I read a lot of threads and the only ones I could find were about streaming from a Tivo to a different unit or streaming in real time. I want to buffer a (slower than real time) stream to Now Playing.
I currently have a Series 2 and a Series 3 so this is really a more general question. If I can do this on any of them I will. If I can only do this on Premiere I'll upgrade my Series 3 to a Premiere. My Series 2 stays - It has a DVD burner.
I have moved to a location that has acceptable antenna function so I'm now considering dropping cable. Unfortunately my network bandwidth is not good enough to maintain a stream through an entire 30 minute show. It's definitely not going to be able to handle any movie downloaded in real time.
So, can I point a Premiere at Hulu or Netflix or Amazon or whatever and have it buffer a show/movie into Now Playing? I see that on Amazon I've long been able to "rent" a movie and it sure sounds like that' how it works - Download it at network speed (slower than real time), play it in the next few days, delete the show when we've finished watching it.
Right now on either of my current units I can go to down-loadable videos and select a bunch of them. They will stream (slower than real time) to my unit and appear in my Now Playing. But I don't see a way to do that with a Netflix or Hulu subscription.
We like some of the cable channels but not to the tune of a hundred extra dollars per month. If we can get a ten dollar per month Netflix subscription and do this that's the choice.
Also checking - I have read plenty of threads that say all of the series work with an ATSC broadcast antenna. Plugging my TV directly into the antenna it works fine. Any caveats?
My less expensive model would be -
Broadcast antenna for free TV. I'd get the common networks that have plenty of our favorite shows and also PBS that have enough household and cooking shows that we won't miss HGTV and FoodTV that much.
Netflix or Hulu buffer to Now Playing for the few shows we'll want to continue watching. I don't mind seeing The Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, Chopped or Holmes Inspection a season late doing this.
As a bonus a subscription to Hulu or Netflix we could put movies in our queue and watch really good movies at home. I also don't mind waiting until a movie is no longer first run.
Thanks in advance!
Doug Freyburger
Humax Series 2 with DVR, Series 3 HD
