Closed captioning in NPVR

[mvallevand]

Right, but you have that convoluted design with multiple NextPVR servers so you you'd want a network tuner like a Silicondust HDHR. You can get 4 OTA streams from that if you don't want ATSC 3.

Martin

[sub]

Yep, you can have a combination of both.

[BrettB]

Just trying to get a sense of the range of possibilities here. Maybe an indoor antenna can capture enough OTA signals (with their respective CC feeds) to tamp down objections sufficiently (or maybe not).

It will totally depend upon where your OTA signals are coming from, etc. Since I cut the cable cord a year ago, I'm just using an HDHR connected to a small indoor antenna (in a window facing the broadcast towers). And it's working fine for me. Fortunately, here in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro, all of the major networks broadcast from towers located right together so they are all in the same direction and not too far away.

As Martin mentioned in one of the other posts, using a network based tuner like the HDHR would probably be you best bet. In addition to being able to possibly have the tuners accessed from multiple servers, you also get the advantage of being able to place the antenna and tuner in a completely separate part of the house and just having a network connection to your server.

[Joram]

Right, but you have that convoluted design with multiple NextPVR servers so you you'd want a network tuner like a Silicondust HDHR.  You can get 4  OTA streams from that if you don't want ATSC 3.

Martin

Fortunately, it's not as complicated as it seems. I'm envisioning a setup where each daily-use TV will have its own independent signal source(s):

1. My office system (currently up and running) is using a STB with the HDPVR2.
   
2. When CableCARD goes extinct, family room TV will use a different STB/DVR with also another HDPVR2 and possibly OTA tuner.
   

Each of these would have its own PC attached and neither one would talk to the other (not networked).

This is similar to what we have now, except (for the time being) it's with a CableCARD for each TV.

I have to say, though, that Silicondust HDHR with 4 OTA streams you mentioned does sound tempting. We could then record multiple shows from broadcast channels at the same time to keep the option of using CC for them. I'll look into it, thanks for the idea.

[Joram]

Yep, you can have a combination of both.

Thanks @sub, this is good to know!

[Joram]

Just trying to get a sense of the range of possibilities here. Maybe an indoor antenna can capture enough OTA signals (with their respective CC feeds) to tamp down objections sufficiently (or maybe not).

It will totally depend upon where your OTA signals are coming from, etc. Since I cut the cable cord a year ago, I'm just using an HDHR connected to a small indoor antenna (in a window facing the broadcast towers). And it's working fine for me. Fortunately, here in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro, all of the major networks broadcast from towers located right together so they are all in the same direction and not too far away.

As Martin mentioned in one of the other posts, using a network based tuner like the HDHR would probably be you best bet. In addition to being able to possibly have the tuners accessed from multiple servers, you also get the advantage of being able to place the antenna and tuner in a completely separate part of the house and just having a network connection to your server.

The main reason for not wanting the two TVs networked is that my wife started complaining that I was "cluttering up" her list of recordings with baseball games.   It became an incentive to set up my own independent recording capability.

But you're pointing out that the HDHR would also give us more choices for placing the indoor antenna for best reception. I'll explore that angle too.

[jrockow]

Joram
Not sure if this would help you, ("wife started complaining that I was "cluttering up" her list of recordings") but are you aware you can have more than one recording directory?
I routinely record to 3 different dirs; 1 for me, 1 for my wife and 1 for both.

[Joram]

@jrockrow, I wasn't aware of this, thanks. So you've set things up so that when you open the NextPVR UI, you see three directories (let's call them His, Hers, Ours) and then you or she can navigate to the desired directory? I'll have to play with this, currently all I see is one single consolidated list of folders for each of the shows that have been recorded.

[jrockow]

@jrockrow, I wasn't aware of this, thanks. So you've set things up so that when you open the NextPVR UI, you see three directories (let's call them His, Hers, Ours) and then you or she can navigate to the desired directory? I'll have to play with this, currently all I see is one single consolidated list of folders for each of the shows that have been recorded.

If you look under RECORDINGS/MENU click on FILTER to select the other directories.
Of course you have to first add the directories.

[Joram]

All right, I think I'm halting the exploration into watching OTA TV for the time being. Reading on the subject, it looks like the situation (in the U.S.) with ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 is in flux; I'd hate to buy equipment only to see it go obsolete within a few years.