Hi - I am a newbie to this and want to see if anyone can help me get things sorted out! I currently have a Roku Smart TV (not connected to my cable provider due to cable restrictions) but have Tivo PVR and internet. I wanted to know if Plex Pass would enable me to watch my recorded TiVo PVRs or allow me to record shows I want? I am having difficulty finding info on getting this setup! Thanks.
Hello and welcome to the Plex Forums.
No, Plex cannot utilize any service providers’s set-top DVR boxes. That includes TiVo devices. They are not designed to be controlled by other programs. You need a stand alone digital tuner. See https://support.plex.tv/articles/225877427-supported-dvr-tuners-and-antennas/ for a list.
Edit - I changed the title of this thread so it is clearer what you are asking about.
Thanks - ok so no using the Tivo PVR but what do I need to PVR shows or watch live tv on my Roku tv? Do I still need a DVR? I bought Chromecast device but think my Roku Smart TV can do the job??? Totally lost!!
Your Roku TV can run the plex app and thus be a plex player. You would need something to act as the plex server. To watch tv, you would need a compatible TV tuner which the server could access. You would then configure the tv tuner on the server and it would then stream live tv.
My son’s have a roku, but that haven’t used it in some time as they also have an Xbox one, so I’m not overly familiar with it. If you bought a network based tuner like one of SIlcon Dust’s HDHomeRun (I have five total), then you may be able to watch TV directly on the Roku. What Plex would allow you to do is record TV (including removing commericals) etc. Plex server essentially is what gives you a Tivo-like experience vs just watching TV; the generic name for this is a DVR.
Plex has (IMHO) a better interface than Tivo and in my experience is actually more reliable. Plex also has better support in my experience; everytime I called support on Tivo their solution was to either buy a new Tivo (multiple issues; typically I’d unplug the Tivo, wait a minute, re-plug it in and it would work again. I always tried basically troubleshooting including restarting before calling them), that it was a purposeful design decision (couldn’t delete and re-scan channels, so when my cable company moved a channel, I had ghost channels. Based I could do was hide them, but they had an option to delete and re-scan that never worked. Their answer after two months was that they intentionally deleted it but didn’t remove it), or that I need a cable card (when I had trouble getting it to record shows; I pointed out that my HDHomeRun tuners were running fine and that Plex recorded things fine without my having to pay more for a cable card. They insisted a cable card was required).
I have an old co-worker who loves his Tivo’s. I admitedly got a bad taste in my mouth when I bought my second Tivo back when you could have several without paying extra and then they required I pay more every month. My second Tivo never quite worked right and besides the above mentioned issues they started always trying to get me to upgrade, but if I really pushed them they admited they didn’t have a newer Tivo that would work how I was using it (I think they do, I think its just not officially supported). My wife liked the Tivo, but when it didn’t work for three monthes, I was green lit to buy an nVidia Shield to try in the living room. Since they added the channel listing, I think she’s happy. Sorry, I meant for this paragraph to be a your mileage may vary between the two. I don’t regret the change.
Sorry that’s long winded, hopefully it at least initially provided some clarification.
Thank you so much for the info! We have Tivo through Cogeco (our cable supplier) and it is just okay. The problem started when my Roku Smart TV in the master could not have coaxial cable run up to it (would have to drill into the house and wrap around the house - not worth it). The Cogeco installer said why not just get Chromecast device and Plex. So I ordered Chromecast Device and then started to think “do I really need this device if I have a Roku Smart TV??” Basically just trying to watch live tv and possibly record shows - the setup for the device that you mentioned SIlcon Dust’s HDHomeRun requires an antennae - is this like the old school ones on the outside of the house?? This is pretty foreign to me so trying to make my way through without buying extra “stuff”. Thanks again!
It depends on the tuner you buy.
Tuner Choice #1: A tuner that supports coax
If you purchase a tuner that support coax, you could hook it up to an antenna and get the broadcast channels. I had one hooked up that way for awhile as my cable company wasn’t providing HD so it was an easy way to get the broadcast channels in HD. Currently all of my tuners are connected to my cable. The limitation is you will only get the un-encrypted channels. While I have heard that’s very limited in some areas, we don’t have any premium channels and we seem to get all of the channels we are supposed to. While that used to be common, its my understanding that in many areas things have changed so your mileage may vary. One way to test would be to hook your coax cable directly to a fairly modern TV to see what channels its tuner can pick up.
Tuner choice #2: Tuner’s supporting cable cards
Alternatively, you can get one that supports cable cards and then get a cable card from your cable provider (it will likely incur an extra monthly cost, but it shouldn’t be much). I have never used a cable card (my old Tivo supported them, but I never bothered since coax worked), but i have heard that they can be more reliable – especially if your cable company likes to move channels around. The cable card should do the decryption for you, so you should be able to watch all the channels you pay for.
You should check what tuners Plex supports and I know the list has grown. I was an earlier adopter since I already had a SilconDust HDHomeRun tuner when Plex announced DVR support. Since my first tuner wasn’t supported, they gave me a really good deal on a new one (and let me buy three at the discounted price), so I’ve stuck with them. Since I’m familiar with them, I looked up their current products and based upon the information on HDHomeRun – Silicondust it looks like:
HDHomeRun Extend, ConnectDuo, ConnectQuatro all support coax so they would likely be able to receive whatever your TV can receive if you hook the coax directly to it.
The HDHomeRun Prime 6 would be your cable card option
DISCLAIMER: The above information is purely from the table I screenshot above, so please do more research before purchasing. I just wanted to try and provide some guidance as I understand things can be a bit overwhelming.
Also, keep in mind you need something to act as the server. Some people use NAS. Personally, I have a FreeNAS server I used to use; when I replaced the Tivo I started using an nVidia Shield. Those come with additional expense though.
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