of guide data instead of only 24 hours, as well as series recording options. TiVo on the other hand requires a subscription, which is $15/mo.
If you want an appliance-like experience, then I recommend an appliance device. And while you may not want to deal with system updates, it is foolish to not do so. Appliances, such as the Tablo, TiVo, and even STBs from your cable/satellite provider, all receive system/OS updates; they just tend to happen in the background automatically without user intervention. Maintaining a patched and up-to-date system is very important for the safety and security of your network.
Posts: 11
Joined: Jun 2014
Reputation:
0
2016-08-27, 16:34
(This post was last modified: 2016-08-27, 19:28 by eastavin.)
Thank you for the ideas. Very helpful. I like the Sage TV suggestion. 10 years successful use of software is a good track record. I will also have a look at librelec
I have tried Linux and android boxes with Ota and pvr included from big box stores but so far none have the bug free experience one used to enjoy with yesterday's vcr. Not bad but not bug free. A short coming of most I have tried is the Ota epg is used to setup your recording.... good... but on playback the show is represented by a time and date code rather than by the name of the show. A fail from a design point of view. Android boxes loose all your recording timers when the power fails.
A few years ago I bought the Epvision Phd-vrx appliance which turned out to be the single biggest waste of money in my career of buying electronics due to the buggiest firmware I have ever experienced (even with all updates applied). So this makes me a tad leery of other devices with proprietary firmware.
Appliance like reliability to me means with the same reliability as your cook stove but not necessarily packaged as such.
The acceptance test I like is quite simple.. can my wife setup a recording of a TV show without calling me, does it record reliably and can she play it back without daily support issues?
If anyone has any further ideas they would be appreciated.
Posts: 3,735
Joined: Dec 2010
Reputation:
53
negge
yo guysv7may bd latr tomorroe
Posts: 3,735
You could also take a look at the Wetek Play and Wetek Play 2, they come with an option to use an ATSC tuner. Combined with tvheadend as a TV backend the whole setup is usually quite solid, I have many completely non-technical friends using it without problems.
Posts: 293
Joined: May 2015
Reputation:
10
NextPVR has a Kodi add-on that will let you connect to nextPVR running on your PC. I've done this using a Raspberry Pi running Kodi which connects to my back end PC that is running nextPVR.