Cable Box Alternative

[PenguinMaster]

I am looking to cancel my cable tv service in hopes of saving a lot of money.  I was looking into alternative devices that suit my needs.  I am looking for something small or rack-mountable.  It can be anything from a computer to a streaming device.  I want to be able to open PLEX on it, whether it be an app or a website page.  I was thinking of running a Dell PowerEgde and making three VM's on it.  For individual devices, I'd be looking to spend about $150.  For something like a Dell PowerEdge, I'd spend up to $300.  Does anyone have any good ideas?

[SupaKomputa]

you need a device to stream from your plex server?

just use an android tv box and install plex or kodi.

cheap, easy and only use 10 watts of power.

[PenguinMaster]

20 minutes ago, SupaKomputa said:

you need a device to stream from your plex server?

just use an android tv box and install plex or kodi.

cheap, easy and only use 10 watts of power.

I forgot to mention I would also like to be able to do light gaming.

[Donut417]

On 5/24/2019 at 5:17 PM, Chickenfans said:

I am looking to cancel my cable tv service in hopes of saving a lot of money.  I was looking into alternative devices that suit my needs.  I am looking for something small or rack-mountable.  It can be anything from a computer to a streaming device.  I want to be able to open PLEX on it, whether it be an app or a website page.  I was thinking of running a Dell PowerEgde and making three VM's on it.  For individual devices, I'd be looking to spend about $150.  For something like a Dell PowerEdge, I'd spend up to $300.  Does anyone have any good ideas?

He is my setup.

 

HD Homerun: 4 Tuner version that feeds in to my network and gets to my Plex Server

Lenovo gaming laptop, runs Plex server app

4 Bay NAS, has 8 TB drive for Plex specifically. Here I store my DVR content and the rest of my content for that matter. 

 

 

When it comes to plex, the CPU seems to be the most important, really only if you need to do transcoding. The Amazon Fire Stick does well with the Plex app, so does the Roku sticks, though I think the Fire stick supports more video formats. Which is important if you dont want to transcode. As far as configuring Plex is concerned. Once its install, you should be able to open a Web browser and configure it further. That being said, you will still want remote access to the server itself for when and if you need to reboot the server software or install a new version. I should mention that in Windows Plex requires you to be logged in, while I guess Linux, it does not. Another thing to remember. Plex is free but some features you have to pay for. Which I did. Live TV works pretty well, though its still kinda beta. For the most part it works though. 

 

 

On 5/24/2019 at 5:51 PM, Chickenfans said:

I forgot to mention I would also like to be able to do light gaming.

Xbox One has a Plex app. Though I heard its not that good. To be honest Id get a streaming stick and then have a separate device for gaming. 

[PenguinMaster]

20 hours ago, Donut417 said:

He is my setup.

 

HD Homerun: 4 Tuner version that feeds in to my network and gets to my Plex Server

Lenovo gaming laptop, runs Plex server app

4 Bay NAS, has 8 TB drive for Plex specifically. Here I store my DVR content and the rest of my content for that matter. 

 

 

When it comes to plex, the CPU seems to be the most important, really only if you need to do transcoding. The Amazon Fire Stick does well with the Plex app, so does the Roku sticks, though I think the Fire stick supports more video formats. Which is important if you dont want to transcode. As far as configuring Plex is concerned. Once its install, you should be able to open a Web browser and configure it further. That being said, you will still want remote access to the server itself for when and if you need to reboot the server software or install a new version. I should mention that in Windows Plex requires you to be logged in, while I guess Linux, it does not. Another thing to remember. Plex is free but some features you have to pay for. Which I did. Live TV works pretty well, though its still kinda beta. For the most part it works though. 

 

 

Xbox One has a Plex app. Though I heard its not that good. To be honest Id get a streaming stick and then have a separate device for gaming. 

Thanks! I'll look into it.

[dalekphalm]

On 5/26/2019 at 1:14 PM, Donut417 said:

He is my setup.

 

HD Homerun: 4 Tuner version that feeds in to my network and gets to my Plex Server

Lenovo gaming laptop, runs Plex server app

4 Bay NAS, has 8 TB drive for Plex specifically. Here I store my DVR content and the rest of my content for that matter. 

 

 

When it comes to plex, the CPU seems to be the most important, really only if you need to do transcoding. The Amazon Fire Stick does well with the Plex app, so does the Roku sticks, though I think the Fire stick supports more video formats. Which is important if you dont want to transcode. As far as configuring Plex is concerned. Once its install, you should be able to open a Web browser and configure it further. That being said, you will still want remote access to the server itself for when and if you need to reboot the server software or install a new version. I should mention that in Windows Plex requires you to be logged in, while I guess Linux, it does not. Another thing to remember. Plex is free but some features you have to pay for. Which I did. Live TV works pretty well, though its still kinda beta. For the most part it works though. 

 

 

Xbox One has a Plex app. Though I heard its not that good. To be honest Id get a streaming stick and then have a separate device for gaming. 

I use my XBO extensively with Plex. Works totally fine.

[Donut417]

4 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I use my XBO extensively with Plex. Works totally fine.

The reviews I have seen online were very mixed. To it worked and then seen many that it was a mess. 

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, Donut417 said:

The reviews I have seen online were very mixed. To it worked and then seen many that it was a mess. 

There's definitely room for improvement, but "a mess" does not sound like my experience in the slightest. It's laid out reasonably well. It can be controlled easily via a controller or the media remote. It's fairly fast and responsive. It's not very glitchy (though this can vary wildly no doubt). Performance seems reasonably good (again, your Plex server can have an impact here).

 

If you already have access to an XBO, I wouldn't let those reviews worry you too much.

[Donut417]

4 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

If you already have access to an XBO,

I dont but was thinking of buying one if I bought a 4K TV. But I dont think Im going to invest in a 4K TV any time soon, as they seem to be pretty expensive for a good one and most of the good ones are 55+ inches and I dont have the space for that. 

[dalekphalm]

3 hours ago, Donut417 said:

I dont but was thinking of buying one if I bought a 4K TV. But I dont think Im going to invest in a 4K TV any time soon, as they seem to be pretty expensive for a good one and most of the good ones are 55+ inches and I dont have the space for that. 

If you haven't yet, definitely consider the Samsung QLED series. Their Series 6 QLED TV's are pretty cheap compared to other "high end" 4K TV's. They come in sizes as small as 43", along with all the typical larger sizes. We have several at work (Both our PS4 Pro and XBO X have one each, plus one or two more in other setups).

 

The 43" one is on sale at Best Buy US for $700 USD.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-43-class-led-q60-series-2160p-smart-4k-uhd-tv-with-hdr/6331742.p?skuId=6331742

[Donut417]

18 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

est Buy US for $700 USD.

Add an Xbox, 4K Bluray and a game and your pushing over a grand. Thats why I gave up. Also, most of my content is 480p, so it would look like shit I assume. 

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, Donut417 said:

Add an Xbox, 4K Bluray and a game and your pushing over a grand. Thats why I gave up. Also, most of my content is 480p, so it would look like shit I assume. 

4K Blu-Ray players can be had for under $200 USD now. Though I’d still get an XBO. For $300 you can get a One S with a bundled game. 

 

That hits $1K, yes, but still, doable. 

 

You can also get a cheaper 4K TV, though I’d still personally go for the QLED at a minimum.