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Cord has been cut..

gimme some examples.. Currently I have DirectTV with 2 DVR's, one regular and one Genie, plus 6 more HD boxes, the whole house can watch anything from either DVR.. I also have 3 Apple TV's one in the LR, Playroom and my Bedroom.. If I could ditch DirecTV and only have one "box" in each room and maybe one in my Network closet I would drop it in a second.. I also have wired ethernet behind every TV.
Ok, now I'm confused. Assuming by "box" you are referring to a Roku/Apple TV/Fire TV, why can't you do this? Is it the lack of DVR access you are talking about?

If you try to use one account per service for the entire house, you may run into some issues. Netflix only allows 2 streams at the same time. Hulu officially states you can connect one account to as many devices as you want but only stream to one device at a time. However, I've read where people have tested this and had 6 streams watching different content from the same account at the same time. No idea on other services.

If you have a large collection of movies then Plex is probably the easiest and most obvious route.


Here, let's do it this way. List the requirements you would have and we can group-think it.
 

kthrash

I have Automotive A.D.D.
VIP
Ok, now I'm confused. Assuming by "box" you are referring to a Roku/Apple TV/Fire TV, why can't you do this? Is it the lack of DVR access you are talking about?

If you try to use one account per service for the entire house, you may run into some issues. Netflix only allows 2 streams at the same time. Hulu officially states you can connect one account to as many devices as you want but only stream to one device at a time. However, I've read where people have tested this and had 6 streams watching different content from the same account at the same time. No idea on other services.

If you have a large collection of movies then Plex is probably the easiest and most obvious route.


Here, let's do it this way. List the requirements you would have and we can group-think it.

By box I mean, like a cable or Directv box.. I dont want to have to switch inputs everytime I want to watch something different.. so basically set every tv to HDMI 1 and use whatever Box is plugged in to watch everything.. I know the Apple TV has Netflix and Hulu built in.. So I could feasibly just put an Apple TV at each TV...
 

miwico

Stalker of Brock
VIP
I made a fairly large library of H.264 cooked down movies that I keep on a portable hard drive, actually a few of them. My Roku has a USB slot and the 128GB thumb drive lives in there. I have about 80 movies...My Sony Bluray player has an awesome control of this, I have it basically set up like my own tv channel. it just continuously goes through the files so when I flip the tv on there is always something playing. Just a good way to cut the cord and watch what you really want to. There is a time investment and some other things to do to have a setup like this but to me it's worth it.
 
Have you looked into simple.tv or tablo? These are streaming PVRs. Put one in a wiring closet on your network, attach your cable or antenna, then watch live or recorded TV on any Roku. Not sure about Apple TV or Fire TV. Of course this requires an antenna and to be in an area with OTA channels available, or getting cable TV from a provider.

Throw a plex server into the mix and you have access to all your movies that you rip to the server.

Other than the occasional web only show on Hulu, I never mess with inputs or plugging in usb drives or put DVDs into a player. Just plop down on the couch, grab a remote, and watch TV, streaming services, or any movie I've ever ripped to my server.
 

miwico

Stalker of Brock
VIP
I know that stuff is out there, very easy to set up a home server with what I have but I still find it to be somewhat quirky, especially with my son and wife constantly online and streaming stuff. Maybe I'm missing the boat but that has been my experience. A 200 dollar router ain't in the works, I'm running this one. Amazon.com Linksys E1200 Wireless-N300 Router Electronics
 

KJVBlueXJ

signaling the Mothership
VIP
gimme some examples.. Currently I have DirectTV with 2 DVR's, one regular and one Genie, plus 6 more HD boxes, the whole house can watch anything from either DVR.. I also have 3 Apple TV's one in the LR, Playroom and my Bedroom.. If I could ditch DirecTV and only have one "box" in each room and maybe one in my Network closet I would drop it in a second.. I also have wired ethernet behind every TV.
I set one up for my parents. They don't use any streaming services, just a couple of dish boxes and a Blu-ray player. I set up a a/v matrix that runs to every room over cat5. You can get one that runs all hdmi if that's what you need. So they have 5 "sources", 4 dish outputs and the Blu-ray. Using a wireless universal remote system, they can put any of those sources on any TV and control it from that room. So instead of giving each TV it's own system you have sources that are accessible from any viewing location. So everyone can be watching something different, or everyone in the house could be watching the same thing.
 

kthrash

I have Automotive A.D.D.
VIP
So I wonder if I got an AppleTV for every TV $99 each or $800 plus a SimpleTV $300 I could record TV on the simple TV and use iPads and iPhones to stream using the simpleTV app to the larger TV Screeens attached to the Apple TV's. and since the the Apple TV's have Netflix, and Hulu Plus on them, I would then have TV, NetFlix, and Hulu.. what would I be missing? :puzzled:

What about live sports on ESPN and whatnot? That is the only thing I can think my wife would bitch about.

NetFlix Subscription : $10 mo
Hulu Subscription : $8 month
Simple TV Subscription : $149 year

I guess I could get two SimpleTV's plug them in the network cabinet and have 4 channes to record from..
 
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I know that stuff is out there, very easy to set up a home server with what I have but I still find it to be somewhat quirky, especially with my son and wife constantly online and streaming stuff. Maybe I'm missing the boat but that has been my experience. A 200 dollar router ain't in the works, I'm running this one. Amazon.com Linksys E1200 Wireless-N300 Router Electronics
Are you trying to do everything over wifi? In theory, you should be fine, but in reality it's probably going to be a bit quirky - as you say. While I haven't tried them myself, I've heard good things about the powerline network options. It's not replacement for a 1 gig switch and lan drops, but depending on how old your wiring is it could get you wired network connectivity to any power outlet in your house.
 

miwico

Stalker of Brock
VIP
Are you trying to do everything over wifi? In theory, you should be fine, but in reality it's probably going to be a bit quirky - as you say. While I haven't tried them myself, I've heard good things about the powerline network options. It's not replacement for a 1 gig switch and lan drops, but depending on how old your wiring is it could get you wired network connectivity to any power outlet in your house.
Yeah, wifi. I had high hopes and everything connects just fine but it's choppy. I just decided that drives are cheap and provide the best in reliable viewing.
 
Yeah, wifi. I had high hopes and everything connects just fine but it's choppy. I just decided that drives are cheap and provide the best in reliable viewing.
Drives are cheap and reliable, but I'd give powerline networking a shot before giving up completely. A centralized media server with all your movies on it is just so much more convenient.

So I wonder if I got an AppleTV for every TV $99 each or $800 plus a SimpleTV $300 I could record TV on the simple TV and use iPads and iPhones to stream using the simpleTV app to the larger TV Screeens attached to the Apple TV's. and since the the Apple TV's have Netflix, and Hulu Plus on them, I would then have TV, NetFlix, and Hulu.. what would I be missing? :puzzled:

What about live sports on ESPN and whatnot? That is the only thing I can think my wife would bitch about.

NetFlix Subscription : $10 mo
Hulu Subscription : $8 month
Simple TV Subscription : $149 year

I guess I could get two SimpleTV's plug them in the network cabinet and have 4 channes to record from..
You would be missing out on whatever live sports you can watch now but are not available OTA or through streaming - ESPN is probably the biggie, but possibly other stuff like the golf channel (a friend of mine actually watches that a lot). There are a number of ways to stream live sports through Roku/FireTV and probably some on Apple TV as well. I really don't know what all is out there for Apple TV, but between 100% legal and "gray area" streams, pretty much every college/pro game that is televised is available for streaming somewhere. Worst case would be to find a stream on a Mac and Airplay it to the Apple TV.

You'd also miss out on, or more accurately you'd have to wait then buy, premium series' like Game of Thrones. You'd also miss out on Amazon Prime and other streaming service channels if you stick with Apple - same as if you go with Roku or Fire TV you don't have access to the Apple iTunes store. Since you are heavily invested in Apple, it probably makes more sense to stick with ATV. However, I was reading that Apple is going to come out with a new version of ATV later this year. I'd suggest you wait for the new version as the existing one has pretty low hardware specs compared to current tech.

BTW, I though the Simple TV subscription is only $49 a year, not $149 a year?
 

frank_c

lost in the jet stream
VIP
ESPN sucks. Someone always has it on at work, and the turds on Sportscenter are barely watchable. The new CBS Sports thing isn't much better. Too many sports shows, too many repeats and overlap, and not enough talent. Give me the scores and highlights and quit trying to be funny or edgy.

I wonder if the Amazon box is not selling as well as they thought it would. Just got an email with this offer:

As a valued customer who has been with Amazon for over two years, we'd like to give you an exclusive offer on Amazon Fire TV—the easiest way to enjoy Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and more on your HDTV. Make just one payment of 20% of the device price, plus tax and shipping. We'll bill the remainder in four equal installments every 30 days. No interest, no finance charges, no hidden fees, and no credit check.
Maybe I'll wait for a better deal. The smart TV I bought for the basement already does all that shit, minus the games, which I don't care about.
 
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Cable. Done.
And how do you watch older TV series? Catch up on last season of something? Watch movies?

While this thread has mainly focused on how to use streaming services to watch everything you can get with cable, it has completely ignored the reverse. How could you watch all the stuff with just cable that you can get with streaming. Short answer, you can't. There is also the cost - cable/sat is far more expensive than streaming.

Between OTA and streaming services, there is exactly 1 show that my wife watches that she will no longer get - Chelsea Lately. Chelsea Lately just isn't worth the promotional $55/month rate, which would soon go up to $85 a month. In fact, I am now watching shows that I couldn't otherwise get with just cable. I haven't even go into watching movies yet. Gobs of free ones, plus I will likely switch to renting/buying new movies from a streaming service.

You could always do both plus supplement with buying DVDs/Bluray movies, and that's exactly what I've been doing the last couple years. I finally decided paying for cable is a waste of money and I'm not missing it at all. Dumping cable isn't for everyone, but it's the best option for me.
 

Cornholio01

New member
ESPN sucks. Someone always has it on at work, and the turds on Sportscenter are barely watchable. The new CBS Sports thing isn't much better. Too many sports shows, too many repeats and overlap, and not enough talent. Give me the scores and highlights and quit trying to be funny or edgy.
agree all the way. I still need it for college football & lax, & soccer along w/ FOX.
 

Jays89YJ

Udaho
VIP
And how do you watch older TV series? Catch up on last season of something? Watch movies?
Every Christmas, there's a 99.7% chance my sister will buy us a year long Netflix subscription. I suppose we'd just use it. I don't recall using it at all this year. :shrug:
 

whiskey tango

warmonger
VIP
how do you do all this if one has 8 TV's in the house?
Holy shit, that's a lot if TVs. We have 2.

I'm ready to let cable go but :wifey: objects. I don't watch much tv. Mostly movies and netflix. Occasionally I'll watch top gear reruns or history, natgeo etc. I did record the entire season of archer though.
 
droidtv has uped the bitrate on the vids and it looks good on the 42" tv now.
You know what's funny, I was watching stuff on droidTV last night thinking "wow, this looks much better that the first few I watched." I thought maybe I just had a few bad videos at first, or that going from the free trial to the paid version gets a bump in quality. Didn't know they officially upped the bitrate, but it's a very welcome change.
 
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