G+_Jason Elwart Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I'm finally gonna do it, cutting the cable TV cord. I'm looking for the best "box" for streaming TV shows. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_james robinson (radiati Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Best? As in most flexible? Unfortunately a pc.... With Windows.. Aside from that it will be your preference based how how you want the content you want. Still want classic style tv? Probably a tivo and OTA tuner. Want you youtube, hulu, and Netflix, almost any roku like box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Joe Phelps Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 It's gonna take a combo of devices plus an OTA antenna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Elwart Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 james robinson any thoughts on a small form factor PC? What software and what about a wireless remote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Elizabeth Whitmire Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Roku. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Elwart Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks Elizabeth Whitmire I have one but there are TV shows on Hulu I must use a browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_james robinson (radiati Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 You can build a amd a series pc very inexpensively in your choice of case. Or options like shuttle and zotac make small form factor pcs. I use netflix, prime, and YouTube mostly, so almost exclusively chrome. Also do alot of gaming in steam. For stored video; plex and xbmc are good options and easy to navigate with a remote. The keyboard/mouse is the worst part of this setup. I still havent found a wireless keyboard/mouse that i love. Tried many. Most are just getting dusty now. I have 2 i switch back and forth between. No good one-handed ones. I would love a 360-like controller with a trackball and keyboard but havent found one yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Jason Elwart Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks james robinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Joe Phelps Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Jason Elwart A Chromecast works with free Hulu if you can cast desktop Chrome tabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Rick D Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 HTPC using an ITX m/b or a RaspberryPi w/ XBMC are your best/most flexible bets... Roku is good now that they have a youTube app as well as Netflix & Hulu+ (if you don't mind paying for extra services), too... I have a BoxeeBox which started out great because it has a browser and plays the most types of files from your local network, till websites started forcing Flash updates, which can't be done as far as I know; so I'm leaning toward a HTPC / MythTV for my next project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_james robinson (radiati Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Lance Pelissier netflix on win 8 is just a link. There is no software. And you can right click it and uninstall to remove the icon. MS has been pushing partner services for years. Remember MSN and Compuserve links on win95? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Brian Crowthers Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have a Roku and a Plex server also a HDHomerun that plays OTA TV. So here's my setup: I sit down in front of my Windows7 PC and open up Windows Media center and that looks at my Over-the-Air antenna and I look at the "TV Guide" inside of WMC and choose a TV show or movie that I want to watch. I click on it and say record. When that show/movie finishes recording I have a program called MCEBuddy that watches that folder for new recordings (MCEBuddy removes commercials for the OTA recordings) and it moves it to my Windows Home server 2011 (for backups and archiving (4TB)). I have another PC that runs PLEX (Quad core 8GB RAM, good for transcoding) and it watches those folders on the WHS2011 and also adds album art too. I sit down in front of my TV and launch my Roku and the PLEX app, I am presented with all of my content I have recorded and the descriptions of the media all commercial free. PLEX also has "channels" of its own like ABC,NBC and CBS to name a few. Also if I want to watch live TV I just switch over to my OTA that is plugged directly into my TV (I get roughly 20+ channels all HD). This may not work for everyone but it works great for me. I haven't had cable in 2+ years. I also pay for a Netflix account so that is my only paid subscription. Hope this helps. Happy Cutting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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