My cable contract has expired. Initially, my plan was to call them and politely request their promotional rate again (my household likes TV shows -- I'll take the face punch). To my surprise, the CS rep I spoke to wasn't willing to do so, offering instead a reduced discount (relative to earlier promo discount), stating that the promotional price is promotional for a reason. ::gasp:: That has never happened before. Online searches suggest I may just have to try my luck for a different CS, but on principle, I despise the business model that values new customers over loyal, existing customer. How screwed up is that? Upon discussing options with the SO, I was pleasantly surprised to have him bring up the option of cutting the cord!
We have a list of TV shows that we follow, and we've looked into where they're available. A good chunk is available consistently (a few days after air) on Hulu. Some are available on the network website (CBS). Our main problem is USA Network shows -- we haven't found an alternative source for them. However, push comes to shove, we can always pay per series through Amazon and it'll still be cheaper than cable. I don't know what TV shows Netflix has, since I can't seem to find any info on their website unless I sign up (hate websites like this).
The wrench is the DVR. Since most of what we're interested in is periodic TV shows that are available at specific times OTA, or for limited times at the alternative sources, we'd like to be able to have a DVR that will record shows (preferably automatically, even if we have to manually set the schedule) so that we can watch TV on our schedule.
So things we're looking for in a replacement system:
1. User friendly -- we can probably put up with a more technical initial setup, as long as day-to-day operation is fairly simple.
2. Easy access to Hulu (not just H+), Amazon videos. Easy access to network websites a plus.
3. DVR that works with OTA and/or streaming device.
So here I am, feeling overwhelmed by all the alternative ways of getting our TV shows fix without cable. The top contenders so far are:
1. Roku seems a popular choice that's preferred by first time cord-cutters. Pro: Seems to be simple and cheap. Con: Need separate DVR system
2. Tivo Roamio -- there's the base model, and the new upcoming OTA (only?) model. Pro: Tempting, as I've used Tivo and like their simple interface. Con: Expensive
3. G-Box -- Seems to be the easiest thing if I want to go with XBMC/Kodi. But I don't know how user friendly it is, or how easy to keep it updated. Also not sure if it has DVR capabilities.
4. Simple.tv -- Possibly a DVR system that I can couple with a stream only device.
5. Playon.tv & Playlater -- Possibly a simpler alternative to XBMC? Don't know too much about this yet.
I'm aware of Amazon TV (seems no better than Roku?), Apple TV (not a Mac household), Chromecast (seems less capable than Roku).
I've heard/seen the names, but don't know much about the following: Satechi Smart TV box, Channel Master DVR.
Anyone know more about any of the above systems/devices, or know of a good candidate that I'm not aware of? I've tried searching on this, but I see very little in the way of connecting a DVR.
I'm not opposed to setting a dedicated PC to act as a DVR, but I don't know where to start. I'm not completely clueless about computers, but my comfort zone doesn't extend to grabbing various softwares/apps from multiple different sources and maintaining them, so it'll have to be a simple all-in-one system if I'm gonna attempt it at all.