NPVR Downloads and Regular Users

[jksmurf]

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Most users ever online was 357, 2011-02-14 at 12:22 PM.

This got me thinking - it can't be right. I wonder how many folks have downloaded G/NPVR over the years in total, and how many actually use it regularly. It's such a fantastic program, with so many ways to have clients these days. I know I went through a fair few teething problems with a lot of hardware and software way back in 2005 when I started out, so I guess that may daunt some folks. NPVR was a huge improvement for beginners, I reckon, but I wonder whether the issue is simply deviation from other software, not that many people are interested in this approach to controlling their TV, cablecos having better epgs, the impatience of folks today for "setup immediacy" or indeed valid setup fears. k.

[sub]

There is a much smaller number of people interested in this stuff these days. I'd say most cable/satellite companies offer their own DVR solutions that are "good enough" for most users. That wasn't the case four or five years ago, when most users were just looking for any way to record their television.

Of those people that are still interested, a lot of them are just looking for solutions for streamed/downloaded content, rather than having to deal with tuners etc. A lot of those people have gone pre-packaged solutions, Netflix, Hulu etc on their tablets and PCs etc. A lot are using XBMC etc. A much smaller number of users are still using apps like NextPVR, MythTV, MediaPortal etc, and all of those have seen a big reduction in number of users (Schedules Direct has had to bump up prices etc).

That said, I know there is still a few thousand people using the app on a regular basis though.

[bgowland]

I agree with sub with respect to cable/satellite companies offering solutions. Since we got our cable contract, me and my wife probably divide using the cable TiVo and NextPVR perhaps on a 50/50 basis.

My npvr setup only has DVB-T cards so only Freeview channels but generally I prefer to use it because I can edit / archive recordings, and with 4 DVB-T cards and multi-record of npvr at times like Christmas etc it puts the TiVo to shame. The cable TV, on the other hand, has a lot more channels (OK, mostly crap) but there's plenty of good stuff on some channels not available on Freeview. But then again, npvr has a better UI, customisable skins / backgrounds and the possibility of plugins. But wait...the TiVo has built-in access to iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, YouTube, On Demand films....

In reality, what was the domain of the home-grown PVR is gradually being taken over by the companies - it's easy to see how people would prefer an out-of-the-box system to building (and maintaining) their own.

Cheers,
Brian

[ACTCMS]

My biggest worry is the increase in the number of folks (especially younger ones) who have been seduced by the dark side (On Demand). Having everything on tap in The Cloud sounds great until the major suppliers start to cartel and prices start to go up... and then what happens when you decide to download/stream one of your favorite old movies/books/albums and your search returns...

No results found for 'A Clockwork Orange' - did you mean 'Clockwork Motor Maintenance'

When folks stop having their own local copies of Music,Videos,Pictures and books whether digital or hard copy, history is susceptible to alteration

Alex

[sub]

Also worth noting that it's got a lot more complicated to record everything in the last six years.

Back in the early days, nearly all North American users received all their channels via analog cable, and they could easily use their capture devices to record all the available channels. Things got more complicated around 2007-2009, when people started moving to digital setups, losing their analog channels, and only having access to a much smaller set of channel (often locals only).

Europe initially faired a bit better with the move to digital, with good open systems like freeview, including EPG etc, and pay tv channels accessible via CAMs etc, but the situation has started to get more complicated over the last years, with more and more pay tv systems moving to CI+ encryption systems, where you pretty much have to use their supplied set top box (due to device pairing etc).

[liteswap]

Worth adding too (as a continuing user and can't see that changing) that the latest version of NPVR is the best yet so I don't need tech support - it just works - so I just log in occasionally to see if there's a new version.

[reven]

I've always been in search for an all in one solution, something that is easy to use and just works with everything i want.

I'm pretty close to perfection now. using samsung tvs, i can quickly switch between apps, and I have a windows server setup which each tv talks to.

this setup allows me
- 1 remote
- 1 device (nothing to plug in, its in the tv)
- the tv sends audio back to the receiver for surround sound using a single HDMI cable (same cable the receiver sends other video inputs like my xbox), so only 3 cables into a tv, power, ethernet, hdmi
- the tv controls the receiver for volume (doesnt let me change inputs on the receiver though, but i may be able to do this, its just CEC, just havent looked into it), so in my master bedroom the receiver is hidden away in my closest and i just have the tv on the wall
- when the tv turns on/off the receiver turns on/off
- i can watch netflix and hulu via samsung apps
- i can watch my local content through plex (this app is good, but not perfect, the views are dumb)
- the channels for additional content in plex are awesome, and really sells plex.
- I can bookmark youtube videos on my laptop using a plex plugin and then just go to my "Queue" in plex to watch them on tv (I do this for a lot of UK panel shows)
- nextpvr is running on my server so I can schedule a recording from any tv/computer and watch it on any tv
- i can be watching in the lounge then turn off a recording halfway through and resume in my bedroom.

I basically wanted
- 1 device to rule them all
- 1 remote
- no devices with huge power prices, or power adapters
- no noising HTPC
- no expensive STB
- nothing that required maintenance, it just had to work.

and well im pretty much there.

I dont watch a lot of tv, but I do watch/record maybe 2 shows a day (depending on the day), the rest is streaming (i love streaming, its just so much easier).

ill probably switch to google tv one day, if that ever really comes to NZ, ill get a 4k or 8k google tv. that has more apps and probably better playback. but im pretty happy with my setup. and a big thanks to sub for writing a very flexible PVR solution. "for the record" could probably do the same (or whatever its called now), but most other PVRs setup can be a nightmare. they try way to much to be mediacentres when theres just better solutions out there, allowing for a pure server is fantastic IMO.