All DVR platforms using HDHR require a PC or NAS for storage. The HDHR is just a DLNA network attached tuner
Winding down with Dish
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All DVR platforms using HDHR require a PC or NAS for storage. The HDHR is just a DLNA network attached tuner
Right now I'm running mine on a single drive MyCloud device. I'm planning to build a 4TB dedicated Synology NAS setup for it soon though. I'm going to have two antennas and two Quatros- one for each market I can receive.
I have to decide if I really want to plunk down $350 for a Tivo
Please keep us updated. I am very interested in the choices you make and the reasons why. I had a Tivo previously, but I really felt like Rovi was doing a number on the company, and the repack makes reception at my house pretty challenging. It didn't really seem like it was worth the money or hassle (when my wife had issues with missed recordings, etc.) any more. Dish has been better, but I am concerned channels will start disappearing from the service in the long term.
For what it is worth I'll give you my take. I've got two TiVo Roamios- one with Cable Card and one OTA model (but it also has a Cable Card bracket in it I moved from another Roamio). I love the unit with the Cable Card in it and use it to record all the time. I use the cable card TiVo to record/archive movies on my network hard drives for playback. It works fantastic and I love it. I've managed to find ways to continue getting deals out of Charter over the years so I keep them around because it actually saves money on my internet. I use pyTiVo to transfer the recordings to my hard drive from the TiVo directly and archive on HD or burn to Blu-Ray.
The OTA model is identical feature wise, BUT things changed after the Rovi purchase. The guide data is nowhere near as up to date and diverse as it used to be. With the old guide I could basically go into channels and pick any station within 100+ miles of us and instantly have guide data. Since the changeover guide changes/corrections are really slow- especially now with the repack going on. It can take multiple people reporting things for MONTHS to get it corrected. Without the correct guide data you are SOL. It use to be you could seek out an executive on the TiVo Community forums, send them a PM and poof it was fixed. Unfortunately all of those have left the company and that isn't really an option. You're stuck with begging their normal customer service reps.
Last summer I bought the HDHomeRun Quatro and really like it as a viewing/streaming device. I've got mostly LG TVs in the house which recognize it and can stream from it directly. The tuners seem to be much more sensitive and better in my experience than those in the TiVo OTA model. HDHomeRun's app isn't very good and their DVR stinks but since I discovered Channels DVR I couldn't be happier. It is everything HDHomeRun's isn't. You can choose your channels, create "advanced" passes that let you record specific seasons or even episode #'s of a show, or individual sports teams. It even detects commercials and they're beta testing a feature now that even skips commercials when you play back on an Apple TV. If you do run across a guide issue with the HDHomeRun devices you can post a message on the support forums and it usually is fixed by SiliconDust within a few hours. Channels relies on their data for the most part. The only issue I had was it didn't initially give me guide information for a neighboring CBS station. I simply added a second zip code in channels though and it gave me a list of every station from that market. I could "pick" the station that matched and it now recognizes/updates the guide data for it. I'm running Channels off one of the newer single hard drive WD MyCloud drives right now but as I said before plan to make it a dedicated NAS in a few weeks.
My personal belief is that TiVo is a great platform for CableCards, but doesn't pass the mustard anymore for OTA due to their issues in keeping guide data updated. Right now I'm planning on switching exclusively to Channels for OTA recordings and adding a second Cable Card to my other TiVo so I have 8 tuners available for Cable.
EDIT: I should add that I did look at Tablo in detail before I went with the HDHomeRun devices. Their devices were impressive, but the thing I didn't like was the transcoding of EVERYTHING based on the settings you choose. I'm a purist and I do archive stuff both on hard drive and on disc. The TiVo and HDHomeRun devices both let me capture the direct stream being sent down either OTA or via Cable and archive it directly as is. I think I read earlier in the week they're now charging a fee for guide data service per box instead of per user which puts them more on par with TiVo.
The OTA model is identical feature wise, BUT things changed after the Rovi purchase. The guide data is nowhere near as up to date and diverse as it used to be. With the old guide I could basically go into channels and pick any station within 100+ miles of us and instantly have guide data. Since the changeover guide changes/corrections are really slow- especially now with the repack going on. It can take multiple people reporting things for MONTHS to get it corrected. Without the correct guide data you are SOL. It use to be you could seek out an executive on the TiVo Community forums, send them a PM and poof it was fixed. Unfortunately all of those have left the company and that isn't really an option. You're stuck with begging their normal customer service reps.
Last summer I bought the HDHomeRun Quatro and really like it as a viewing/streaming device. I've got mostly LG TVs in the house which recognize it and can stream from it directly. The tuners seem to be much more sensitive and better in my experience than those in the TiVo OTA model. HDHomeRun's app isn't very good and their DVR stinks but since I discovered Channels DVR I couldn't be happier. It is everything HDHomeRun's isn't. You can choose your channels, create "advanced" passes that let you record specific seasons or even episode #'s of a show, or individual sports teams. It even detects commercials and they're beta testing a feature now that even skips commercials when you play back on an Apple TV. If you do run across a guide issue with the HDHomeRun devices you can post a message on the support forums and it usually is fixed by SiliconDust within a few hours. Channels relies on their data for the most part. The only issue I had was it didn't initially give me guide information for a neighboring CBS station. I simply added a second zip code in channels though and it gave me a list of every station from that market. I could "pick" the station that matched and it now recognizes/updates the guide data for it. I'm running Channels off one of the newer single hard drive WD MyCloud drives right now but as I said before plan to make it a dedicated NAS in a few weeks.
My personal belief is that TiVo is a great platform for CableCards, but doesn't pass the mustard anymore for OTA due to their issues in keeping guide data updated. Right now I'm planning on switching exclusively to Channels for OTA recordings and adding a second Cable Card to my other TiVo so I have 8 tuners available for Cable.
EDIT: I should add that I did look at Tablo in detail before I went with the HDHomeRun devices. Their devices were impressive, but the thing I didn't like was the transcoding of EVERYTHING based on the settings you choose. I'm a purist and I do archive stuff both on hard drive and on disc. The TiVo and HDHomeRun devices both let me capture the direct stream being sent down either OTA or via Cable and archive it directly as is. I think I read earlier in the week they're now charging a fee for guide data service per box instead of per user which puts them more on par with TiVo.
Last night I experimented with Plex and "Channels DVR." Plex had issues mapping guide data for several channels. "Channels DVR" was difficult to configure and I never could get it to play a live stream. Thankfully, both of these services came with one-month free trials, so I'm not out any money.
Now I'm going old school for one last attempt at this. I wiped the HDD on my test PC and installed Windows 7 Pro. Have a few missing drivers to install tonight when I get home from work, then I'm going to see how WMC performs with the Quatro.
If that fails, I'm going to get a Tablo and experiment with that.
It's too bad nobody has capitalized on the current resurgence of OTA viewers by making a user-friendly STB/DVR that actually has all the features of traditional services like Dish and Direct. Every one of these half-baked OTA devices has something major missing. I want to see a comprehensive, user-friendly, full feature STB with a reasonable monthly fee that doesn't also butcher the video through heavy transcoding. If the AirTV wouldn't delete my timers every day, and if it had the ability to search the OTA program guide, it would be a winner.
Surely this can't be too difficult; you need a tuner, a program guide provider, an on-screen GUI, and a way to power an EHD. Why hasn't anybody done this?
Now I'm going old school for one last attempt at this. I wiped the HDD on my test PC and installed Windows 7 Pro. Have a few missing drivers to install tonight when I get home from work, then I'm going to see how WMC performs with the Quatro.
If that fails, I'm going to get a Tablo and experiment with that.
It's too bad nobody has capitalized on the current resurgence of OTA viewers by making a user-friendly STB/DVR that actually has all the features of traditional services like Dish and Direct. Every one of these half-baked OTA devices has something major missing. I want to see a comprehensive, user-friendly, full feature STB with a reasonable monthly fee that doesn't also butcher the video through heavy transcoding. If the AirTV wouldn't delete my timers every day, and if it had the ability to search the OTA program guide, it would be a winner.
Surely this can't be too difficult; you need a tuner, a program guide provider, an on-screen GUI, and a way to power an EHD. Why hasn't anybody done this?
Nothing is perfect apparently. Sorry if I missed it, but is Tivo not an option you'd consider, and, if so, why?
High cost to entry. $350 for a manufacturer refurbished Roamio with Lifetime Service. If I wanted to pay that much, plus $15 per month for guide data, I would have kept Dish.
So, if it has lifetime service, you don't pay monthly for the guide data. Not saying Tivo is the answer, but I was curious, and Tivo did seem to fit what you were asking for, at least in theory.
That one you showed me has LIFETIME service, and it's from a licensed resaler. So, you do not pay for any monthly fee.
I've also not had any issues with guide changes, ever since Rovi's first couple months when they first bought out Tivo. Once they integrated their guide in place of Tivo's guide and got the bugs worked out, all has been well.
From what I've been reading about Tablo, a "lifetime subscription" is tied to the customer, not the device. So once you've purchased a lifetime sub, it can be transferred to a future device. That's a big improvement over Tivo, which from my understanding the lifetime sub is tied to the receiver. So if it dies, you're screwed.
The up-front costs are an issue for me too. I have been considering my options once my Dish contract is up. One of the things I was looking at was the Amazon Fire Recast + Sling w/DVR. This would save me around $30/month vs. Dish. It would take around 18 months to recoup my investment in hardware, which is better than Tivo, but not a whole lot better. With Amazon, I can also spread out my up-front costs a bit with their 5-payment plan on the Recast. Still, there are potentially significant downsides to going that way, and I am sure I cannot anticipate all of them.
If AirTV can fix the DVR issues, I would recommend their "black box" device for you, as it incorporates Sling beautifully into the guide. Also, it has guide data for ALL subchannels! That's why I'm keeping my AirTV box; I'm crossing my fingers that they'll resolve the recording issues. If they do, it will be the best thing going.
History with my Roamio OTA tells me I need more than 2 tuners. Otherwise, yes.
Tablo has changed their subscription model in the last month, I'm not really sure how but I do know that you need a subscription for each device now but I think you can transfer to a replacement device. Something to do with the use model. Their website has a good description.
Dear Dish, if you're listening, I just want to say that I never would have broken up with you if you had the guide data (and CORRECT guide data) for all my OTA channels. I kinda miss you, but not enough to take you back
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Maybe this new one that's not released as of yet will work for you? Not sure if it transcodes, so you'll have to check.
Tablo's New Quad DVR Receives FCC Approval - Cord Cutters News
Tablo's New Quad DVR Receives FCC Approval - Cord Cutters News
Bought the Tablo- Dual Lite unit this afternoon. Will test it out tonight and post results 
Good luck, as you can tell by my responses, I really like mine. The biggest irritation for me is the ........pause.....for buffering when tuning in a live channel.Bought the Tablo- Dual Lite unit this afternoon. Will test it out tonight and post results
