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TiVo Alternatives?

98K views 1K replies 105 participants last post by  Pokemon_Dad 
#1 ·
I've been a TiVo user since the Series 1 some 18 (!) years ago. The whole point was to time-shift and skip commercials. We've had our ups and downs, but our Bolt (lifetime sub) + 3 Minis are working fine. The minis are too slow and buggy to be used for Youtube/Hulu/Netflix so we also have Roku sticks on 2 of the TVs.

If TiVo is going to start pre-roll ads the whole kit is going on E-bay and I'll need an alternative. 3-4 OTA (ATSC) tuners, 1TB DVR, view-able from an iPad and several Rokus.

Is HDHomeRun my best bet here? Most of our TV is watched pre-recorded, though I do like to start watching football games halfway in to skip all the commercials and the between-play waiting.

Auto-skip would be great, but not a deal breaker - a (responsive) 30 second skip, and 7-second back has worked fine for the last 18 years. I don't care about suggestions - just something with a reliable tuner that will record our shows and play them back ad-free.

Anything else I should consider?
 
#330 ·
...
If TiVo is going to start pre-roll ads the whole kit is going on E-bay and I'll need an alternative. 3-4 OTA (ATSC) tuners, 1TB DVR, view-able from an iPad and several Rokus.

Is HDHomeRun my best bet here? Most of our TV is watched pre-recorded, though I do like to start watching football games halfway in to skip all the commercials and the between-play waiting.

Auto-skip would be great, but not a deal breaker - a (responsive) 30 second skip, and 7-second back has worked fine for the last 18 years. I don't care about suggestions - just something with a reliable tuner that will record our shows and play them back ad-free.

Anything else I should consider?
For a more traditional delivery of TV content, nothing compare to TiVo for ease-of-use and versatility (I have maybe 30TB of content I can stream through the TiVos via Streambaby), but I've been using a couple other solutions for several years now to keep up with alternatives.

For a PC-based approach, the pinnacle for me has been Windows Media Center, but the benefit of that has declined significantly since Microsoft was leveraged - I assume - into dropping future support for it. Since I already had the HDHomeRun Prime (CableCARD with 3 tuners) and an HDHomeRun Connect Quatro (OTA with 4 tuners), I'm signed up for the HDHomeRun DVR application, but I've also been using Channels DVR for a year-and-a-half and it is far superior to the Silicon Dust DVR offering.

Primarily for ease-of-deployment for all users of the household, the TiVos are still going strong for my family, but it seems like the sunset for that is approaching as more and more streaming alternatives are embraced.
 
#331 ·
I guess I just have to disagree. I've used the X1 for an extended time and it's just as easy to use as anything else. If you chose not to use the voice functions then it might be an extra button push here and there. It's just not as pretty looking. YTTV is also just as easy to use as is Channels DVR. Maybe you should say TiVo is easier to use for long time TiVo users who are trained in the way it works and don't like learning something new or different? My 8 year old Grand Daughter (and her 13yo sister) can fly though YTTV guides, recordings and searches like a wizard. They love having their own profile too.
 
#370 ·
Got Channels DVR set up with the HD HomeRun Quatro again, and as you can see below also added TV Everywhere access using our login for the Xfinity account we're thinking of cancelling.

For those wondering what the TVE beta includes at this time, here are a couple screen shots of the top of the combo box. It continues with a very very long list of cable companies.

Rectangle Operating system Font Screenshot Software


Rectangle Font Screenshot Parallel Operating system
 
#371 · (Edited)
For those wondering whether some channels get blacked out in TV Everywhere, this is how some of our Xfinity lineup looks in the Channels TVE list. All the channels I'm about to mention work fine via the Xfinity Stream website and apps.

Each geographic area is probably a little different, but this is what I see. CNN and CNNI work. MSNBC works, but not Comedy Central. Fox and Outdoor are missing, but CNBC, Newsmax, and Cheddar are there. AMC but no TMC. A&E is among the missing. And so on.

Most likely we would replace Xfinity with Hulu Live TV if we cut the cord, as we've been tempted many times to add Hulu anyway and it's a small incremental upgrade. As with YouTube TV, that would replace the major cable channels we are likely to miss after leaving Xfinity. That's assuming Channels can access all channels via those services. Anyone care to comment on that?

Rectangle Font Screenshot Number Parallel
 
#374 ·
My experience with rain fade was similar in all the years I was with dish and directv. Both dishes were properly aligned with very strong signals coming in. Living in south Florida you get thunderstorms a lot and I experienced rain fade too often for my liking. My old man had the same issues with both providers too. He left to cable as well.

If not for rain fade and the bs channel disputes dish has often I'd run back to them. I liked directv but loved dish network.
 
#380 ·
DISH is a lot weaker, and has more rain fade issues, although I'm not sure how the two arcs compare. DirecTV is far more reliable, and with a properly peaked/dithered Ka dish, rain fade WILL be rare.
I think the reality is YMMV. I've had both DBS services on and off since 2004. At my location, I found Dish's Ku signal to be less impacted by the weather than DirecTV, especially once I moved to the Dish Eastern Arc. The majority of our weather comes in from the southwest, so that favors Dish, as does their use of Ku bands. That said, at lot of people in Florida complain that the EA is worse for rain fade, probably due to their specific circumstances. Either way, the downtime I've experienced with both services has been much less than 3d 15h 39m 29.5s per year that their marketed 99% availability would indicate.
 
#381 ·
DirecTV is much more picky on dish alignment than DISH, since it's Ka vs. Ku. Eastern Arc is higher in the sky on the east coast, so in theory it has to cut through less of the atmosphere, but that doesn't seem to overcome the technical superiority of DirecTV's Ka system. A well aligned DirecTV dish will never be out for more than a few minutes, and that won't happen very often. DirecTV's 99% claim is very conservative, in reality, they are pushing 9's. Probably not to datacenter/internet level reliability where at 99.9999% you get a few minutes per year of downtime, but certainly 99.9% or 99.99%.
 
#384 · (Edited)
The chart referenced should help you figure out what networks support TVE for each provider (Hulu TV, PS Vue, etc. ).

Basically, if the provider supports TVE for that network, then it should work with Channels DVR. Some networks like A&E and History do not have a TVE live stream, so you won't see those on the list at all. In those cases, it doesn't matter what provider you have. No TVE live stream = No Channels DVR support.

The Channels community forum has some good info on which provider has the best source of TVE support.
Thanks. That explains why A&E and History are not there, but not the others that are available via TVE yet not in Channels. Many providers that do license through TVE to a particular provider apparently do not allow it to be shared beyond that provider's own app. For examples, see my report on Xfinity and @OrangeCrush's report on YTTV.
 
#387 ·
That explains why A&E and History are not there, but not the others that are available via TVE yet not in Channels.
Channels DVR uses a virtual Chrome tab to pick up the TVE streams so they have to be accessible via a web browser to work. Some networks only support mobile apps which aren't supported. That said, the developers are very engaged with the community and if there happens to be a channel they don't pick up that actually does work in a web browser, they'll add it if they can. Often quickly.
 
#385 ·
I really don't see what discussion of satellite reception has to do with the topic of this thread. It is interesting to me though, because I'm a telecom geek.
 
#389 ·
For those of you with "money is no object" budgets, Modulus is a great TiVo alternative.

$5000 will get you a fantastic AV + photos server, up to 20 TBs of storage, a DVR with auto commercial skip, mini clients (extra charge), streaming services and the ability to actually record streaming programming.

The New Home Media Experience

I'm thinking if picking up this line for my more wealthy clients.
 
#392 ·
For those of you with "money is no object" budgets, Modulus is a great TiVo alternative.

$5000 will get you a fantastic AV + photos server, up to 20 TBs of storage, a DVR with auto commercial skip, mini clients (extra charge), streaming services and the ability to actually record streaming programming.

The New Home Media Experience

I'm thinking if picking up this line for my more wealthy clients.
CableCard anything is a terrible idea at this point given the situation with QAM. That being said, can that thing handle copy flagged content? What is it based on? I've never even heard of it before.

It seems weird to try to put everyone on one box when high end AV systems like Crestron and Control4 can combine all sorts of different sources, and can be more easily upgraded over time.

Technically, it should be almost twice as susceptible. I am curious to know what DirecTV does to overcome that. Can you point me to some more info?
I don't know, other than the size, shape, and stabilization of the dish, and DISH's relatively weak Ku-band satellites, at least on EA.
 
#394 ·
In reading through their site, it looks like it does quite a bit more than Channels DVR. A true hardware DVR with built in BD player, along with the capability to record on-demand content like Netflix. For $5K, it better do it all flawlessly. Including being able to record the on-demand content in original video/audio format. Not just 720p max / 2.0 stereo like PlayOn.TV does.
 
#402 ·
I have switched over to Hulu with Live TV. I am a Tivo user of over 10 years but the constant Spectrum price increases have forced me to look elsewhere. Hulu has the selection of channels we want but their DVR is a mess. Very hard to navigate and use. We're still trying it out but not sure if we (WAF) will stay. I would go over to Youtube TV but we will lose some channels we want. Guess time will tell.
 
#403 ·
My frustration with the Hulu Live DVR is that it kicks in automatically when trying to watch a currently live program, such as a sporting event. You can’t jump to live action without having to be forced through myriad commercial breaks.

Unrelated, but with PSVue shutting down, here’s hoping Amazon partners up with another OTT provider for FireTV guide integration.
 
#404 ·
My frustration with the Hulu Live DVR is that it kicks in automatically when trying to watch a currently live program, such as a sporting event. You can't jump to live action without having to be forced through myriad commercial breaks.
Yeah, Hulu's basic cloud DVR doesn't let you FF/skip through ads in recordings. So that's why it makes you watch all those commercial breaks when you try to jump up to live action inside a recording that's still in progress. Maybe that wouldn't happen if you upgraded to the enhanced cloud DVR, though, which does allow you to FF through ads. It also expands your storage from 50 to 200 hours. But it costs an extra $10/mo.
 
#417 ·
It seems that no matter what other options are out there, they are all a compromise to what Tivo offers.
Only for cable, but only because there aren't many other options. Even then, a TiVo can't access most cable operators' on-demand libraries which is a pretty significant compromise.

TiVo has no relevance at all vs. linear streaming services and there are compelling alternatives in the OTA space. More compelling, imo.
 
#423 ·
I am trying the Channels App/DVR with ATV (non 4k) and the commercial skipping is great. The only issue I have is the quality is not that great. Any ideas of what I might be doing wrong, as it sounds like most people think the quality is usually really good. I am using it along with my AT&T Now "Go Big" credentials. Thanks!
 
#424 ·
What specifically about the quality? Overall I am pleased with Channels. But I find the colors somewhat over saturated, and can find no way to adjust that. (My wife doesn't notice that at all.) Also as far as I know Live TV via streaming will include only stereo sound, not 5.1 surround. That's certainly the case here, where I get surround sound on any OTA channels that include it, but only stereo sound on the one Xfinity TVE channel we've been recording.
 
#446 ·
#431 ·
It seems like I am watching SD instead of HD. Sometimes it seems as if frames go slower to compared to watching on AT&TN on my ATV. Can't figure it out, as I have heard the quality should be really good. Do you think yours is as good or to your Tivo?
What do you have the Channels settings set for I have mine set for STREAMING QUALITY: Home Streaming is Original and Internet Streaming is 1080p 8Mbps
 
#432 ·
I have both set to original and also tried 1080p with no difference. Can't figure out and so far neither can Channels App customer support. Strange as all other streaming services and Plex are great quality. Channels App looks like SD quality or slow framerates....
 
#436 ·
I pulled the trigger on an HDHomeRun and set it up on my Plex server.

I'm impressed by how easy it was to get working - the HDHomeRun was detected, the guide data mapping worked great... Finding the NFL game I wanted to watch and set it up to record all of them was painless.

Live TV leaves much to be desired. The buffer seems small, it hiccups (pauses) badly for the first 10 seconds to a minute, and it...got very messed up when I was behind live TV and the next show started - it restarted playback from the buffer and then couldn't be skipped forward to live. This was all from a browser, not sure how things will work on a Roku yet.

I forgot how well TiVo "Just Works" in these scenarios. However, Live TV is way down on my list of priorities (#1 being No Ads).
 
#439 ·
I still have a Tivo with Comcast, but I'm finding myself recording local OTA channels with my HDHR Quatro/Channels DVR instead. I really like the quality of the OTA video and sound compared to the Comcast feed.

I have an HDHR Prime coming from eBay, bought a brand new one for $150, and I can't wait to use that with the Channels DVR. I like how Channels DVR can utilize multiple HDHRs, TV Everywhere and Locast.

I plan to keep my Tivo Bolt Vox until it stops working or Tivo somehow messes up Encore TE3 or forces me to Hydra. When that day comes I'll be all set with my Channels DVR setup.
 
#443 ·
I'm doing the same thing. I have a Tive Premiere with lifetime. The family really likes it. Easy to navigate. I like how the OTA and my cable are integrated.

I got the HDHR Quatro today because of the sale ($99) and just will tinker with it for now. What takes getting used to is while I get channel numbers on the OTA of Channels (using it on my iphone) and HDHR app. I can't enter a number on a remote, and haven't found a way to get to "last channel".

I will build a pc and get a month to month of Channels to see how it goes when recording.
 
#445 ·
OK, so our tivo minis keep locking up, so we are considering bailing on Tivo too. Customers since series 1, sad to leave. I do think they have the best system for app/content aggregation and if the variosu apps worked better and weren't so slow, wed not be looking.

My question... how do people deal with the lack of controlability of rewinding, etc., especially when watching sports? I've dinked around with a roku and what absolutely bugged me is not having fine control over fast forward, slow mo and quick replays. You take thet for granted as a long time tivo user, but streaming does not replicate that experience as far as Ive seen.

Other than that, there's also the issue of local sports being blacked out even when you have a season pass and having to go to a VPN to spoof your location. I guess sports are really wher I have th ebiggest problem.

Thanks.
 
#447 ·
My question... how do people deal with the lack of controlability of rewinding, etc., especially when watching sports?
Not a problem for me watching OTA or a cable TVE stream in Channels Plus. Channels is still not TiVo, but it's close enough, right down to manual or automatic commercial skip, and adjustable FF/Rew skip distance. No Roku app though, just Apple TV, Fire TV, Fire devices, iOS, Android, and desktop web.

I haven't yet tried a virtual provider like YouTube TV via Channels, but it seems to work similarly when Channels can access the same stream. However, there may be others issues with streaming sports. See the reports posted by @inaka today on his cord-cutting thread. Is there really a 30-second delay? Wow.
 
#450 ·
I use it with YTTV and it works very well. I think the thing is becoming more of a "what bothers you the most" or "what can you live with" when thinking about dropping TiVo. These other options might not be as polished as a TiVo but they are quickly changing as more people switch and give them a reason to polish them more. The best thing is try them before you make the decision. Just remember that sometimes it's just what you're used to that make something feel worse. When I first tried YTTV I didn't think I'd like it but after using it for a few weeks and learned how it works I was sold. It's my favorite.
 
#452 ·
I use it with YTTV and it works very well. I think the thing is becoming more of a "what bothers you the most" or "what can you live with" when thinking about dropping TiVo. These other options might not be as polished as a TiVo but they are quickly changing as more people switch and give them a reason to polish them more. The best thing is try them before you make the decision. Just remember that sometimes it's just what you're used to that make something feel worse. When I first tried YTTV I didn't think I'd like it but after using it for a few weeks and learned how it works I was sold. It's my favorite.
Are you using YTTV on an AppleTV?
 
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