Cutting the cord - best apps & services

Dirk Diggler · 8 Aug 2022 at 17:31

Since upgrading to 500Mbit fibre, I've now cancelled BT landline, sky TV etc. I'm using the usual apps like Netflix etc but I've thing I'd like to find is UK Terrestrial TV via an IPTV service.

Is there something I could add to Kodi? I'm basically trying to avoid installing an aerial.

TIA

Dirk Diggler · 8 Aug 2022 at 17:51

Kesomir said:
What about using the catchup services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub C4 etc?

Or does it have to be live?

They're not bad, it's ITV that's the worst service really and it would be handy to have them all in the one place with an EPG.

Dirk Diggler · 8 Aug 2022 at 18:04

Kesomir said:
What's wrong with the hub? content or app issues? they are switching to itvX later in the year which will mix things up a bit: https://www.itvx.com

It's STV player we need to suffer up here, and the UI is painful

Dirk Diggler · 11 Aug 2022 at 20:07

Rather than start a new thread, I'm hoping this can be answered here...

What's the easiest and cheapest way to run a Plex server? Ideally, I'd like a little box under the TV that contains the hard drive or SSD and the tech to run it. Is Raspberry Pi the way to go? I'm currently using a Windows PC but would like something low power as running a PC 24/7 on the off chance that I want to watch something isn't really very cost effective.

Dirk Diggler · 14 Aug 2022 at 14:40

What format should I be storing my media in, would I be better converting it all in Handbrake? I only expect to be using this server via home LAN , streaming to Fire Sticks and LG TVs.

It's currently running from a PC containing Ryzen 3700x. I've been messing around with sleep settings and can wake the PC with an app on my phone by sending a magic packet, so I think I'll just stick with the hardware I have as it's efficient now the way it's set up.

Will a 3700x comfortably encode on the fly when required?

Dirk Diggler · 15 Aug 2022 at 10:52

Cheers for that.

My setup is almost where I want it to be, but I have a little niggle and I fear it might be a bit bespoke. I can wake the PC with a magic packet app and then stream whatever I like from one of the Plex apps on the TV and it will stay awake throughout the stream. The niggle is that as soon as the stream is finished and I return to the Plex menu, for example to choose the next episode, the PC has returned to sleep instantly and I need to wake it again.

It's not a really big deal, but would be nice if I could configure a delay period somehow, if anyone has any suggestions for a workaround. Maybe I could run a process "on wake" for a specific period of time?

Dirk Diggler · 17 Aug 2022 at 07:37

Biffa said:
You said it was a windows PC, you can control the sleep delay in the power settings, but there are also some hidden registry keys related to the Advanced settings that might need to be reset. Check https://superuser.com/questions/124772/windows-7-goes-to-sleep-in-conflict-with-power-option-setting

That's similar to threads I've found by Googling, but not quite what the issue is. There can only be 2 things causing my particular issue, either the magic packet is sending options to resume sleep 2 minutes after waking, or there's a default setting somewhere in Windows for handling wake by magic packet. It might be a driver setting.

In any case, I've amended the power settings to sleep after 3hrs and this means I don't need to use the magic packet and just wake manually if I want to watch anything.

Thanks for the suggestion, BTW.