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too much work just to pay plex $5/mo to watch what i can already watch "live" for free by switching inputs to TV and using its built-in tuner. what's the value add here?

I don't get it either.

Umm, watch live TV outside your home! Work, Beach, Camping, Car trip, and so on...

There are solutions without this plex monthly subscription, like a Dreambox, or a clone of it.

This monthly $5 adds up quickly!
 
I'm just going to run an outdoor-rated Coax from the antenna to the box. Box will connect to my network via Ethernet and Plex running on the Shield Pro is supposed to just find it and connect. I have Plex running on a Shield Pro as it can quite easily transcode 4K video down to 1080P for my AppleTVs in the house.

Thanks for the info. I don't think I can make the setup work on my end.
 
I am interested in this, but I have zero familiarity with the set up. If I get a tuner and antenna, am I able to set these up anywhere in my house and stream from there to each of my Apple TV's (once the app is updated)?
Yes.
 
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But if we have a working antenna, why use Plex if it's limited to iOS or mobile devices?

How do I even connect a coaxial cable to my phone? /s

I'm sure they're going to expand it with time to other apps as well.

too much work just to pay plex $5/mo to watch what i can already watch "live" for free by switching inputs to TV and using its built-in tuner. what's the value add here?

I can do that as well, but it is stuck on that specific TV, where instead I have plex on many devices and would be able to watch it anywhere. Also, $5/month isn't for this feature alone, it's one of the options for Plex Pass in general. If you don't find the features of Plex Pass enticing or necessary for your use, no one is forcing you to pay for it.

I don't get it either.

There are solutions without this plex monthly subscription, like a Dreambox, or a clone of it.

This monthly $5 adds up quickly!

Again, $5/month (or annual or lifetime subs - heck, years back it was possible to get a lifetime sub for $50 or less) is for Plex Pass, which includes a variety of advanced features and options. There's nothing to "get" here. It's a new feature they're working on that will be available to Plex Pass subscribers.
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I am interested in this, but I have zero familiarity with the set up. If I get a tuner and antenna, am I able to set these up anywhere in my house and stream from there to each of my Apple TV's (once the app is updated)?

Essentially yes, but it really depends on the OTA signal where you live. That can be highly variable. It would be best to research more of the OTA side before going this route.

Myself, I have a decent OTA setup at the office and at home (haven't had cable for years). Mainly did it to watch the World Cup a few years back, as well as some local stations the odd time (I installed it myself and the hardware is relatively inexpensive). Useful also in case someone wants to catch the odd awards show or some random sporting events throughout the year.
 
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How else do you capture OTA channels? Were you hoping for this to work with your existing cable service?

I happen to live close to a mountain and reception is very poor, I can only get 2 of the local channels with an antenna. Playstation Vue streams the local CBS station which I couldn't get otherwise. It would be great to get a service that streamed all local channels that way.
 
I got excited for a second, then read the details. Needs an antenna to catch OTA channels? Useless to me. Still waiting for a service that will stream local channels. Playstation Vue is the closest I have seen so far.

Well, that's how most tv tuners work. BUT, if you use the HDHomeRun with a cable box card, then you can stream all your cable channels through Plex as well.
 
I love plex. Been a lifetime pass member for a few years and even at the current price I'd consider it a bargain. Barely a day goes by when it isn't used now, hardest part was ripping all of my DVD library which took over a year.
 
Your server needs to be running 1.7.1 or higher and it only works on the iOS and Andriod apps. It doesn't work on Plex Web, aTV or Plex Media Player, yet!
 
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It's only allowing me to record live tv, not actually watch it live.

Live TV works perfectly for me on my iPhone. Did you update to the latest Plex media server update (the one specifically for Plex pass subscribers)?
 
If you're like me and live in Northern New Hampshire, you'll need to buy:

https://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-...UTF8&qid=1496334153&sr=8-1&keywords=HDHR4-2US
+
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp??mc=03&p=hdb91x&d=Xtreme-Signal-Yagi-Outdoor-HDTV-Antenna-70-Mile-VHFUHF-(HDB91X)&c=TV Antennas&sku=

I plan on mounting mine on the roof alongside the Weather Station & solar panels.

You'll need to subscribe to Plex Pass and then you can tune into live TV & DVR TV as well.

I used to get some over the air at Lake Winnipesaukee until they switched everyone to digital.

I doubt that antenna you linked would help since the VHS max range is only 25 miles (the UHF max range is 70 miles).
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too much work just to pay plex $5/mo to watch what i can already watch "live" for free by switching inputs to TV and using its built-in tuner. what's the value add here?

You can stream and control the "live" tv to any supported device running Plex. That means that you can watch and control your live tv on your smart phone from a remote location. I think that most of the people currently using Plex probably have a lifetime subscription.
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Live TV works perfectly for me on my iPhone. Did you update to the latest Plex media server update (the one specifically for Plex pass subscribers)?

What tuner did you get ?
 
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I happen to live close to a mountain and reception is very poor, I can only get 2 of the local channels with an antenna. Playstation Vue streams the local CBS station which I couldn't get otherwise. It would be great to get a service that streamed all local channels that way.
I was wondering about this as well. My experience is a few years old but I tried OTA while in CT and found that the stations were coming from three different locations so you needed to be able to redirect your antenna depending on which station you wanted to watch.
 
I'm guessing this is just a matter of getting OTA signals to a plex app? If so ... more apps to come, maybe free from an antenna manufacturer??
 
I'm sure they're going to expand it with time to other apps as well.



I can do that as well, but it is stuck on that specific TV, where instead I have plex on many devices and would be able to watch it anywhere. Also, $5/month isn't for this feature alone, it's one of the options for Plex Pass in general. If you don't find the features of Plex Pass enticing or necessary for your use, no one is forcing you to pay for it.



Again, $5/month (or annual or lifetime subs - heck, years back it was possible to get a lifetime sub for $50 or less) is for Plex Pass, which includes a variety of advanced features and options. There's nothing to "get" here. It's a new feature they're working on that will be available to Plex Pass subscribers.
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Essentially yes, but it really depends on the OTA signal where you live. That can be highly variable. It would be best to research more of the OTA side before going this route.

Myself, I have a decent OTA setup at the office and at home (haven't had cable for years). Mainly did it to watch the World Cup a few years back, as well as some local stations the odd time (I installed it myself and the hardware is relatively inexpensive). Useful also in case someone wants to catch the odd awards show or some random sporting events throughout the year.

I'm not really following how Plex works. I can't say their site answers a lot of questions for me either.

Is the basics of this that you have to have a dedicated Mac running 24/7 to ensure the server software is up and running and can upload whatever you request, wherever you may be?

So this live TV feature only works, if your home TV Tuner is uploading the actual signal received by your OTA antenna, converting for Plex streaming, and uploading to the Plex cloud in real-time 24/7, to be available when and where you may want it?

Are recorded shows then kept in the cloud, or on your Mac? Or is Plex doing something totally different with respect to streaming? Are they validating you have an OTA setup at home, and then offering you the network stream from their servers, the way Apple TV handoff an internet request to its connection rather than streaming it directly from the phone? Or is it really uploading the actual live broadcast continuously?
 
Your server needs to be running 1.7.1 or higher and it only works on the iOS and Andriod apps. It doesn't work on Plex Web, aTV or Plex Media Player, yet!

Live TV works perfectly for me on my iPhone. Did you update to the latest Plex media server update (the one specifically for Plex pass subscribers)?

Well I'm confused. I'm runnng version 1.4.2.3400 and it says it is up to date. My iOS app is also up to date.

Edit: Never mind. A manual update took care of it. I'm hopeful, but this feature needs a good guide UI and Apple TV support to be of any benefit to me.
 
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I'm not really following how Plex works. I can't say their site answers a lot of questions for me either.

Is the basics of this that you have to have a dedicated Mac running 24/7 to ensure the server software is up and running and can upload whatever you request, wherever you may be?

So this live TV feature only works, if your home TV Tuner is uploading the actual signal received by your OTA antenna, converting for Plex streaming, and uploading to the Plex cloud in real-time 24/7, to be available when and where you may want it?

Are recorded shows then kept in the cloud, or on your Mac? Or is Plex doing something totally different with respect to streaming? Are they validating you have an OTA setup at home, and then offering you the network stream from their servers, the way Apple TV handoff an internet request to its connection rather than streaming it directly from the phone? Or is it really uploading the actual live broadcast continuously?

Plex is a personal media library that has grown to include other features as well. At a simple level, you need the server portion (an app) and it can run on Windows, Mac or even some NASes. You can then add libraries in Plex for media like TV Shows, Movies, Home Videos, Music, etc. Every library can point to a folder of video files, and Plex manages all the metadata. think of it almost as a personal Netflix. From there, you can use the client apps (which are excellent) on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. They will basically see a full UI with artwork and metadata for all of your libraries. When you create a use account within Plex, the Plex client can work remotely and see your library at home from across the internet. You could even put an Apple TV in a different location and it will see the library sitting on the computer at home (or wherever you have the Plex Server app installed).

Live TV is a newer feature. If you have an OTA antenna, and one of the supported ATSC tuner devices, you can connect the antenna to the tuner device, and when the tuner is plugged into the network (or on wifi) you can use the Plex Server app to browse for it and Plex will scan for channels and automatically grab all the tv guide data for the channels you have available. I assume then within the Plex client you'll see Live TV in addition to your libraries. There is a DVR feature as well (I haven't looked at this much), but it's where the Live TV feature stemmed from. I guess the DVR also used the tuner + antenna to record shows to your local Plex Server, and now Live TV takes it a step further by allowing you to watch these channels live, right within Plex.

Plex Cloud is a separate feature as well (I believe there's a few different cloud options, I played with them a bit but didn't do much). One allows you to use your cloud storage instead of local storage where your Plex Server App is installed. Then it will actually act like a private Netflix so to speak that's running in the cloud (say on DropBox for example).
 
too much work just to pay plex $5/mo to watch what i can already watch "live" for free by switching inputs to TV and using its built-in tuner. what's the value add here?

$5 is the entire subscription which covers other functions including streaming of your own movie collection, cloud storage + playback etc. I agree for FTA TV alone it wouldn't make sense in many cases as there's non subscription ways to get TV to mobile devices, but in the broader scheme of things it's one feature of many that makes ip the Plex service.

They occasionally offer people the lifetime subscription for half price for what it's worth.
 
I used to get some over the air at Lake Winnipesaukee until they switched everyone to digital.

I doubt that antenna you linked would help since the VHS max range is only 25 miles (the UHF max range is 70 miles).
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You can stream and control the "live" tv to any supported device running Plex. That means that you can watch and control your live tv on your smart phone from a remote location. I think that most of the people currently using Plex probably have a lifetime subscription.
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What tuner did you get ?

I have the HDHomeRun Connect. Works great for OTA broadcasts. If you have cable though, you need the HDHomeRun Prime!
 
free and broadcast at 1080p with no compression. Cable nor streaming cannot hold a candle to OTA, quality-wise.

Everything digital broadcast is compressed, OTA or not, Merely the level and format of compression changes.

Only analogue OTA was uncompressed, but lower resolution.
 
This may seem silly to a lot of people, but it's a feature I've been waiting for. Been using plex for years and am a lifetime plex pass user so for me the additions are free.

I jumped on their ota recording back in September when it was released and my first comment was that it can't show live tv? I already had an antenna in my home from ditching Comcast years ago so this was a no brainer

Plex is awesome if anyone hasn't gotten onboard. Yes it can be a bit confusing at first but I use it constantly especially for a large music collection to free up space on phone.
 
This may seem silly to a lot of people, but it's a feature I've been waiting for. Been using plex for years and am a lifetime plex pass user so for me the additions are free.

I jumped on their ota recording back in September when it was released and my first comment was that it can't show live tv? I already had an antenna in my home from ditching Comcast years ago so this was a no brainer

Plex is awesome if anyone hasn't gotten onboard. Yes it can be a bit confusing at first but I use it constantly especially for a large music collection to free up space on phone.
Unfortunately, it isn't much of a feature at this point. It's integration is extremely limited. Why they didn't flesh this out more before releasing it is beyond me.
 
Not sure why folks are complaining about the antenna. Local stations charge rebroadcast fees to cable TV providers like Comcast which is why we pay an extra fee every month on our cable bill. And the channels are only 720p or 1080i, and they are compressed. OTA channels via a simple, $20 flat antenna you can tack up on your living room wall are free and broadcast at 1080p with no compression. Cable nor streaming cannot hold a candle to OTA, quality-wise.

OTA channels do not come in at 1080p, the broadcasters are the ones distributing the 720p/1080i signal. Yes there is compression via your cable provider so you do get a better picture OTA just not 1080p, at least not the major networks.
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Unfortunately, it isn't much of a feature at this point. It's integration is extremely limited. Why they didn't flesh this out more before releasing it is beyond me.
Im guessing that them choosing to do iOS and AndroidTV first addresses their two largest bases, its not uncommon to roll features out in stages. Its a great free feature for subs that will only improve over time, find something else to complain about
 
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Not sure why folks are complaining about the antenna. Local stations charge rebroadcast fees to cable TV providers like Comcast which is why we pay an extra fee every month on our cable bill. And the channels are only 720p or 1080i, and they are compressed. OTA channels via a simple, $20 flat antenna you can tack up on your living room wall are free and broadcast at 1080p with no compression. Cable nor streaming cannot hold a candle to OTA, quality-wise.

OTA channels only broadcast up to 1080i, not 1080p.
 
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