AndroidTV Stick/Box that has PVR?

by solargoup

I think I may have spotted a gap in the market. AndroidTV now has a live channels app which allows people to watch live tv but none of the marketing leading hardware has a built in tuner or expandable storage. Obviously FireTV and NVidia Shield.

Does anyone know of any hardware that runs Android TV with a tuner and hard drive for storing shows?

Ive seen the Humax Aura but it does not have Netflix!
https://www.whathifi.com/news/humax-aura-pvr-android-tv-freeview-play-and-4k-meet-for-the-first-time

elister

Using a 2nd generation nVidia Shield, I was able to connect a 128gb USB Drive to the device, Android TV would format it and use it for storage via the Live Channels app. The only problem was you couldn't copy the files to another device and my second nVidia Shield in the bedroom could not access those files. Cant even connect the USB Drive to my PC and copy the files, its all encrypted.

What I found to be a much easier option was paying Silicon Dust (makers of the HDHomerun tuner) $25 a year for DVR support, I already owned one of their tuners so it wasnt a big deal to pay them a yearly fee for this. I have a file server (Windows Ryzen7 PC) in my closet running Plex, Minecraft, etc, so it was all too easy to tell HDHR to record to a SMB share. So it records over the network (and not locally), I can copy the files and edit them, other media players (Raspberry Pi, Mi Box, Fire TV, whatever is running Kodi or VLC) can play them. I can even play a file thats currently recording.

Yahiroz

I remember having a look for this years back, for the UK at least HDHomeRun was one solution which acted as a receiver box for your TV aerial, and then uses network for your Android TV device of your choice. But I heard it had issues with Google's Live channels app and other solutions was suggested for the DVR function.

I just gave up and stuck with the TV for live TV and all the UK channels had their own apps for catch up.

ryocoon

Shield TV has adoptable storage (plug in a USB external drive, or mount a NAS drive) and you can use the built-in Plex Server to do TV DVR if you have a tuner it can work with (usually a SiliconDust product like HDHomeRun).

Beyond that, that would possibly be a very homebrew or niche product. I can see it being interesting but it would really only work with OTA. Pretty much all cable products are encrypted now, and CableCard standard hasn't been updated in a long while and the mandates that the industry support it have expired.

pvrlive

r/pvrlive has support for Hdhomerun using Live Channels. You can configure it to record on either usb or network location.

CuvisTheConqueror

The Channel Master Stream+ also had a tuner and a significant amount of on board storage, but also lacked Netflix (and was not a particularly great box besides).

If you really want an Android TV DVR, probably your best bet is going to be a Shield Pro, a Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner, and a USB hard drive. Then you can record using the Live Channels app or (if you're willing to lay out the money for Plex Pass) with the built in Plex Media Server.

briulatck

Super elegant animation dude