The Streaming Media Player
Now, let’s look at a more up to date component that is a very important piece of the puzzle.
Unless you’ve been refusing to join the 21st century, you’ve probably heard streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or even Amazon Instant Video. You can play these on lots of devices anywhere you have an internet connection. What is amazing is that you can even watch these streaming services on your TV by using a small box called a streaming media player.
When thinking about using the internet for your TV, you’ll want to utilize a router that’s created for high quality video. You’ll also need a modem plugged in to the router, although some routers have a build in modem. WiFi can also be useful here, especially since WiFi speeds have gotten so fast.
Once you get hooked up to the internet with a streaming media player, that removes the need to get all of your TV-watching providers from cable. However, you will probably still want to get live TV from someplace. This is going to be important for getting news, local channels, and the primary networks like NBC, ABC, and CBS.
What are the primary streaming media player choices? You may have heard of some of them. They include the Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, Comcast Stick, and Apple TV. Every one these devices plugs into your TV via and hdmi cable. In case you have a newer television, you may then be able plug at the amazon flame, Roku stick and Comcast stick directly into the USB port on the back of the TV.
Using one of these streaming media players will let you connect to the world wide web to play a bunch of movies and shows through streaming services. In reality, there’s a ton of entertainment to keep you occupied with this setup. However, if you also want to record your shows and movies, then you’ll usually need additional components.
The Next Component is the Over-The-Air Antenna
When you are looking for local broadcast and network channels, you can use an over the air (OTA) antenna. If you live in populated regions of the US, the majority of the primary digital TV channels are available entirely free, without a cable subscription. All you need is a antenna that can catch a digital signal and you’re all set!
The Wineguard 5500a HDTV antenna is a wonderful selection for getting digital television channels within the air. It has a 50-60-mile variety and people even report around 70! It is possible to get ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and Fox (and perhaps more) in HD plus it supports a large and beautiful 1080p quality video.
This is really one of the best options available. Winegard has been in making these for a long time. The quality image from this antenna is really awesome for the affordable price that you purchase this for.
It’s rated for a range of 60 Miles, but could reach even farther. This is in part because of an included amp on it that is quite strong. You also can power it with the usb plug in your smartTV. You can even look up how far away the local channel towers are to help you figure out if it’s within the 60 mile range.
Finally, it’s a flat type of antenna so you can hang it anywhere and even paint it to match your walls.
The DVR - a Huge Piece of Your Entertainment System!
Finally, we've gotten to a very important part of your system. This will allow you ditch that monthly rental fee from your cable company!
This is an important feature because it also lets you rewind and fast-forward your shows in real time. This is something that I personally love. It just makes watching TV so much more versatile. You can pause and go to the bathroom any time you want!
Nowadays, the DVR is everywhere and it seems that most people get it with their cable subscription. But a lot of people don't even notice that they are paying around $10 a month for this thing! That really adds up.
Fortunately, there are a lot of solutions besides using the rental box that the cable company gives you. These make cutting the cord a lot easier.
Some Additional Info About DVRs
One big problem with DVRs is that they still require a monthly subscription. At least some of them do. Here are some examples.
- TiVo Premiere ($14.99/month)
- TiVo Roamio (no mandatory subscription, hence the higher price)
- Tablo ($4.99/month or $0/mo)
- Channel Master (no subscription, but these are hard to find)
Channel Master is one that decided to stop having a monthly subscription. However, they have become really hard to find. Check here to see if they are in stock at Amazon again.
In any case, if you can find one, they work pretty well.
DVR Roundup
Ok, let's find a DVR that's right for you! First and foremost. Get a price point in your mind so you’ve got a budget.
Then ask yourself am I Likely to use my old gear or upgrade. You then have to ask yourself do you have space for more devices that you are likely to watch TV with or do you need one unit that has them all combined?
If you’re wanting to utilize your old gear jump back up to Part I to utilize a converter box.
If you're ready to look for new gear, here are some things to compare and find what's most important to you:
- Inner memory
- Wi-Fi included
- What streaming service comprised
- Quality of the station manual
- How many shows can be listed in some time (number of tuner’s included)
- Can it capture as you see a display, and the number of
- Let it record just new episodes
- Interface: can you get episode titles & summaries?
- Hard disk comprised?
- Program manual data is totally free?
- Image quality
The Best 4 Devices for DVR Without Subscription
Tablo DVR to get HDTV Antennas, using Wi-Fi
The Tablo DVR is the brand new Kid on the block and next generation of DVRs. It enables you to watch your favorite media streaming suppliers such as apple-tv, amazon flame, netflix and hulu plus. When you hook up a HDTV antenna, you may even watch your own personal favourite TV shows.
You are not tied down to an hdmi cable to ONLY one television. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION HERE: In case you already invested in amazon video, apple television or netflix that you really wish to take a good look at this box.
You will most likely have all the major devices you already need. You probably have ipads or even a Roku apparatus lying around that the children are watching their shows on these networks too. So, all of this will play right into what you’ve already invested.
You literally hook up the Tablo to a router, then take your apple-tv or roku device and connect those to the Tablo, too. Now you may flow all your streaming media across the house from this 1 location!
How is that possible?
Here’s what the installation looks like in the diagram below. This is from Tablo and it will give you guys a more visual picture of what we're talking about.
This enables you to have one spot to stream your displays and to store your recorded shows. Hopefully, the diagram helps you.
So let's recap. This is what we are looking at so far:
- OTA digital antenna, you need this if you're going to cut the cord
- USB External hard disk to store recorded shows
- Wi-Fi router which you likely have already that will stream the shows to all of your devices, if you want to do that
- And hdmi media streaming device that will run all the apps. Tablo will run netflix and youtube, but that's it
With this setup, it will then allow everyone the capacity to perform with their displays from various tvs, phones, ipads etc. from anywhere in the house. This is fantastic since we have young children and we of course have bought all of this stuff already.
Tablo is really a whole-home-dvr that integrates into the your own network. (no hdmi cable) and utilizes the one HDTV antenna to stream all those available channels you’ve got access to. Note, it enables local access to channels you do not get with netfilx, sling, or hulu.
Once the live stream comes from the web to the Tablo apparatus you can do a few awesome things using it based on your installation.
- First, if you wish to record it, then you will need to join an external USB hard-drive.
- Second, you can choose to stream it out to WiFi devices such as a Intelligent TV, Chromecast, Roku or AppleTV.
- Third variation is that you actually have an app to run on your own phone or ipad that will allow you to control it and also to set up the way you wish to record the shows.
However, there are a couple drawbacks to the Tablo. The one thing I discovered about this setup is that you may want to pay $5 a month for their app subscription feature. The reviews are pretty good and it will make recording your shows a little easier. So of course it's up to you, but you may want to try it out for a month to see if you use it.
Also, there is a version with 4 tuners that will let you record 4 things at once, but it doesn't have a hard drive. So then you'll have to get an external USB hard drive. Luckily they're pretty cheap these days. Alternatively, there is a version with only 1 tuner that has some onboard flash memory. However, it only has 64 GB. For me, that's pretty small. So I would go with the 4 tuner version and buy an external drive.
Another Tablo Feature: Watching TV Outside Your Home
Have you ever wanted to watch something when you weren't able to get home? Maybe you travel a lot for work? Or maybe the playoffs are on? Well then this is the feature you want and Tablo has it.
Basically, you'll want to hook up to the internet with an ipad, iphone, or android to watch it remotely. This way you could even watch something while waiting in line at the doctors office, or something like that.
This Tablo box is a really great option for true cord cutters. But maybe you're looking for something different? Continue reading!
Click here to view more reviews and discounted prices on Amazon.
2. Magnavox Disc Drive Digital Video Disc Recorder
This box is going to do just about everything you need it to do, except it only has one tuner.
That means you can simply record only one show at a time. But what it lacks in number of tuners, it more than makes up for in quality and performance.
There is also only one input, which means you are going to need to choose between cable and OTA. But for anyone who is planning on cutting the cable from cable companies, that is not a problem! 1252 hours of recording sounds just like a dream, but keep in mind that’s because this isn’t an HD recorder.
You do get a pretty good 1Terbyte hard disk drive, and now you are able to record on blank discs too. This device is well known for producing super high quality recordings that are difficult to tell from the originals. This is one option where you wouldn't need an external USB hardrive, so you would have fewer boxes and cables to deal with.
However, with this box, you won't be able to remotely view your TV and it doesn't connect to your network. So you'll need one for each TV. Plus, it's really expensive. It works well, but you'll pay for it.
3. Tivo Roamio OTA HD DVR
If you remember from earlier, there is a subscription fee if you want the channel guide. However, you don't have to pay that if you don't want to. The subscription gives you 2 weeks of guide and scheduling capabilities, so just think about it.
This is the more expensive Tivo, but the functionality is similar. A lot of people go with this this solution if they already have an OTA antenna, huluplus, netflix, or any of the streaming services..
You can access local channels and all my web streaming services with this 1 device. It has a lot of other options to rent movies and get access to other networks, also.
The installation takes about 10-15 minutes if you need a software update and channel scanning. Otherwise it's pretty easy.
It also has 4 tuners, so you can record 4 shows at a time if you'd like to.
Another feature of this box is that you can easily access it in other rooms. You can get a Tivo mini and put it in other places in the house to get the same service.
Lastly, you can stream outside the home if you’ve An android or ipad. So that's pretty awesome. If you want the channel guide you have to pay an additional 14.99/mo, like we mentioned earlier. It just depends if you need the guide to help you schedule your recordings.
Oh, and it even it comes with a 500 gb hard drive, which means you’ve got 72 hours of recording. With all this, you can really get a lot of entertainment with this Tivo.
4. Channel Master DVR+ Bundle (Popular Choice)
The device that wins the customer satisfaction award hands down is the Channel Master DVR+ Bundle. It's probably the most cost effective and checks most of the boxes.
It’s a subscription free digital video recorder with internet features and channel guide (CM7500BDL2) that works really well.
It is possible to record two shows, plus watch a show simultaneously. In additional, if you add a USB hard disk to a Channel Master DVR+ you get tons of storage for your shows.
It also has a 1 terabyte internal hard drive as an option, or you can get an external USB drive. There is a new version of this DVR that does not have internal storage, so you'd have to buy a USB drive.
There’s just one drawback into the ChannelMaster, however. It might not have all the apps you want, like Netflix or Amazon. It generally comes with Vudu, Pandora, and YouTube. So for now, you may want to stick with a separate streaming media player. It will now work together with the slingbox 500 at 8/24/2015 so that you can watch your recorded shows outside of the home.