Cutting the Cord

[Colin McGregor]

On Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 1:05 AM, Evan Leibovitch <evan-ieNeDk6JonTYtjvyW6yDsg at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Update.
>
> OTA Status:
>
> I found an indoor antenna (a Philips PHDTV3) in my basement, attached it to
> my flatscreen, and picked up:
>
> CTV, CBC, CBC-F, TVO and Global: crystal clear and in HD (Global also has a
> LD channel :-P )
> City, Omni and CTS: usually OK but sometimes cut out
> Nothing else
>
> Still, I guess that's not too bad for an indoor first-floor placement
> against a west-facing wall. I imagine I could do even better outside on the
> 3rd floor balcony, but even that will probably suffice . Testing to
> continue. (Anyone know where I can get a cheap coax cable tester locally?)
>
>
> Proposed setup:
>
> Given the input that has been received, together with my own research,
> here's how I think I'd like to proceed. Critique eagerly welcomed.
>
> Service providers: Looks like It'll be TekSavvy for cable Internet. vMedia
> looks interesting but it seems their main interest is in IPTV, and now that
> I've confirmed I can get the real basics from even an indoor OTA, I feel no
> need to pay for CRTC-mandated services I don't care for. Even IPTV looks
> like a hacked together, DRM-ish kludge
>
> Server software: Plex, SABnzbd, MythTV (if I need it)
>
> Media sources: OTA, LAN-based files, web-based media, Usenet-based media
>
> New server hardware (P5, 8GB, lotsa disk)
>
> Cable modem: Lifehacker recommends the Motorola SB6141
>
> OTA tuner: SiliconDust HDHomeRun (If its Plex plugin is good enough I might
> not need MythTV)
>
> Antenna: I wonder if I can mount something on the side balcony without
> needing to ground it (or put it on a pole. Recommendations for makes and
> models are welcome. especially considering the intended mounting.

I am currently using a Wineguard SquareShooter SS-2000
(http://www.winegarddirect.com/squareshooter-ss1000-ss2000/winegard-square-shooter.asp).
This was to replace a Wineguard GS-2200 that wasn't quite as good, and
space wise has issues in my apartment.

> Set-top boxes: an existing Playstation3 in the main room, for the others
> either Google TV or Roku (or something else?)
>
>
> Open questions:
>
> - Does anyone here have any experience with the HDHomerun?

I don't but, it does seem to be well liked by some in the MythTV
community. In the main, when doing MythTV servers I've gone with
Hauppauge internal cards.

> - Any specific server recommendations? I was thinking of just building a
> whitebox at Canada Computers of NCIX so I could avoid paying for Windows.

This is what I have done. I do like the Silverstone cases for my
MythTV boxes as (depending on model) they make my MythTV box look more
like a piece of audio equipment than a PC.

> - What are people using/recommending for set top boxes? (The Asus Cube comes
> out this week, that could be interesting...)

I'm looking into this myself. I have been looking at what can be done
with Raspberry Pi, not sure if this is my answer...

> Again, thanks for any comments.
>
> - Evan
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