In reference the question about weaker OTA receiver in the device compared to the TV, this is probably accurate but is also true of other devices. I have Simple Gen1 and TIVO. The TIVO was worse - I had to put up a roof antenna to get anything.
Regarding the device, I really like the unit as a companion to the TIVO. It allows me to watch TV from other devices and also allows access from my cottage, which is in the finger lakes and has no local channels. I initially had a difficult time getting it to work, but it ended up that I was using an old hard drive. A new Toshiba $50 unit works great.
Like others I have one of their single-tuner units I purchased on Woot years ago. The unit works just fine and I’ve been quite happy with it, came with a lifetime subscription.
I purchased this dual-tuner unit early this year and have had nothing but trouble with it. Their customer support has been far less than stellar. The unit works for anywhere from 1-6 days before it simply locks up, requiring a power cycle to reset. I returned the unit for replacement (after spending 2 months with their customer support asking for a replacement or refund and being asked to try “one more thing” repeatedly). The second unit has the same issue. The unit is operating in a cool, dry basement, with plenty of airflow around it, it isn’t overheating, isn’t being subject to vibrations, dust, wild animals or solar flares.
The single tuner unit is still operating fine. But stay away from this dual-tuner unit.
Will this allow me to watch live TV remotely while the recording is in progress? For if I want to watch a NFL game on OTA on my android 10 minutes delayed…
I bought a Gen1 SimpleTV when it was on woot a while back. These are an updated variety. I believe they partnered with SiliconDust for the tuning bits.
Attach an external drive, format it, hook up an aerial antenna. Sign up with a SimpleTV account and manage the device through their website after entering in the device ID so it can associate with your account.
Formatting the drive was problematic, hung on a number of occasions. watching and recording TV went pretty well. Interface was sort of sluggish- I attribute that to the fact that you’re connecting to their website instead of interfacing directly with the hardware on your local network. There are plugins for streaming to Roku that works fine.
If you’re curious, closed captions do not work. It’s been promised for a few years now, but no love.
It was a nice device, and I really wanted to like it. Lack of closed captions, sluggish performance, and irritating hard drive formatting process caused me to box it back up and wait until they have the software end figured out.
So, just to be clear. If I have a projector in the basement of my house, and no tuner to pull in basic over the air channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, ect, then this should work as a tuner for me? I assume I just take the second output of my antenna and run it to this?
Thanks
Joel
You will still need a Roku or another device to hook to your projector to capture the internet signal coming from the SimpleTV, it does not have direct output to a TV.
I have two gen1’s – from kickstarter and woot a year ago. They work well.
The audio quality is a bit lower than I would like on the gen1’s, at least when playing through the roku app. I am comparing audio quality to what I hear when playing netflix/prime on roku, or other streaming through chromecast, and my tivo experience. So it seems like it might be the tuner and audio processing on board.
Well, the warranty is being offered by SiliconDust not SimpleTV. What’s up with that? Further details should be included, please. Also will this work with the Elgato EyeTv app as the refurbished one in the woot-off?
My wife and I have the gen 1 model and love it. The early model has limits this second one doesn’t - only one tuner, can’t download shows, doesn’t work with Chromecast, etc. - all things that the 2nd Gen does. We love our 1st gen and have family and friends who live overseas who love having access (as a guest) to our recordings. If I had the $100, I’d definitely grab this.
The Gen 1 is not a perfect machine, but has worked great 90% of the time (we have occassionally had recordings that were missed, etc. - this is more likely due to our location, as channels come in and out for us).
I’m not clear on how I control the box. I’ve used Tivo and a Windows-based HTPC. I’ve never used a Roku/Chromecast etc.
Does the Roku/Chomecast app display the program guide and list of recorded content? Can I view this info on my TV and/or a connected PC? What do I use as a remote to pause and fast forward? Also, with Tivo, the subscription primarily gets me the guide (plus additional control over recordings, wishlists, etc.). With Simple.tv, does the subscription also basically provide the guide info in some form? If Simple.tv ever ceases to exist, is the device still usable in any way?
I grabbed the deal for the V2 earlier this summer and totally regret it. The unit is very unstable. I keep it somewhere with constant clear airflow, but it freezes up every few days.
Their support is a joke. They ask you to unplug and reset it which of course fixes the problem momentarily, but it returns in a few days.
I’ve been through 3 of these units, all 3 of them have problems.
Ironically the v1 unit I bought on eBay to get a lifetime subscription with it is very stable. It will run for months at a time, while the v2 can last about 3 days tops. Sometimes it goes out multiple times in one day.
If you’re still considering by the time you get to the end of this post, go check out their forums. You’ll see endless complaints that are never resolved.
The Simple DVR is controlled remotely. The best experience is with the Chrome browser as it has a very nice guide and program management interface. That is controlled with mouse and keyboard. If you have a Roku, then the Roku and its remote control the DVR. The interface is simpler, but there is still current and future program information for all channels plus access to your library of recordings.
You get a guide and and control over recordings as well as remote access. As things work right now, the DVR would stop working if simple pulled the plug on their servers…same as TiVo
You can control the box using MAC,PC, iOS and Android mobile devices. There is also a Simple.TV channel for the Roku box that allows you to access most the features (live TV, recordings, etc)directly from your TV.
