DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
I can certainly understand not wanting to increase your viewing cost outlay. And, it is always a matter of personal preference. For example, being seniors on a limited budget, we opted to drop Netflix in favor of Channels...
It's not so much "limited budget," per se. Though we're retired we planned well, so unless there are multiple catastrophes we should be good. But we got here by managing our money wisely. Wisely as in not spending $400/year on television.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
...with picking up Netflix for 1-2 months/year and binge watch some of the series offered, ymmv.
We find so little of interest on Netflix, any more, we may drop it, anyway. (Re: My prior comment about not getting our money's worth.) Amazon Prime may go, when it's up for renewal next year, too. Same reason. Network streaming is essentially becoming as expensive as a cable/satellite subscription. I knew that would eventually happen.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
We are Apple aficionados...Macs, iPads, iPhones and ATV.
I was never a fan, but then my wife's Google account got owned three times in about as many months, and I'm nearly certain it was via an Android or Android app compromise. Can't have that, so the Android devices were gone w/in about a month--replaced with iPhones, iPads and an Apple Watch.
I do not like Android. I do not like Google. The only reason I have MiBoxen was cost and the S/PDIF output. But the S/PDIF output does not emit 5.1 and Xiaomi is sitting on the Oreo release. Thus my interest in Apple TV. I could still be convinced to stretch that additional $125 one-time cost, but, alas, there's no SD app for that, so that's out.
And that pretty much describes how this entire effort has gone. It's been one "Oh, <that> won't work. How about <this>? Nope. Well, maybe <this>?" Go down
that road and hit Yet Another Roadblock.
We had guests for dinner yesterday. One of my best friends and his wife. My friend is a fellow tech geek. We worked at the same tech/manufacturing firm for a number of years (in software engineering positions). He asked me how the project was going. I told him. After a bit of back-and-forth he finally said "It's just been one roadblock after another, hasn't it?" "Yeah, it has," I responded. "It isn't worth the trouble," he said.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
Comcast is our service provider (OTA is not possible in our area) ...
We have Comcast and (*yech*) AT&T available, here. We're using Comcast for Internet connectivity, only. We have fairly decent OTA here.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
Before switching to Channels DVR, we used SD DVR (running on original WD single bay NAS, very cost effective).
Yeah... the WD single-bay "Personal" NAS
is cost-effective, but it's also got a less-than-stellar reputation for reliability. (I tend to shun consumer-grade hardware of all kinds for that reason.) Switching up to a dual-bay Synology NAS was one of the cost bumps.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
As stated previously the SD recording engine is top-notch. Our biggest problem with SD (besides the abysmal UI) ...
I was figuring we'd learn to live with that and was willing to gamble on SD eventually getting it right. And, if not, then one of the various fall-backs. But the other options were meant to be
fall-backs, not the initial go-to's.
DebbieFL33 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:42 pm
In closing, you mention “One America News”...I’m not familiar with this offering...but wonder which devices you currently utilize to view this subscription?
A Roku 3. I'd
hoped to replace both the Roku 3 and the Channel Master DVR+ with the SD HDHR + streaming devices.
(OAN [or OANN] is a news channel with a
definite libertarian/conservative lean, but they do a fairly decent job of keeping their politics out of their news reporting and cover more news, with less cruft, in less time than any I've recently seen. They remind me of CNN back when CNN actually reported, you know,
news.)
ETA: The aforementioned J-Tech HDMI/HDMI S/PDIF audio extractor arrived. Did
exactly what I expected it would: Got 5.1 to our receiver from the HDHR app, but only Dolby Pro Logic from the Netflix app. This is because the MiBox 3 is telling Netflix it can handle Dolby Digital Plus, but the J-Tech box can't down-mix the DD+ in the HDMI stream to Dolby Digital. So Xiaomi/Android has now screwed me
two ways in one go. Yay Xiaomi! Yay Google!