This is a simple question and I realize it’s probably been asked many times, but I can’t seem to get an answer that leaves me certain of what to do. Here’s what I have:
Plex Media Server
Plex Pass
Vizio smart TV (but I don’t know if it is the correct model that supports Plex)
Roku via wifi
Here’s my question:
What, exactly, do I need to do or buy to watch Plex Live TV WITHOUT having my computer on? Is this possible? If so, how?
Thank you.
Yea, connect the antenna to your tv instead and don’t involve plex or your computer.
Thanks, but I can’t tell if you’re being flip or serious. If you’re serious, “connect the antenna to your tv instead?” Instead of what? Are you calling my router the antenna? Are you saying run an ethernet cable from my router to my Vizio and I’ll get live TV from all the networks and cable networks? And what’s the answer if I don’t have an ethernet port on my Vizio? I realize I’m probably asking stupid questions but I don’t care anymore. I need more detail.
@imalil said:
Thanks, but I can’t tell if you’re being flip or serious. If you’re serious, “connect the antenna to your tv instead?” Instead of what? Are you calling my router the antenna? Are you saying run an ethernet cable from my router to my Vizio and I’ll get live TV from all the networks and cable networks? And what’s the answer if I don’t have an ethernet port on my Vizio? I realize I’m probably asking stupid questions but I don’t care anymore. I need more detail.
Judging by your questions I am going to assume you aren’t currently using Plex TV and DVR. You can’t use anything related to Plex without the PC/Server being on. You can however by pass plex completely by connecting the antenna directly to the TV but then you can’t use Plex with it. The third option is get a HDhomerun and use their app to by pass plex but again if the server is off you won’t be able to use the DVR feature.
@imalil said:
Thanks, but I can’t tell if you’re being flip or serious. If you’re serious, “connect the antenna to your tv instead?” Instead of what? Are you calling my router the antenna? Are you saying run an ethernet cable from my router to my Vizio and I’ll get live TV from all the networks and cable networks? And what’s the answer if I don’t have an ethernet port on my Vizio? I realize I’m probably asking stupid questions but I don’t care anymore. I need more detail.
You know that you need to provide the “live tv” part wether it’s via antenna or cable for the plex live tv part to work, right? Tv antenna has nothing to do with your router or Ethernet cables.
Plex doesnt provide television channels like a cable company and since you don’t want to keep your computer on (a requirement for plex) your only solution is to connect the coax from you tv antenna or cable company feed to your tv directly and not use plex at all for watching “live tv”.
Okay. Right now I’m using Roku via wifi and getting live TV through Sling. Coax is only connected to my modem, not the TV–I pay for cable internet, not cable TV. My computer is not on.
Where is the antenna?
How are they able to provide “live TV” like this?
Thank you.
Sling is a content provider over the internet. Sling pays ESPN and other Networks for the use of their content to stream over the internet. Sling does not get that for free and the resources to stream it to you is not free to them, so they have to charge you to recover that money.
Plex Live is built around the idea that you purchase a Tuner, like HD Homerun, that with an Antenna captures the free Over the Air signal and streams it to your computer. Plex then can take this signal and either play it to you live or record it for later viewing. So to answer your original question. Get yourself a HD Homerun Connect stand alone tuner and a good Antenna for your area. This will allow you to watch TV without your computer being on. You can use http://hdhrfling.com/ with the Roku or leave our computer on and use Plex to watch and record.
Okay, so the deal here is that Plex is a Media Server, and has Live TV Functionality, which I highly suggest you look into how it works. What they mean by an antenna is that Plex does not offer live tv service, it offers the ability to work with other hardware to provide content through the plex server. In my Cable setup, my cable comes into my house, and I split it, one cable goes to my modem, like yours, the other goes to a HDHomeRun Prime, which is a Cablecard Tuner, which outputs content over IP in my house. The Plex can see the HDHomeRun device on my network, picks up the feed, and uses the device as if it were a cable box. This allows me to watch Live TV and record TV to my Plex server. The only other option is to use an antenna to pick up the feed, and use one of the many supported TV Tuner PCI cards that plex supports.
To be 100% clear, Plex is not a television provider, nor does their service act anything like Sling, they are just bringing in what you have already put onto your network, and then provide that too you through the Plex interface.
If you have not done this, and you are unsure, I suggest reading, and then when you think you understand how it needs to be configured, research some more. Antenna is the 100% safe way to make this work. Many Cable Providers use DRM to encrypt their channels, I am lucky as my local provider only encrypts the movie channels which I do not use, so I am able to pick up standard cable and record it. Most people are putting antenna’s up and picking up just the locals or anything else that is over the air.
You would always need a machine dedicated to the Plex server itself, and you would need some kind of tuner to tune the channels, and to put them on your network, or into your plex server(PCI Adapter Tuner). Plex does not offer any channels themselves, you need to provide that yourself.
