OTA DVRs

Aereo promised a breakthrough service for cord-cutters: the ability to watch and record over-the-air TV without the hassle of an antenna or additional hardware for $8 to $12 a month.

Wednesday's Supreme Court decision against Aereo means the company's current service is effectively illegal. (CBS, the parent company of CNET, is one of the companies that brought the suit against Aereo.) But that doesn't mean that cable cutters are out of options. Over the last year, several compelling over-the-air recording solutions have hit the market, making it easier for cord cutters to supplement streaming video services like Netflix with traditional network television, as long as you get reception.

I've reviewed most of the major over-the-air DVRs and the good news is the options are far better than they've been in the past. Each solution has its strengths and weaknesses, so which one is best for you will largely depend on your budget, viewing habits, and level of tech savvy.

Let's take a look at what's available.

TiVo Roamio: The best, if you're willing to pay

Channel Master DVR+: No-frills recording at a budget price

Nuyvvo Tablo: Innovative option that's best for techies

Simple.TV 2: Improved, but with competition

Other options: Skip the DVR or roll your own (Hauppage HD PVR)

*** [6/7/16 inspired from a scribbled note written who knows how long ago.  I looked at this before but I guess I never wrote about it here in this blog.]

Another option is the Silicon Dust HD Homerun Prime.

It's not an OTA DVR, but is a possible replacement for the DVR from your cable company.  It accepts a cable card.  However it doesn't connect directly to your TV.  It connects to your computer which can be connected to your TV.  Currently works with Windows 7 media center.  Alternatively you can use an XBox 360 as a Windows Media Center Extender to watch on your TV.  I don't know the current compatibility with Windows 10.

The homepage says "QAM - Live US CableTV with DRM Support (CableCARDtm conditional access) streaming Premium cable channels throughout your home."  So maybe you can just connect your cable directly to it?  [Well, the HDHomerun CONNECt apparently can.]

Check out Lon Seidman's youtube videos for more info.

Silicon Dust's OTA DVR product is the HDHomerun CONNECT.

You connect your OTA antenna to it and attach it to your router.  Then any computer on the network can access the signal and play and record TV.  Apparently it supports the Fire TV?

And coming up (hopefully), the HD Homerun DVR which would reduce the need for the convoluted hardware setups (and Windows Media Center).

I recall I saw the HD Homerun mentioned on twit.  Don't think it was this episode.  Or was it this one? (which mentions Clear QAM and tuners with CableCards).  Yeah, I think this is the one.