hey peeps, i just read this, after having purchased recently an hd homerun prime and having ordered from twc a cablecard (and that tuning thing).
so i pretty much can do only dvr on “basic” channels? (i could’ve done all this with an hdhomerun + antenna? well except i live in NYC and there’s no way my condo would allow me to install an outdoor antenna.
happens too with other cable providers like comcast?
@cookiemenace said:
so i pretty much can do only dvr on “basic” channels? (i could’ve done all this with an hdhomerun + antenna? well except i live in NYC and there’s no way my condo would allow me to install an outdoor antenna.
At this time premium channels such as HBO aren’t compatible. Yes, you could also do this with a HDHomeRun, their software, and an antenna. The difference here is that you get the Plex interface and your recorded media becomes part of a Plex library, thus having the benefits of viewing the content across our apps and sharing.
@Venom121212 - Thank you for your input but unfortunately, discussion / instructions on downloading copyrighted media goes against our rules.
Are there any plans to add recording DRM copy-once encrypted capabilities in the future? SiliconDust is currently working on a project to allow playback and recording of DRM protected content. However last I checked, they were stalled with the DRM piece. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1275320038/hdhomerun-dvr-the-dvr-re-imagined
Might be a good opportunity for a partnership between Plex and SiliconDust.
@cookiemenace said:
hey peeps, i just read this, after having purchased recently an hd homerun prime and having ordered from twc a cablecard (and that tuning thing).so i pretty much can do only dvr on “basic” channels? (i could’ve done all this with an hdhomerun + antenna? well except i live in NYC and there’s no way my condo would allow me to install an outdoor antenna.
happens too with other cable providers like comcast?
Comcast only adds DRM to the premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc). I can record all of the other channels in my package.
That being said, I actually went back to using WMC + MCE Buddy - I’ve found that they tag and organize my recordings into my Plex library more accurately than Plex does, which is kind of funny. I also find the guide in Plex DVR to be clunky. Searching is easy enough, but I’d also like to see an easier to use grid layout.
I understand that Plex DVR is still in beta; I’m hopefully watching the development. I too would love to see a closer partnership with Silicon Dust to work out the DRM issues. My understanding is that it’s not so much a technical challenge, but a financial one in that it’s expensive to license / get certification.
@cookiemenace said:
so i pretty much can do only dvr on “basic” channels? (i could’ve done all this with an hdhomerun + antenna? well except i live in NYC and there’s no way my condo would allow me to install an outdoor antenna.
In NYC you don’t need an outdoor antenna. You could probably get 200 channels on the fillings in your teeth.
Plus - you can tell the Condo association to go fly a kite if you have an area that is exclusively used by only yourself (such as a balcony or patio).
@eherberg said:
Plus - you can tell the Condo association to go fly a kite if you have an area that is exclusively used by only yourself (such as a balcony or patio).Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule | Federal Communications Commission
Yea, that’s what the Gubment says, but the Gubment isn’t there when you’re being evicted for the fine-print violation of something that angry landlord fine-tooth-combed out of the lease when an antenna was erected against his wishes.
A ‘Coat Hanger’ in NYC could work amazingly well - and wouldn’t result in your stuff ending up on the sidewalk.
If 40+ years of installing antennae has taught me anything it is to ‘work’ with landlords when possible and to ‘work around’ landlords when ‘working with them’ is not possible. A Big Honkin’ antenna in an attic, closet, spare room or hung cleverly behind an attractive wall tapestry could mitigate landlord issues entirely.
REF: https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/225877427
Makes no reference to ‘protected’ channels in EPG.
Plex software is not different that 95% of the rest of them with regard to encrypted/protected content. About the only software that will play this content is WMC. Silicon Dust has a player that, as far as I know, is still being worked on as well, but I am not sure if it has been fully released yet. If you are mad, complain to the FCC about CableCards (assuming you are in the US anyhow).
Comcast only adds DRM to the premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc). I can record all of the other channels in my package.
That is not true for all areas. In GA Comcast has encrypted all channels including OTA. It’s been that way for several years.
Hope you don’t wake up one day and find all your previously viewable channels are suddenly blank unless you get a Cablecard and WMC. I was not happy but Comcast could care less.
Edit: I just checked and I was able to record TV programming on Food Network. Guess Plex works with some types of cable encryption after all. Using a Win 7 PC with HDhomerun Prime.
Don’t know if you ever got an answer to your question about using Prime and Connect on same DVR. I am a new Plex user wanting to get away from WMC and found Plex now has DVR capability. So I bought the Lifetime Pass and new HDHomerun Connect since my old HDHomerun would not do DLNA. I had my old Prime still setup with splitter beside my cable modem, but could not see it initially. Once I ran through the setup for new Connect and a Firmware installation the Prime device was also detected by the Homerun installer, and as a pleasant surprise was also detected by Plex DVR. I now have 5 tuners seen by the PlexDVR - 3 on Prime and 2 on Connect. Apparently all 5 are currently recording programs as well.
We really need a time grid based guide to make this workable especially if we ever plan to eliminate WMC with MCE Buddy, Silicon Dust and PLEX are working together but I do not wish to use both setups long term,.
There are platforms that allow full DRM for recording and live viewing, using a Nvidia shield & Silicon Dust’s own DVR solution for example. Another would be a windows 10 machine that has been properly setup with the same DVR solution as the shield. Both could have Plex installed on it and have it convert new items to a more friendly format. The DRM problem is being worked on, it’s just slow. I would expect something for PLEX by years end. My current solution doesn’t included PLEX as a DVR, but this is all beta software at this point. Also Silicon Dust’s guide is just horrible, the grid is a patent issue and I don’t either company changing to a grid.
I was going nuts for a few days trying to figure out the issue with my channels. I setup an HDHomeRun Prime a couple of weeks ago and everything seems fine until I tried to record an HBO show. Of my 9 HBO channels only 2 of them were showing. I thought it was a cable card setup issue, which it partially was, but once I got that sorted the missing channels now showed up as “Protected” in Plex. 
Once I checked the Prime I realized I’d been hit with the DRM flag issue.
Comcast still thinks it’s a problem with the Cable Card and they want to swap it out, but I now I know that it’s just the DRM flag on those channels. The really weird part is that I get 2 out of the 9 HBO channels fine, i.e. no DRM flag. I find it strange that they would DRM all but 2 HBO channels.
Thanks for all the comments guys. I’m a lifetime Plex Pass member lurking and thinking of cutting the cord in a few months. Please keep us updated on the DRM situation. I can’t decide whether or not to keep paying for a few cable channels that I watch but I’m definitely going to implement my own DVR solution. I’m thinking about just going OTA with Plex DVR and HDHR… At this point it seems that is the only good option if all your channels have DRM (I believe mine do w Spectrum/TWC in SoCal)…
Is there any talk about Plex DVR supporting DRM and/or live content? I would love to switch my house over to using the Plex UI for all media needs.
From our DVR FAQ, https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/226463767-Frequently-Asked-Questions-DVR
Are Encrypted Channels supported?
Encrypted channels of any kind are not currently supported.
What about live TV or time-shifting?
It is not currently possible to watch TV live or time-shift it before the recording has ended. Recordings must complete before they can be viewed. Live TV/time-shifting is an area in which we’re interested.
@clayelliott
I also am on TWC / Spectrum in SoCal.
Most all the good channels have DRM that the HDHomeRun won’t access.
Not only NO DVR but you cannot even watch them.
Is really messed up…
Great thread, wish I had read it before invest my time and money on see if the HDHR prime and Cox in Phoenix AZ would work for me. FYI most of the channels from Cox in Phoenix have DRM (all channels but the ones you can get from over the air).
