Long-term Plex user here and looking to try Live TV. Only looking at OTA so thinking either the HDHomeRun CONNECT or EXTEND would be the boxes I need. Just wondering if it would be worth getting the EXTEND since it can do transcoding on the fly? I do use wired network connections for everything.
Also, I know that currently they don’t support Roku boxes for Live TV but I’m going to want to use Roku. Are any of the add-ons that are out there to make it work with Roku dependent on the features in the EXTEND?
Just wanting to make sure I make the right purchase.
I bought a HDHomeRun Connect initially, because hey, “Plex can handle the transcode when necessary after it hits my Library.” Didn’t take long for me to start running into lip sync issues with recorded content from some channels, plus, having to disable Direct Play on my Sony Android TV, because it “can” choke it’s way through mpeg2. Then, I went through the whole rigamarole of doing post-processing to transcode the captured content to h.264, which ended up being far too slow to appease my wife, who likes to watch her morning show at 9:00 on the nose after it finishes.
Enter Live TV, which the Android TV cannot handle at all coming off of the Connect, in spite of the fact that it’s connected via ethernet cable.
I finally ended up just biting the bullet and switching to an HDHomeRun Extend, and I am so glad I did. Live TV works great on the TV and our iPhones, the recordings take up less space, and the hardware encode has been whisper quiet for us. For DVR use only, the Connect does the job just fine, depending on your needs, but when pause & time-shift on Live TV come around, I feel like the Extend is going to be the only practical option between the two.
All of this is based on my experience, but I would definitely recommend getting the Extend. I started with the Connect and ended up buying both…
Well, the HomeRun is not a USB device. So there’s that.
The HomeRun is supposed to be a great device and the Extend does transcoding so it takes that load off Plex Server.
@sirwankel said:
Why HDHomerun over the other USB capture devices?
I started with the HDHomeRun because it was the first device supported by the Plex DVR. I run Plex on a beefy Debian server, so I’d wanted to start with the Hauppauge WinTV initially, but the Plex DVR’s tuner support on launch swung me to HDHomeRun. When I made the decision that the Connect wasn’t cutting it for our needs, I reconsidered the Hauppauge USB tuner, but I’d read that the captures were blockier than with the HDHomeRun, and it doesn’t do hardware transcode (obviously), so the Extend was clearly the best option for our needs.
Edit: I don’t have any experience with any of the newly supported USB tuners, but I know that I’m thrilled with the HDHomeRun Extend, while my experience with the Connect did leave me considering USB tuners again. Really happy with the final setup, although I wish I had gone with the Extend out of the gate.
Which server version do you have? You listed two different versions. Version 1.5.6 will not have Live TV capability. Version 1.72 will but only with iOS and Android TV devices.
@trudaddy said:
Can you help me understand how you got everything to work? I have
HDHomerun Extend
Plex Pass
Up to Date Server 1.5.6 / 1.7.2
Nvidia Shield
PC with 8500 Passmark score
Ethernet with Cat 6
I cannot get the live tv to show up at all on the Plex app at all.
I have a Sony Android TV, so not a separate Android TV box, but it shouldn’t make a difference. It was strange, but after updating the server to 1.7.2, the Live TV menu item (Program Guide/Scheduled Recordings) didn’t show up in either the Android TV app or the iOS app on my phone. I restarted the server a couple of times to no avail. Eventually, I deleted the app from my phone and TV (both were already updated to the latest version), then re-installed them from the App Store and Google Play. Upon re-install, the Live TV menu item showed up instantly. The only bummer was that I lost synced content on my phone, but Live TV is working brilliantly on both devices now. Watching the NBA Finals through Plex now without so much as a hiccup for the last hour. I suppose the issues can be forgiven since it’s early days for Live TV through Plex.
I will give that a whirl. I am a little confused about one thing. When looking at the plex server on the server application details, the version says 1.5.6. But when I go to the plex site looking for version 1.7.2, it states that “Server 1.5.6 / 1.7.2 Pass” is the most current. Is this to suggest that the versions are the same or is there something I am missing?
I have a Sony Android TV, so not a separate Android TV box, but it shouldn’t make a difference. It was strange, but after updating the server to 1.7.2, the Live TV menu item (Program Guide/Scheduled Recordings) didn’t show up in either the Android TV app or the iOS app on my phone. I restarted the server a couple of times to no avail. Eventually, I deleted the app from my phone and TV (both were already updated to the latest version), then re-installed them from the App Store and Google Play. Upon re-install, the Live TV menu item showed up instantly. The only bummer was that I lost synced content on my phone, but Live TV is working brilliantly on both devices now. Watching the NBA Finals through Plex now without so much as a hiccup for the last hour. I suppose the issues can be forgiven since it’s early days for Live TV through Plex.
I will give that a whirl. I am a little confused about one thing. When looking at the plex server on the server application details, the version says 1.5.6. But when I go to the plex site looking for version 1.7.2, it states that “Server 1.5.6 / 1.7.2 Pass” is the most current. Is this to suggest that the versions are the same or is there something I am missing?
Ver 1.7.2 is a Plex Pass only version, so the 1.5.6/1.7.2 means 1.5.6 is the latest GR and 1.7.2 is the latest Plex Pass version.
You need to be on 1.7.2 if you want Live TV. You may need to manually upgrade your server.
If you have a wife or family that will be using this regularly, I would think twice about going the Plex DVR route…I have an old Tivo and tried to switch over to Plex DVR after many years of using Plex but the lack of features and bugs vs using a dedicated PVR means it’s a constant unrelenting headache…something that your family will really complain about.
I’m sure Plex will address some of these in the future (e.g. Live has FINALLY arrived albeit with no time shift and very few clients support).
Things still missing:
-Timeshift/pause
-Proper program Guide grid
-Channel starts and changes will always be slow as the Plex server has to transcode and buffer a bit (may not be an issue with the HDHomerun Extend but that is only available in the USA)
-Stability
-Plex Apple TV 4 client isn’t great with lots of issues with Direct Play etc
@trudaddy said:
I will give that a whirl. I am a little confused about one thing. When looking at the plex server on the server application details, the version says 1.5.6. But when I go to the plex site looking for version 1.7.2, it states that “Server 1.5.6 / 1.7.2 Pass” is the most current. Is this to suggest that the versions are the same or is there something I am missing?
You need to go into the server settings from the web interface and switch to the Plex Pass Update Channel. You’re currently running the 1.5.6.x public release.
@jayz78 said:
If you have a wife or family that will be using this regularly, I would think twice about going the Plex DVR route…I have an old Tivo and tried to switch over to Plex DVR after many years of using Plex but the lack of features and bugs vs using a dedicated PVR means it’s a constant unrelenting headache…something that your family will really complain about.
I’m sure Plex will address some of these in the future (e.g. Live has FINALLY arrived albeit with no time shift and very few clients support).
Things still missing:
-Timeshift/pause
-Proper program Guide grid
-Channel starts and changes will always be slow as the Plex server has to transcode and buffer a bit (may not be an issue with the HDHomerun Extend but that is only available in the USA)
-Stability
-Plex Apple TV 4 client isn’t great with lots of issues with Direct Play etc
This is an exceedingly fair point. My wife is practically a Luddite when it comes to this stuff, and I considered going with a Tablo or Tivo after her frustration with the time-delay introduced by post-process transcoding the HDHomeRun Connect recordings to avoid Direct Play without disabling it for all media. That, combined with the complete inability of our primary client to support Live TV in MPEG2 (the server is a headless Debian i7 with 32GB of RAM, all relevant devices hard-wired/gigabit, so the limitation isn’t there in either case). Time-Shift/Pause is on the way, and my wife actually prefers the Plex Program Guide to the time/channel grid provided by our TV, due to some strange sort of insanity I can’t comprehend. Yes, it’s not for the faint-of-heart at this point, but I’m really happy with what we’re getting out of the Extend and all of our clients at this point. At this point, the real advantage is having a single-source for viewing all video content, but it continues to approach an ideal setup over time.
@sirwankel said:
Why HDHomerun over the other USB capture devices?
A USB device needs to be by the server, my server is in a closet with a concrete wall between it and the outside. My Extend is sitting next to the window with a short lead on the antenna connected to a GbE switch. For me converting to Ethernet as soon as possible preserves the signal quality without needing to run a long antenna coax cable through the apartment.
