@VT.. In answer to your original question... We have the older Tablos (4), and 4th gen Tablos (2), Sililcone Dust HD, and Hauppage Media Center. And 3 separate antennas. We have had TiVo in the past. And a Plex running.
(this is my hobby
)
The Gen 4 Tablos are suffering from a mixture of issues; their tuners are not as sensitive as the early models and firmware is buggy. Slowly evolving better though.
We rely on the older Tablos (quads and duals) as our daily device.
Main issue is subscription fees for 14 day guide service (1 day guide is free).
After you babysit daily for a week of selecting your shows for permanent recording, the one day service is livable. And there is a subscription based Commercial skipping option.
The best tuners are in the Silicon Dust HD units, however their stand alone DVR app is bulky at best. They are perfect as tuners for a Media Center server like Plex or Windows. As are the Haupagge units. We still use our Windows 7/8 tower unit exclusively for Windows Media Center and PLEX.
Our best antenna is the Channel Master (defer to Mike Village here).
Also trying out a couple PBD antennas (ultra cheap) that are performing satisfactorly in their 3rd yr now.
Contact me if you want amplification.
Quote:
Originally Posted by villagetinker
Update on my outdoor antenna installation, apparently the initial install had a bad cable. I tried again with the antenna at about 6 feet off the ground (pointed to Orlando) and inside the birdcage and got around 60 channels now. This will be moved to an outside location and raised to gutter level. I was also in discussion with Antennas Direct technical service, and they have told I can place a second antenna on the opposite side of the house pointed to Ocala/Gainsville for those stations.
As an aside, Comcast is supposed to have a lower cost TV service that I am going to investigate, along with a low cost packaged streaming service that should cut my bill in half. This will give me the OTA as a backup and low-cost use in the garage and spare bedroom.
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