Hi All.
First question here. I am loving my Plex/Synology setup. I have just bought a Plex Pass to trial the newly updated Australian free to air DVR features. But before i jump into new hardware in the form of the HDHomeRun Connect box (or two), I need to know if I need to purchase their subscription as well as Plex Pass to get the features of pause/rewind live TV, Series linking shows etc.
I currently have a UEC Altech PVR triple tuner and it works really really well, but I cannot watch the recorded shows on any TV at home.
The Altech box does all of these things perfectly, I just want the extra flexibility of watching these recorded shows anywhere, anytime.
FWIW, I am happy to buy both PlexPass and the HomeRun DVR Service subscription, but only if i HAVE to.
Thanks in advance.
No you do not need to buy the SiliconDust subscription unless you are using their player software. That subscription is for EPG data which we provide as part of your Plex Pass subscription.
To be clear Plex DVR& Live TV is still in beta. You cannot pause/rewind live tv at this time in the Live TV supported Plex Players. I am unclear what you mean by “linking shows”
Thanks BigWheel.
Linking shows, I mean if I record an episode of say Orange is the new black, can the Plex DVR record the rest when they are shown, automagically?
Yes, like the season pass on TiVo, the Plex PVR allows you to select “All Episodes” and whether to only record first runs or repeats as well. If you are in the US then the Gracenotes EPG you get through Plex apparently is good, but for us down here in Australia it is seriously lacking, to the point where I now pay $4/month for an IceTV XMLTV EPG feed for my Plex DVR. Blueskies, Paul
@MDSimpson said:
Thanks BigWheel.
Linking shows, I mean if I record an episode of say Orange is the new black, can the Plex DVR record the rest when they are shown, automagically?
yeah when you select an episode and hit record there will be an option to record future episodes as they air
@paulblueskies said:
Yes, like the season pass on TiVo, the Plex PVR allows you to select “All Episodes” and whether to only record first runs or repeats as well. If you are in the US then the Gracenotes EPG you get through Plex apparently is good, but for us down here in Australia it is seriously lacking, to the point where I now pay $4/month for an IceTV XMLTV EPG feed for my Plex DVR. Blueskies, Paul
So, the Plex EPG in AU still has a was to go. Understandable, week before last I checked the ‘OTA channels available in my area’ and there was nothing there. Changed now, so i thought I’d jump in, I understand it is still in BETA, however I know what comes with BETA testing…
Going back to your point and my original question, would the Silicon Dust DVR subscription give me a better EPG than PLex currently has in AU? You are paying $4.00 per month, the DVR Service is USD$35 so not a lot in it…
If it works, it will be worth it…
Just need to get my hands on a HDHomeRun box now.
@MDSimpson said:
Going back to your point and my original question, would the Silicon Dust DVR subscription give me a better EPG than PLex currently has in AU? You are paying $4.00 per month, the DVR Service is USD$35 so not a lot in it…
To be honest I don’t have any information on the Silicon Dust EPG. I asked around and the general consensus was that, for Australia, IceTV was the best, so I started a trial and during that trial period they brought out the reduced subscription rate for XMLTV-only, so I signed up. I have been happy with it. Maybe someone else has some feedback on the Silicon Dust subscription?
Just need to get my hands on a HDHomeRun box now.
Been happy with the HDHomeRun Connect box also…
Blueskies, Paul
@MDSimpson Plex is now getting the same data you’d be getting with the HDHR DVR or from TiVo. In Australia, it’s all through HWW. I’m not sure if there is support for regional Australia yet, but I can verify that at least in Melbourne, the EPG you get from Plex now is pretty good (or at least as good as anything you’ll get in Australia!)
@DaveBinM said:
@MDSimpson Plex is now getting the same data you’d be getting with the HDHR DVR or from TiVo. In Australia, it’s all through HWW. I’m not sure if there is support for regional Australia yet, but I can verify that at least in Melbourne, the EPG you get from Plex now is pretty good (or at least as good as anything you’ll get in Australia!)
As good as IceTV @DaveBinM? I might have to check it out if so. If Plex has caught up to IceTV then I will drop my IceTV subscription and use what I have already paid for with my Plex Pass…
Blueskies, Paul
@paulblueskies In my opinion, it’s pretty much on par now, I think. Neither are perfect and sometimes one guide has data the other one doesn’t. If you’re in one of the major cities, I’d encourage you to give it another try now, and see how you go! Depending on what you watch, the Gracenote data might be better, or the IceTV data might be better. It’s worth having a look at 
Well, I’ve ordered my HomeRun, but there appears to be a backlog from the manufacturer… No one appears to have stock in AU.
Hi @DaveBinM , just recreating the DVR to use the Gracenote EPG for me here in Melbourne, but not sure which listed below is the correct one? The default is FreeView Melbourne - is that powered by Gracenote?
@paulblueskies Yeah, all of those options are provided by Gracenote. I think the Freeview one is probably the most complete, but if you find anything missing, just note it in the form pinned in the DVR forum. 
@DaveBinM I am happy to report that the in-built EPG called “Freeview - Melbourne” seems to be meeting my requirements to date. Looks like I can drop my IceTV XMLTV subscription (but thank you IceTV) - I’ll give it another couple of weeks to be sure. Blueskies, Paul
@paulblueskies I’m glad to hear it!
@DaveBinM the only negative factor I am observing is that the EPG only seems to show 3 days in advance unlike the IceTV which showed at least a week in advance from memory. Restricts the ability to search for an upcoming program to record. Is this normal behaviour? Blueskies, Paul
@paulblueskies I’m not sure, I’m afraid. I’ll need to have a look and get back to you.
