Fyi tmobile via Tmobile Tuesdays gives free mlb.tv subs every year, at least for the last few years. I wish they did that for sunday ticket.

Unfortunately the NFL / DirecTV deal does not expire until after the 2022 season... I suspect when it does the NFL will go for its own service (like Disney+) or otherwise allow people to subscribe more easily and not be tied to a specific service provider unless it was Amazon or something more universally available. Prior to getting rid of DirecTV I had Sunday Ticket for 4-5 years but then the price went up quite a bit and my out of market team had more than half its games on Monday/Sunday night or otherwise on TV so I didn't see the value anymore at the price they asked.

Now I watch less football generally since the games that are broadcast in my area are often uninteresting so I just shut it off. It gives me more time for other stuff.

This is why it works so great for advertisers.... for the most part the audience is made up of drunks (and its marketed that way).

Great sport to drink to since you rarely have to be bothered to pay attention.

I have a paid Plex subscription on a Shield, and I'm about to give up on it. For some reason, either Plex or Shield (or both?) can't seem to get their act together. Constantly missing shows because someone somewhere decide to update something and it breaks the setup. Shame really, since the Shield has a lot of CPU/graphics power. I get it working, then weeks later - nada.

We also have a Tivo (wife uses that), but their software is so convoluted nowadays (trying to do everything and then some), that it's almost as much of a PIA to use as Plex. It's like they keep forgetting the main reason people buy them is for the DVR feature, not the bloatware. Plus we can't watch on other TVs unless we buy more expensive Tivo gizmos.

Right now, the Amazon Recast OTA DVR is on sell for $129 (2 tuner, $179 4 tuner) and I'm tempted to switch. I don't need all the bells and whistles, I just want something reliable, simple. Given we have some Smart TV's w/Fire TV, it just makes a lot more sense. Only gripe is it's tied to Fire TV which OK, but I have some Roku's too, which I like. But Fire sticks are cheap, so no biggie.

Man, I did a lot of complaining there!

****************

Update: Holding off on the Recast (darn it). Doesn't support the upcoming ATSC 3.0 broadcasts, only ATSC 1.0. Need to future proof things a bit since ATSC 3.0 transmissions will make all current OTA hi-def TV's obsolete.

Broadcasters are required to support the old stuff for 5 years after they start transmitting ATSC 3, but I'm more inclined to go with the new stuff as soon as something good is available. Silicon Dust has an ATSC 3 HD Homerun coming soon, but I think it only has a 100 megabit interface which seemed a little lacking to me for ATSC 3.

I currently have a HomeRun 4 ch tuner on the Plex setup (despite Plex/Shield being a PIA), and a 2 channel tuner that I'm not using. I almost think things will change by the time ATSC 3.0 really kicks and is fully implemented, like recording over the net (i.e. less OTA).

Why ATSC 3.0 doesn't support backwards compatibility w/ ATSC 1.0 is beyond me. Maybe because the general population doesn't realize what's headed their way?

But like you, just trying to fool proof things a bit, guess I'll wait for the Recast V2.

What are the exact issues you are having? I’ve been running Kodi since 2004 on various types of hardware and I finally made the switch to Plex + Shield TV’s at the beginning of this year. I’ve not had any issues and the biggest takeaway is that the Fiance loves it way better than Kodi.

I think there's several things going on.

One issue is the library not being recognized. I had a NAS connected to the network for Plex storage, and that worked fine at first...but Plex seems to decide to no longer record to it eventually. And I haven't changed a darn thing on the NAS. The NAS has been rock solid on the network for years on end - Windows 10 sees it every time and I can xfer files w/o problems. I even have an old WD streamer that is really good to decoding all kinds of files formats and it sees the NAS and paths too. Even tho I set the path correctly in Plex...it will eventually not record to it. I've looked into adding a local USB drive, but read where the preferred method for performance is to use a NAS since it off loads the hard drive work to the NAS, freeing the Shield to only do transcoding, etc. I've tried a USB hard drive, but don't recall what the issue that was...I think Plex couldn't find it to even add it as a library. I think I tried both as USB storage and Shield storage. I should add my Shield is the cheaper one, w/o the large internal storage. I suspect if I had bought the better model, the storage issue wouldn't have been an problem.

Another issue is the one I mentioned in my post a few postings ago: Updates. Windows 10 usually reports it can't find the Plex sever after an Shield/Plex update. I think the Firesticks and Rokus couldn't see the server either, but it's been awhile. Over the years, it got so bad I shut off the 'automatically install updates' feature off on the Shield. But if the Plex was by slim chance working, I'd eventually want to upgrade things to in order for performance improvements or maybe bug fixes (thinking it would fix stability issues once and for all) since the versions I had were sometimes getting old. Or a software update added a useful feature that was lacking. Fingers crossed that this was finally the version that fixed issues...nope, I was a sucker for thinking that. Broke again.

Both of these issues usually requires me to completely reset the Shield as if it came out of the factory and do a fresh install I've even went to the Plex website to get the latest and greatest Shield install since the PlayStore can be lagging w/respect to versions at times.

I should add the Shield is only used for Plex, I don't add any other apps. I also uninstall or disable any irrelevant apps (i.e. Amazon Music, etc.) so it is bare bones.

In the end, I just want something reliable that simply does what it's suppose to do. Just record a show. No more, no less - but that hasn't happened yet. Hence, my interest in the Amazon Recast DVR. The more barebones, the better as long as the listings guide is good.

I've used Kodi, but I admit, it's a bit much to configure as a DVR. Plus I'm always a little leery of some of the repositories (virus, or a path into the network somehow). But boy, it is definitely powerful. Just not my cup of tea.

Almost forgot to mention - no issues with the HomeRun turner.

Didn't mean to derail the thread, just thought I would elaborate on my earlier post for djr, and share my experiences.

Gotcha. I don’t use the DVR function so I can’t elaborate. I also have a Win7 environment with updates disabled, again no issues. Sorry I couldn’t offer some advice!

LOL, np. The struggle continues!

I have 2019 shield with 1tb USB set as "internal storage" for the shield and I do not have any issues with plex server/client. This is connected to a HD Homerun Prime. I dont record alot of stuff but the stuff I do record works every time. I do not have a win 10 client so I can't elaborate on those issues.

I think everyone with Windows 10 knows that Microsoft seems to break things with their updates. Last automatic update I had my computer rebooted with no sound. I messed with every setting I could think of and reinstalled drivers etc. I built this computer myself and consider myself pretty good with hardware/drivers/etc. I couldn't figure it out. I reset the computer back to the pre-update condition and sound worked again. Disabled automatic updates at that point for a month to let MS work its issues out.

I'm not anti MS or anti windows by any means but it seems their updates on Windows 10 (which is otherwise a great OS) often miss the mark. I don't know if it is because hardware is getting more complicated or whether the OS is getting too complicated... both?

Actually, ATSC broadcast runs on just the UHF band. You can still use your old VHF / UHF / FM antenna, but all you generally need is a good flat antenna
like a Weingard:
pasted_image (resized).png

Good thing to have too if there are channels like Comet or Quest or local channels that aren't available from your provider.

Hulu Plus took out Fox Sports North which is 99% of why we subscribed. So no more Twins, Wild, Timberwolves etc.

Anyone know how we can get Fox Sports North besides the cable satellite companies?

My understanding is that when they rebranded to Bally Sports this year, they took them off of all streaming services.

I think your best bet would be an MLB subscription and a DNS host to virtually move your location so you can watch home games to go along with road games.

You can Bank on Bally...

Just saw that NETFLIX announced they are rolling out to 'some number of users' notices when they believe that an account is being shared outside of the subscriber agreement signed. Apparently they say up to 30% of the legitimate users on Netflix have shared their username and password in a manner that conflicts with the usage agreement, and while they never really enforced anything previously, they are now letting 'some' of those people know they need to buy their own account. What it does is pop up a notice on the screen telling you that this usage is invalid and won't let you continue watching.

How many people? where? when? how do they know? etc etc etc. More to follow on this cord-cutter 'trick' I am sure...

I got the warning...Just had the account holder text me the "verification code" and it logged in normally.

Slowing subscriptions might have something to do w/this.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2020/10/20/netflix-subscriber-growth-slows-after-surging-during-pandemic/?sh=13550e83244e

Personally, I'm getting tired of the price increases compared to my other streaming content. Plus Amazon Prime does the job for me just as well.

pasted_image (resized).png

I never got a notice, but Locast now works in Central Florida. I also read somebody created a Chrome extension that successfully tricks their geolocation. Could be a very cheap way to watch blacked out games.

Did you know you can download hundreds of hours of programing the cancel after one month, legally. Playlater.

https://www.playon.tv/playlater

Anyone know of a way to get sports channels (local that wouldn't be blacked out)

I've been doing it for years. You will have to send me a PM and I'll show you.

Locast?

Interesting. I haven't had any issues like that for over a year with Plex and 3 months with Plex/Shield Pro. I do know you sometimes have to have Plex rescan the OTA stuff because late laat year, broadcasters changed frequencies in many markets. Plex sent emails about this - telling you to create a new DVR and delete the old one. Annoying but there was notice at keast.

I cut the cord in January and it's been great. Still not sure what I'm going to do about football, but I have DirecTV "paused" for 6 months so I'll figure it out later I guess.

I no longer let the Nvidia Shield install the automatic updates and it's been stable since. Just a hunch, but I think the Shield's with the built hard drive storage might be better behaved than mine since the biggest issue I had was the NAS libraries getting 'lost'. I bought my Shield when there were two options: Limited internal memory (mine) and I think the upgrade had a 500G(?) hard drive. In addition to no longer letting the automatic updates install, I now run an attached USB HD. At one point I recall reading where a NAS provided better performance than an attached USB. But I decided to ditch the NAS and run the attached USB HD just to hopefully make my life easier.

So between those two changes, it seems to be stable now. But way too much work for the 'average Joe', IMHO. Definitely not 'plug and play'

I bought this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DNJZ58M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title and have an amplifier on it and it works well, except for my local PBS station. I was debating getting a bigger antenna, but I understand bigger isn't necessarily better when it comes to the current broadcast frequencies and TV reception..... . Is there a better antenna than the one I have? I'm in South Florida and everything is pretty much <30 miles from me and in 1 direction (towards Miami). Is bigger better? Any suggestions for an attic antenna and/or something that will also be NTSC3 compliant (whenever that arrives)?

RF Engineer here.

Is your amplifier right at the antenna or in the house? If in the house, how many feet of coax? Is the antenna in the attic now?

I think you are referring to ATSC 3.0 (not NTSC 3.0) which is the 4K standard (along w/a lot other things). But to answer your question: The antenna doesn't care about analog/HD/4K, etc.

The tricky part about picking an antenna is they often don't mention how much gain they have, or if they do - do we even believe it. I have something similar to the one below in my attic, and the stations are maybe 30 miles away. But I have the roof to deal with, along with the the forest out back. So less that ideal, but it seems to work OK, excluding maybe one station on one particular TV. I also have a LNA mounted at the antenna to help with keeping the signal above the noise floor.

So many variables tho that can affect reception...
pasted_image (resized).png

This guy's YouTube channel might help point you in the right direction:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySjheRcVJ21B3Jo3HcWMTQ

I don't know what the requirements will be for ATSC 3 will be, but maybe this might fit your needs:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018BZJNS/ref=sm_n_au_dka_US_pr_con_0_0

I did find that with my Winegard antenna, I did have to play around with where I placed it for the best reception. I ended up placing it in a window.
The TV transmitters in my area are 18 miles away on a mountain and are clustered together so the reception is pretty good. The only issue I have is on certain days when due to the weather planes coming in from the west and going to LAX come over my house and cause some interference for a few seconds.

Oops on the NTSC/ATSC! Thank you for knowing what I was referring to!

I do have the amplifier right next to the antenna in the attic; I also have a splitter next to it, with the longest run of coax around 75 feet or so.

Thanks for the link @girloveswaffles! i may have to try that out - and it's a lot cheaper than the super-large antennas too.

Amp right at the antenna is the best for maintaining a low noise figure (sorry for the the techie terms, really just a way to say it's better to pick up small signals), so good. I don't know how much loss is thru the roof you have, but I can look up the coax loss.

One simple experiment is to remove the splitter and just test one of the coax runs. But that will only get you twice the signal (3dB), which isn't a lot of margin. Still a simple test tho.

I updated my original post above with a similar antenna I use. Depending on the loss thru the roof, you might be better off using a smaller antenna outside than a giant one in the attic.

Any chance you know the amp's model number?

It is this cheapie one from Lowe’s: Amplifier https://www.lowes.com/pd/RCA-HD-Television-Tuner/3701514

I can try to juggle the cables around this weekend. Thank you for the advice!

I'm using this Wineguard with an Onn amplifier and am picking up everything within 40 miles great. So much interference went away when I moved the antenna from the attic to outside. I paid ~$10 for mine. I would not pay $40...

https://www.homedepot.com/s/freevision%2520wineguard?NCNI-5

I have this antenna: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B004QK7HI8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_8D8V155DKP3PRS6AXZ6M

I am only about 20 miles from the stations but it works great, no amplifier needed. I literally have it tacked on the wall of our guest bedroom on the 2nd floor. There's coax that goes to the basement where I connect it to an HDHomeRun box, which let's me DVR to my Plex server (running on a Synology NAS). Works great!

I wrote an article about the prices process a couple of years ago: https://www.neowin.net/news/synology-plex-and-hdhomerun-how-to-cut-the-cord-forever/

20210318_163543 (resized).jpg

That might be more of a distribution amp than a low noise amp (LNA). Typically you use a LNA at the antenna since you are dealing with small signals. Amplifiers have a certain amount of noise associated with them (the spec is called "Noise Figure'), and if that noise is as high as the signal you are receiving...then kind of a moot point. So you use a 'quiet' LNA at the antenna to get the signal up to a reasonable level - then you can use a distribution amp if appropriate. The distribution amp might have more noise than a LNA - but if your receive signal is a lot higher - then that's still OK.

After all that amplifier talk above...you still need to get the signal thru the roof and that's where a bigger antenna would help. Even with a LNA, if the signal is simply too small, you're not really accomplishing much. LNA won't help if there's nothing there to amplify. That's where an outside antenna would help (not saying this is required - but it definitely would help).

So, take a look around for an LNA or 'low noise amp' just for the sake of it (example below).

On the flip-side, you can actually have too much amplifier gain too. Just like a stereo, it can overload and distort.

I don't want to send you off on a wild goose chase or tell you to buy this or that. Just trying to help with a little bit a background.

Sorry for probably way too much info.

pasted_image (resized).png

That's a nice article Fez. At my old house I had a big beam antenna is the attic (didn't want to put an antenna of the roof). Despite adding all the gadgets that I thought would help...it just didn't cut it. Stuck a cheap small bowtie UHF antenna outside on the chimney, problem solved. Just too much attenuation thru the roof. I bet I fooled around with the attic antenna for a year before I gave up.

Thank you all for the great advice! This forum is still the best!

I might invest in that preamp. After all, my cable bill went from $200+ 2 years ago to only $20 for internet service- so I’ve saved a small fortune!

I’ll be sure to report back.

Why are you all still fighting with antennas? Locast is awesome and I use it all the time, so not sure why others aren't using it as well.

Locast isn't available everywhere.

Some of us still like "Amish TV".

Any way to record Locast? I want to use my Fire TV as a DVR.

There are a couple ways to do it. An app called Channels is one. I can't recall the other. Unfortunately for me, none work with Roku.

Actually, there's an unofficial app for Roku called Stremium (formerly Fitzy) that will record Locast. Gonna check this out...

Locast streams over the Internet and therefore uses bandwidth. OTA recorded to a local NAS does not. Bonus points: My Plex server automatically deletes all the commercials for me.

I guess I spoke too soon. Queued up today's Nascar race (set it up Sat for Sunday's race). Even double checked it was queued. Recorded the pre show just fine. The race...nope. Wife's American Idol - nope on that too.

I had switched over to the NAS again since the local USB hard drive was sputtering thru videos. I guess I will try using a big USB thumb drive for local storage.

Locast.org has added Portland OR to their list of cities they can broadcast now via streaming.
Yea!!

Also looking for a way to record Locast program to DVR.

Looks like Sling now uses Locast for locals in Minnesota - received a notice when I logged in today. Be nice to have a backup in case my Plex server goes bad - not that I've had any issues yet, knock on wood.

Every solution I've explored is expensive on storage cost.

Define expensive.

You can get a cheap NAS and some hard drives - but yeah, depending on drive size and number of bays, you can spend from like $300 to... as much as you want.

See my prior post. It’s cloud storage and they aren’t giving it away. I imagine YouTube TV would be cheaper in the long run. I’ll stick with my antenna and $100 TiVo OTA (with lifetime) for now.