A home PVR has been another hobby for quite some time. I once ran MythTV back in the day, and did enjoy it, but there were some flaws. So during this new setup, I wanted re-evaluate the available options before deciding on a final solution.
My requirements for my final solution:
- Be able to record live TV (both OTA and from commercial providers)
- Have access to guide data and ability to record using a web browser
- Be able to record and convert shows into m4v (most compatible across multiple platforms IMO
- Be able to watch the converted shows via Plex
- Be able to watch live TV (with pause ability) on all my devices (phones, tablets, TVs, laptops, ...)
There's lots of options for recording. Here is a list of options I reviewed:
- Windows Media Center = Doesn't have web based guide option; can't find any plugins to watch live TV
- MythTV = Live TV is still experimental, and it was not fun getting the drivers to work with my Hauppauge card.
- WinTV with Extend (from Hauppauge) = Live TV from the phone app, but couldn't extend to other devices. Also didn't see guide data when choosing a channel.
- HD Homerun with Plex HD SurferWave plugin = saw a YouTube video on this; it looked nice for watching live TV, but by itself, didn't support recording shows (could run into resource contention with tuners being available)
- Next PVR = Currently I've been using this for a few weeks now. I found a plugin for Plex that supports live TV. Currently having issues while watching two shows at a time through Plex. However, I like the support with my Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2255 tuner - it supports recording all of the channels in a single digital group on a single tuner (i.e. 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4). It also can stream recorded TV using its built in web server. I can also stream live TV using VLC via the built in web server.
- Tablo = Really awesome, but a bit out of my price range. But, it definitely takes all the work out of it.
***** Current Solution - as of Dec 2014 ******
I've been using NextPVR / NPVR for a couple months now. I've been using it to record shows and then an application called MCE Buddy to pull out commercials, compress the file, and move it to a folder configured for Plex to pull it into its inventory. Plex does the rest in delivering the content to all my Plex devices. And, if I want to watch live TV (which isn't too often), I can use VLC to connect to the NextPVR web page and stream it or I use a NextPVR plugin within Plex. I use Schedules Direct to receive TV guide data.
