Any way to favourite your TV shows?

[Syrgul]

I've been toying with the idea of cord cutting, as our satellite service has gone up yet again. Looking around, it seems most of the shows we currently DVR are available through different streaming services, so I really think we can use our ATV4 to replace our current use of a DVR. And with the TV app, it seems I can easily have access to most of the shows in one spot, without having to try to remember which service has which show. However, it doesn't seem to have a decent way of marking that series as something I want to come back to week after week. If I want to watch, say, MacGyver, I have to go search for it everytime. With the DVR, I have an easy listing of the series I was recording, and could quickly dive into an episode I wanted.

In order to really make this Cord Cutting thing work, I need something that will be as seamless for my family to use as their experience with the DVR was. Jumping around between apps to get different shows, or having to search everytime they want to watch something isn't going to cut it. Scanning around different threads, I've seen something called WatchAid recommended as a possible way to achieve what I'm used to with my DVR, but alas, it doesn't seem to be on the Canadian App Store. So, does anybody know of a way I could make this work? Keeping in mind, that as a Canadian, we have barely any of the options ya'll in the US do.

Thanks

 

[techwarrior]

DVR for streaming services are offered. DTVNow, Hulu, etc have included or add-ons for DVR. It is not entirely seamless, a new workflow to get things recorded, but it is available. Not all streaming services are compatible with the TV app.

If most of your shows are offered over the air, consider Tablo + an antenna. Tablo (a Canadian company, eh) can be placed anywhere in your home that is convenient for antenna connections and connects to your WiFi or Ethernet network. Plug in a USB drive, and subscribe to their premium guide service ($50US\yr or $150 lifetime). Then, install the Table app on Apple TV, Roku, etc. Tablo has a record series function, etc. The nice thing is, you can stream\record up to 2 (or 4 for the Quad Tuner model) shows simultaneously.

Unfortunately, Tablo isn't compatible with the TV App, but it does give you all of the OTA content in one place, including DVR...similar to your Satellite service.

One of the challenges cord cutters face is a complex set of equipment, services, interfaces, etc. But, for the savings, it might be a worthwhile adventure.

 

[Syrgul]

Unfortunately DTVNow, Hulu, etc don't exist over here. Pretty much no live-TV streaming services at all that aren't tied into also having a Satellite or Cable service already. But I'm not really looking to DVR the shows from streaming, I just want to watch them on demand, from the various sources available to me (Netflix, CityTV, CBSAllAccess, etc...), much like I do with my current DVR, which would be pick a series, then pick an episode. The TV app right now does all that for me, and poking around it seems to cover most of the shows we watch (provided I can get to CityTV ones within the 7 day window that they're free). I just don't want to have to always search for each series I'm following.

I had looked at the Tablo, and might consider adding it to the mix in the future, but for now, probably a good 95% of what we watch is available via streaming services I have access to already (or will, once I sign up for CBSAllAccess) and the other 5% we can live without. I don't need it to get LiveTV to my screens, as we basically only use the one TV in the house that's hooked up to the roof antenna already. It seems wasteful to drop a few hundred on an extra piece of hardware, when I don't really need the DVR capabilities if all the shows are available from various streams. If it turns out we really miss that other 5%, or that the free 7-day window from CityTV is too much of a bother, I might look into doing OTA DVR, but I don't see the need right now.