Time to jump ship?

I've only used Tivo for about 8 months but Hydra grew on my quickly. They've had a couple updates in the past week, RC9 and RC11 or something like that, but it will hopefully help with stability. I just got the Amazon app on my Mini Vox units today. I imagine in another month the Hydra / Mini Vox launch woes will be distant memory (except perhaps the challenges with pairing the remote - that still seems way too challenging and I hope it isn't a hardware limitation).

I used a HomeRun prime briefly for about a month and it seemed pretty clunky and the interface was slow at times. Never used Channels or Plex.

I debated about going streaming with PS Vue or Directv but we use too much bandwidth with Comcast 1TB limit (due to the kids using streaming most of the time), so I've accepted that the cable double-play for TV and Internet is by far our best solution. Plus, for about $110 a month I get both, though I would be paying $50-$65 for internet alone, so it isn't much more than a decent streaming package.

Anyhow, as for Tivo, the interface will get more stable and better, but if you don't like the interface you can always roll back.

As to MOCA issues, that sounds like a config / setup issue? Did it work well previously and now isn't? When I first started I had to upgrade a splitter to get one that works well with MOCA and change a bit of wiring to remove other splitters entirely. Each Tivo / Mini now is a home run back to the one splitter that runs the whole house, with six Tivo feeds and one to the cable modem. Also the filter on the line going out of the home is important to moca.

 

I spent the month on November trying three DVR's side by side. DirecTV HS17 server and C61K mini, TIVO Bolt VOX with Hydra on Comcast and the Comcast X1 Arris DVR. We much prefer the TIVO Bolt VOX over the others.

I ended up dumping DirecTV after 14 years. Just couldn't justify the cost any longer and promotions are harder to come by since AT&T took over. Also their HS17 system is slow and laggy. Promised 4K programming never appeared. Only one channel with a lot of reruns and an occasional sports event on another. Also most of last year when you would change to a 4K channel from a HD channel you would lose sound. Buggy software.

The Comcast X1 guide drove us nuts. Only 5 channels listed, difficult to scroll through and no way to set up favorite channels without listing duplicates. Also DVR functions were slow and not as smooth as TIVO.

Happy with Hydra so far and ordered two Minis. Wish costs were less but hoping to keep the new set up for many years.

 

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I have a Roamio OTA that I have feeding multiple TVs through a whole house HDMI system. Because of various issues I decided to look for alternatives as well. I purchased an Apple TV 4K, an HDHomerun Connect, and am running Channels and Plex using a Mac Mini as the server. I have been running the setup for about a month on a single TV that is connected wirelessly. My other TVs are still on the TiVo but I can move the ATV to them to use or test.

Channels has a live TV app and a DVR function which are separate. I am using the DVR so most of the comments here will be about that because that is a direct comparison with TiVo. Channels works well. It was easy to set up on both the ATV and the Mini. It recognized and uses the HDHomerun flawlessly. The user interface is fairly simple compared to TiVo, but it gets the job done. They have a commercial skip function which works well 99% of the time. Channels has a 90 minute buffer but it is only live on one tuner at a time. If you switch tuners you lose the buffer, If you exit the Channels app you lose the buffer. They don't have a video window in the guide, and if you go to the guide you lose the buffer. The best practice seems to be if you think you might want to do anything and return to your show record it first. This seems to be a limitation of the ATV protocols and not Channels, so it might change in the future depending on what Apple decides.

The FF/RW functions work well, I am using the ATV remote. The scrubbing function is cool.

There are no ads on Channels.

The developers of Channels are VERY responsive to issues or questions.

My wife doesn't like change but is getting used to Channels and the ATV.

Channels is not a plug it in and turn on the TV solution. It requires a server/NAS/backend device of some kind so some level of expertise is needed in that area.

I am also using Plex for my music, and I have been copying programs from my Roamio to the Mini to have in Plex. I wish there was a way to put them into Channels but that isn't possible.

So far I like the ATV, Channels, HDHomerun combo, and would have no problem if I had to/wanted to ditch TiVo for it. Happy to answer any other questions you might have.

 

The streaming services I've tried had less than a full slate of my desired channels and didn't allow for commercial skip even on recorded shows. Try them out before making a permanent change.

 

Sounds to me like the OP is considering using the Channels app on Apple TV for live TV and Plex for DVR. (BTW, Plex just added a feature to remove ads from DVR recordings.)

I've read that if you use the Channels DVR service ($8/mo), it will automatically add your recordings to Apple TV's "Up Next" queue, which aggregates content from several major apps (Hulu, HBO, Showtime, etc. -- but not Netflix). I like that idea, as it serves as a handy single place to track (almost) all the shows you're currently watching. (The Amazon Video app will reportedly support Up Next when it comes to Apple TV any day now.)

Anyone know if Plex DVR recordings likewise get automatically added to the Up Next queue on Apple TV?

 

Here's a super-handy website that lets you see which channels (including locals) are available from which providers in your zip code, with pricing. Unless you live in one of the top ten markets, you'll probably find that the live streaming services (PS Vue, etc.) are missing at least one of your "big four" locals. Suppose... you could design your perfect TV service

If avoiding ads is really important to you, you should know that Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV both replace your DVR recordings with on-demand versions if available. And some of those on-demand shows have forced ads. There's no way to avoid this with YouTube TV. With Hulu with Live TV, you must upgrade to both the "premium DVR" for an extra $15 (expanded storage, plus the ability to FF through ads in recordings) PLUS the ad-free on-demand version for an extra $4. AFAIK, PS Vue does not replace DVR recordings with on-demand versions and you are always allowed to FF through ads for no additional charge. DirecTV Now will roll out cloud DVR soon (likely 1Q18); no word yet on how it will treat ads.

As for FiOS, it sounds like their next-gen TV plans are in disarray right now. From this summer until a couple weeks ago, they were beta testing a new all-IPTV version of FiOS, with new STBs, remotes and a revamped UI. But for whatever reasons, they pulled the plug on it. They've also been talking about launching an OTT streaming service (similar to AT&T's DirecTV Now). There's rumor/speculation that they may end up somehow combining the projects for next-gen FiOS TV and OTT, as AT&T appears to be doing with their long-term plans for all their video services. Bottom line is that I wouldn't expect to see a new FiOS STB soon.

 

And some point you have to choose, use a Tivo and have an appliance that records TV, or go the hobby route and the time sink that goes with it. I like the turnkey approach, time is limited and many things compete for it.

 

The other thing to consider is other members of the household. If you are a bachelor tinkerer, there will be different options open to you over someone with a spouse or children that prefer ease of use.

 

How does the combo work with premium channels?

 

Premium channels typically are DRM-protected. Some devices, such as XBox One, can access those channels in conjunction with the HDHomeRun Prime CardCARD tuner. But it looks like Apple TV running the Channels app cannot.
Channels — Frequently Asked Questions

Not that big of a deal, IMO, since you can just use the HBO Go, Showtime Anytime and Starz apps on Apple TV (probably with better HD PQ than you'd get from the cable channels anyhow).

 

I am recording OTA channels only so I can't say.

 

I agree with this 100%.

 

I'm not at the point of jumping ship. But the Rovi thing has definitely sucked big time. I'm rather sick and tired of having to babysit my shows/Passes, and the guide.

One thing that's a bit irksome for me is that they (again!) with the 7.4 update took away the ability to be watching something semi-live and allow it to continue when it changes the channel for a recording. Did that make sense?

Say I'm watching a show that runs from 6 to 7. I'm semi-live, of course, so maybe I'm somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes back. The Tivo needs to use that tuner to change the channel at 7:00. Before, except for that one other time this happened, it would not pull me out of the previous hour and I could watch the show until it ended. But now, when it changes the channel you lose that buffer entirely. Fine, I can live with it, but it still pisses me off. Since I have Tivos with more tuners this won't come up as often (and now I know to protect) as it did when they did that back when I had Premieres with only 2 tuners. Hopefully, again, they will fix it back.

 

I dunno how to link from Tapatalk but if you check my reply history you'll find the thread, but there's a big thread about this bug and TiVo/Rovi are aware of it and plan to fix it. Eventually. Taking them forever.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Oh good! Thanks for that info.

 

May I?
I have one Roamio that never has to change channels to start a recording, and one that seldom needs to change channels. Out of eight tuners, I can pretty well control what happens, even to the point of controlling what channel my Mini gets. But if you would like to stop the channel changing, please let me suggest: preset the tuners. I do it frequently, but seldom every day. Would you like to try my method?