I’m running Plex Server (Version#: 1.18.6.3368) on a Synology NAS & have Plex Pass. I recently learned about the Live TV option and it sounded like a no-brainer to me.
When I plugged in my zipcode (93444) at https://www.plex.tv/tv/ I could preview the available channels. They varied, but “spectrum san luis obispo digital” showed hundreds of channels including all the locals, big broadcasts, and tons of premiums so I decided to give this a go.
We bought a Clearstream TV and ClearStream 2MAX antenna with 60 mile range. There are multiple broadcasts in opposite directions and they are 20-40 miles away. (the san luis one referenced is just 15-20 miles away)
However once properly installed, regardless of which way we point it I only get 20-29 channels, all locals, several of them useless ones you’d never watch. There are maybe 5-10 of actual watchable channels. All locals. I definitely wouldn’t have invested the money and effort for just that!
I checked all of the how-to’s & diagnosed various things, but I can find no workable solution for this. Surely you must be able to get the gamut of channels otherwise why pay for and install this?
Can anyone explain to me what might be going on and if it’s fixable?
Spectrum is a cable TV provider; you won’t be able to access their content with a tuner/antenna combination. There are cable tuner options available (search the web for HDHomeRun Prime), but they still require you to subscribe to whichever cable provider(s) (Spectrum) you have in your area.
You’ll only be able to pick up the over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts in your area. It looks like you have three different lineups available, pick the one which most closely aligns with the channels your scan finds.
That page you reference just shows you the guide data Plex has available for your area, it’s not an advertisement for the channels you’ll be able to receive.
Seriously? Well that’s misleading. Why would we want to buy $200 worth of equipment and install it just to still pay for a subscription to a provider?? That seems totally counterproductive! Am I missing something? I certainly didn’t go to this expense and effort to get 10 channels!
There may be 3 lineups, but when you set up you don’t have any option, just what it scans and like I said whatever I do, the most channels I get in english that are usable are 5-10. Not worth a damn
I don’t mean to be antagonistic, but the page you were looking at clearly says “potential” channels (twice, actually):
View potential channels in your area using the Channel Lookup.
Enter your country and postal code to view potential channels in your area. OTA channel availability varies based on topography, foliage, antenna quality, and signal strength in your area.
yeah I understood that just fine. What I didn’t understand was that only the options under “OTA” were what I would get. Re-reading it after reading the comments on this thread it seems more obvious but before purchasing and understanding this better it wasn’t to me.
My question remains though, if you have to pay for a subscription service to get any decent amount of channels anyway, what’s the point of paying for this stuff and going to the trouble of self-install rather than just let the major companies handle it. I get it would be a little bit cheaper since you wouldn’t rent their equipment but it can’t be that much, can it? (I’m only paying $35/mo currently for direct TV streaming service which comes w/HBO)
Aside from the lower cost resulting from not having to rent extra equipment you have the benefit of being able to record shows and have them integrated into your Plex library.
