I'm fairly computer savvy. Tired of paying Comcast big dollars. If I go to Internet only (and pay $13 more vs. today), I save $73 / month or $875 per year. I currently have a package without any premium channels, and one DVR. We have two TVs, and having the bedroom TV be just OTA is fine. So the replacement is for the main family room TV only.
I built a TV antenna from coat hangers and verified that all of the channels we could receive (per www.antennaweb.org) we can pull in just fine (I may choose to buy an antenna, I quickly built one to see how the reception was).
My plan is to get OTA for the broadcast networks and use streaming for some of the other channels. I've learned that with Hulu / Hulu Plus, possibly Netflix I can get nearly everything we watch, plus Big 10 for the Fall at $9.99 per month, then turn it off till the next year. We play no games, have no gaming consoles. Our TV is not internet ready. I have a network in the house, with easy wired access to the TV location. My goals are:
1) get a streaming device to connect to the TV.
2) create a home DVR to record things that either I can't get streaming, or that might disappear before I can watch them.
3) get digital capability on my analog TV for the least amount of money possible
Here's what I propose:
1) Roku 2 XS - $69.99 from Costco this week. Bought it, not yet opened.
2) Gateway SX2370 computer with AMD A6-3600, 4mb of memory, 1TB hard drive, USB 3.0 ports for additional drive if needed, HDMI out port to TV (and then bring sound to receiver FROM the TV). Use SiliconDust HDHomeRun DUAL High Definition Digital TV Tuner HDHR3 to get two tuners on our home network, which would be addressable from the media computer also. Use Windows Media Center on the computer to be the DVR. Cost of computer and dual tuner is $430.
3) buy digital TV adapter for $30 - $35
One time cost is $570 with tax. Paid for in 8 months.
Ongoing monthly cost IF I took Hulu Plus and Netflix and 4 months of Big 10 (divided by 12 months for monthly cost) leads to an onging monthly savings of $53.
Questions:
1) Do you see any glaring problems with my proposed purchases?
2) I realize the Gateway computer is a slimline design with no expansion. I might add an SSD drive in the future, and I'm sure I can set that up just fine. Biggest unknown for me is will Windows Media Center (in Windows 7) do what I need, and will it be easy to utilize, i.e. setup programs to be recorded and then played back, with a remote control vs. pulling out a keyboard.
3) Is the Silicon Dust ok for my needs, or should I get a tuner dedicated to the computer (I don't expect a lot of need to watch on other devices, but you never know.
4) Other ways to get digital OTA on an analog PC that might be more useful in the future?
Thanks in advance.
I built a TV antenna from coat hangers and verified that all of the channels we could receive (per www.antennaweb.org) we can pull in just fine (I may choose to buy an antenna, I quickly built one to see how the reception was).
My plan is to get OTA for the broadcast networks and use streaming for some of the other channels. I've learned that with Hulu / Hulu Plus, possibly Netflix I can get nearly everything we watch, plus Big 10 for the Fall at $9.99 per month, then turn it off till the next year. We play no games, have no gaming consoles. Our TV is not internet ready. I have a network in the house, with easy wired access to the TV location. My goals are:
1) get a streaming device to connect to the TV.
2) create a home DVR to record things that either I can't get streaming, or that might disappear before I can watch them.
3) get digital capability on my analog TV for the least amount of money possible
Here's what I propose:
1) Roku 2 XS - $69.99 from Costco this week. Bought it, not yet opened.
2) Gateway SX2370 computer with AMD A6-3600, 4mb of memory, 1TB hard drive, USB 3.0 ports for additional drive if needed, HDMI out port to TV (and then bring sound to receiver FROM the TV). Use SiliconDust HDHomeRun DUAL High Definition Digital TV Tuner HDHR3 to get two tuners on our home network, which would be addressable from the media computer also. Use Windows Media Center on the computer to be the DVR. Cost of computer and dual tuner is $430.
3) buy digital TV adapter for $30 - $35
One time cost is $570 with tax. Paid for in 8 months.
Ongoing monthly cost IF I took Hulu Plus and Netflix and 4 months of Big 10 (divided by 12 months for monthly cost) leads to an onging monthly savings of $53.
Questions:
1) Do you see any glaring problems with my proposed purchases?
2) I realize the Gateway computer is a slimline design with no expansion. I might add an SSD drive in the future, and I'm sure I can set that up just fine. Biggest unknown for me is will Windows Media Center (in Windows 7) do what I need, and will it be easy to utilize, i.e. setup programs to be recorded and then played back, with a remote control vs. pulling out a keyboard.
3) Is the Silicon Dust ok for my needs, or should I get a tuner dedicated to the computer (I don't expect a lot of need to watch on other devices, but you never know.
4) Other ways to get digital OTA on an analog PC that might be more useful in the future?
Thanks in advance.
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