[BulkHedd]

I am currently a DirecTV subscriber and my contract runs out in a few months. I am very interested in cutting the cord and going OTA. I bought a Mohu Leaf Ultimate antenna and I am able to receive all my local channels in excellent HD quality.


I was looking seriously at getting a ChannelMaster DVR+ but I'm not sure I would be happy with it. Aside from all the complaints about clock issues, dropped connections, etc. I feel like I would really like more functionality. I might want to watch something I recorded on my iPad while using the treadmill. I could add a Slingbox 500, making my up-front costs about $525.00 (including the Leaf).


I was also interested in the 2-tuner Simple.TV box but it doesn't sound like it is a good choice for watching live TV and pausing/rewinding. Plus there are fan issues and Roku playback problems. I could pick one of those up for about $199.00 plus $150 for lifetime premium service, making the cost $400.00 up-front.


Lastly I was looking into the TiVo Roamio. I have used a TiVo in the past and loved it. I know I would be getting a solid product that works great. I could record 4 OTA shows at a time and I can add the Streamer to watch on my iPad. The rough part about the TiVo would be the price. $179.00 for the Roamio basic, $500.00 for lifetime service and $129.00 for the Streamer: $858.00 up-front cost!!! (including the Leaf I already have).


I have plenty of time but I want to make sure I set everything up well ahead of time so I can know it will work for me. I guess I'm just organizing my thoughts and looking for any advice/guidance that this forum can provide me.



Edit: I should mention that I already own a Roku 1, Roku XDS and an Apple TV (2nd generation).

 

[jjeff]


To me it sounds like a Tivo Roamio would be your best bet, you sound like your going to be somewhat a power user and cheaper options like the CM+ may be cheaper but your lose functionality and gain a little quirkiness. I know it may be a hard pill to swallow but my guess is by dropping Dish you'd probably pay it back in less than a year. I was faced with a similar thing many years back and finally bit the bullet and bought my Tivo HD with lifetime and upsized the HDD to 1TB, all together it cost me a bit over $600 at the time, looking back I consider it one of my best investments I've made.

I guess another option if your inclined would be to build a HTPC, a much cheaper option and probably even more options than a Tivo but not everyone is up to building and maintaining a HTPC, if you think you might want to go that route you should check the various threads about Tivo vs HTPC, offhand I think a good one is by Charles R and should be on the first or second page of this forum.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1422535/windows-media-center-vs-tivo-premiere

 

[Kelson]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BulkHedd  /t/1517255/plan-on-cutting-the-cord-soon-looking-for-advice/0_100#post_24342630


I was looking seriously at getting a ChannelMaster DVR+ but I'm not sure I would be happy with it . . . I feel like I would really like more functionality.


I have used a TiVo in the past and loved it. I know I would be getting a solid product that works great. I could record 4 OTA shows at a time and I can add the Streamer to watch on my iPad. The rough part about the TiVo would be the price.

If you want advanced functionality, rock-solid reliability, in a box that "just works" and will last many years, you have to pay for it.

For OTA use, I have both a Roamio Basic and a TiVo HD -- I would never downgrade to a lesser DVR.

 

[BulkHedd]

I have to admit I am leaning towards the TiVo Roamio. I just find that $500 lifetime fee hard to swallow. Especially since it is only for the life of the device.

 

[Kelson]

Would you find it more palatable if the device cost $600 and the lifetime sub only cost $75?


The TiVo costs $675, complete. You will be much happier if you forget about the ways marketing has diced up the costs to make multiple payment plans possible. Buying a TiVo is no different from buying a $600 Oppo or a $700 AVR -- high-end is high-end and high-end costs.

 

[Charles R]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BulkHedd  /t/1517255/plan-on-cutting-the-cord-soon-looking-for-advice#post_24343368


I just find that $500 lifetime fee hard to swallow.

If you purchase TiVo from anyone but TiVo you can get Lifetime for $400... google the discount code. PLSR worked the last I heard.

 

[BulkHedd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles R  /t/1517255/plan-on-cutting-the-cord-soon-looking-for-advice#post_24343798



If you purchase TiVo from anyone but TiVo you can get Lifetime for $400... google the discount code. PLSR worked the last I heard.

Thanks, I'll look into that. Unfortunately I'm not actually ready to make the switch but maybe I'll go ahead and get it since it's not going to expire.

 

[BulkHedd]

I have another question about the Roamio. With my old TiVo HD I could use a piece of TiVo software to pull recorded shows off of the DVR and burn it to DVD or whatever. Can I do something like that with the Roamio? I'm not really interested in burning discs but might like to keep some stuff on my PC or Mac.

 

[Kelson]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BulkHedd  /t/1517255/plan-on-cutting-the-cord-soon-looking-for-advice/0_100#post_24343986


I have another question about the Roamio. With my old TiVo HD I could use a piece of TiVo software to pull recorded shows off of the DVR and burn it to DVD or whatever. Can I do something like that with the Roamio? I'm not really interested in burning discs but might like to keep some stuff on my PC or Mac.

Yes. I do it all the time. You can use either TiVo Desktop or kmttg. I use both. I like kmttg more and it is free. TiVo Desktop is useful if you want to transfer stuff to a server and pull it back at a future date to watch.

 

[BulkHedd]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson  /t/1517255/plan-on-cutting-the-cord-soon-looking-for-advice#post_24344275


Yes. I do it all the time. You can use either TiVo Desktop or kmttg. I use both. I like kmttg more and it is free. TiVo Desktop is useful if you want to transfer stuff to a server and pull it back at a future date to watch.

Great, thanks!