Cutting Cable: Tivo Premiere and Apple TV?

[Coach77]

Please share your thoughts on my idea of trying to cut my ties with cable.

OTA with Tivo Premiere's DVR for local channels.

Apple TV for renting or purchasing TV shows that I could not get OTA.

I would upgrade to a high-speed internet through Time Warner.

Besides the upfront hardware purchases, I'm looking at a minimum of $68 per month.  $55 for the high-speed internet and $13 for the Tivo.

The only thing I would miss would be ESPN and Brewers games.  

Any experience with OTA and Tivo Premiere?  Apple TV?

Oh, I live in Bayview, so any suggestions on an HD antenna would be great.

Thanks!

[Bebop]

You save on the Tivo and it's monthly fee with a OTA turner for your computer.

[Xizer]

Ditch the Tivo. Just get a capture card and some good software to go with it. I think BeyondTV is the best, and it's really easy to install for newbies unlike all the open source media centers. No monthly fees.

Also, screw the Apple **** - the Apple TV is a gimped, overpriced box of fail that uses decade-old tech - like most Apple products. Netflix would be a better value if you're not competent enough to pirate

[Coach77]

Thanks for the replies.

This needs to be a little bit more family friendly than some of the suggestions above.  When someone wants to watch something specific, they cannot wait for me to pirate it and get it to work on our TV.

[ArgMeMatey]

This needs to be a little bit more family friendly than some of the suggestions above.  

+1 !!

My relationships will not tolerate complicated workarounds like capture cards.  Let alone what happens when something is screwed up and I'm out of town.

[Xizer]

If capture cards are "complicated" for you then I question how you are capable of using anything in life that wasn't created by Fisher-Price.

You are clearly using bad software.

[kevbeck122]

A lot of OTA material is available on Hulu a day or two after aired.  The easiest way to access Hulu would be the $10/month Hulu Plus on the PS3 if you have one.

There a couple no monthly fee DVR alternatives to Tivo, besides a PC with a tuner card:
DTVPal:
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_105V0FREESTARDVRP?vName=Gifts&cName=Her&sName=All&sid=KDx20070926x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=105V0FREESTARDVRP
http://www.channelmasterstore.com/HD_DVR_receiver_for_antenna_p/cm-7000pal.htm

Moxi:
http://moxi.com/us/home.html

Here's a comparison on the new Apple TV vs. Roku vs. Boxee Box for Netflix and other internet streaming: http://newteevee.com/2010/09/01/comparison-apple-tv-vs-roku-vs-boxee-box/

[Xizer]

Keep in mind that Hulu has commercials and it's lower quality. You do care about quality, right? If not, why are you hanging out on a site called Milwaukee HDTV?

[Coach77]

Thanks again for the replies.

Again, if this was just me, I would probably take some of your suggestions.  However, I need it to be easy for the other people in my family to operate. Right now, U-Verse and TW are very easy to operate, but getting a little expensive.

Is the Tivo overkill just for OTA?

We probably need some kind of DVR.  Does U-Verse or TW offer a bare-bones option with a DVR?  

Yeah, I too was a little disappointed with the new Apple TV.  Seems like we're getting closer and closer, but not quite yet.

Thanks again!

[tbarney]

I have a Tivo HD, so the OTA experience with a Premier unit would be virtually the same thing. The Tivo has a decent tuner in it, so from Germantown I have no problem pulling in an OTA signal with the antenna mounted in the attic. I'm not sure where you live so if you have some way to judge OTA signals before you buy the Tivo that would be best.

I'll agree with the other comments that some of the other no-fee DVRs will save you some money, but they also don't offer some of the extras, such as built-in netfix/amazon/youtube/etc on-demand viewing.  If you already have a blu-ray player with netflix built in then that wouldn't matter for you.

I know U-verse has a bare bones option, U-Family or something like that, might be worth checking on.

In the end, if you do decide to go with the Tivo, think carefully about if you want to buy the model with the bigger drive, or go with an external expansion like the DVR Expander from Western Digital. You'll probably get more recording space for the money using the smaller Tivo and the external drive.

[Coach77]

Thanks for the reply.

I looked into the Tivo Premiere and you can add an external HD to it.  So, I probably won't get the XL version.

I live in Bayview, so I'm not concerned about receiving OTA

[ScottyB]

We canceled cable almost two years ago.  I get all the Milwaukee OTA channels just fine.  I have a Windows 7 desktop (specifically an Acer Revo 3610) which handles video playback from video ripped to the hard drive, and it also plays back Netflix instant video.  I rarely use Hulu due to the poor quality, but I have Hulu Desktop just in case there is something I want.

I also use Windows Media Center as a DVR.  TV tuner is the SiliconDust HDHomerun dual tuner, which I find to be outstanding.  So three tuners total including the TV, so I can watch one and record two, if you can ever find that much to watch simultaneously OTA.    Even limited to OTA, I have more than enough recorded onto the hard drive to keep me entertained.

As far as software goes, we primarily use Windows Media Center with the Media Browser plug in as eye candy.  We also use Boxee on occasion, which would be ideal on its own if they would include DVR functions.  I'm looking into MediaPortal as an all-in-one solution, but it has a bit of a learning curve.

Sounds complicated, but it really isn't.  Beats paying $60/mo for a bunch of garbage.  You are right, I occasionally miss ESPN or FSN for Brewer games, but then I think of the extra $750 in my pocket at the end of the year.

Good luck,
Scott

[jkane]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythTV


If you don't like that one ... find another.  There are a lot of solutions out there that are cheaper than TiVo and don't require a life time subscription to TiVo.  I love TiVo, but their bill makes me so mad!  The up front cost sucks too.

If I understand it right, WindBlow$ has a media center that uses remotes also if you prefer software that supports the rich and famous instead.

[Xizer]

wtf is a "WindBlow$?"

[jkane]

Say it outloud.  If that doesn't work, then add Micky$oft infront of it.  See if those hints work.