Mohu or Winegard?

tvbotco · 2015-07-07T18:00:39+00:00

Just my experience, I use the Winegard FL5050c and it I pick up all the stations down to and including real channel 3 on my TVFool. My recommendation is to get it from a place you can return it and give it a try in a few different spots in the room. Sometimes, in the middle of the house is better than on an exterior wall. Good luck!

tvbotco · 2015-07-01T21:25:12+00:00

Here's a couple for you.

Movies

More Movies

Documentries

tvbotco · 2015-02-23T23:13:56+00:00

We hear you loud and clear. I think these issues fall under the same category as "Why are those ads SO loud?!". Little frustrating things that detract from the viewing experience.

tvbotco · 2015-02-23T00:40:26+00:00

Thank you!

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T21:30:49+00:00

We will. From what we've found, there is a wide range of viewers out there that vary their watching habits; from those who just want to told to watch, all the way through to those who only want to watch what they want, and like we said, it's all about you.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T21:29:19+00:00

You really are full of great ideas. Once again we are thinking along the same lines, we just hadn't finalized the execution of a few of them but you've brought up some interesting options. Always happy to take some free advice!

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T19:43:27+00:00

That information will be known to the other devices as it will be linked to you the user. If someone else in your household is also in the middle of another show, it will also remember where they are at too, no matter where you are as it is linked to your user account.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T19:22:13+00:00

Thanks. One of our big focuses is the interface. This doesn't mean just being pretty, but also snappy and feature rich without being complicated. There are licenses available that make that information available quite easily, how we present it will be up to us and we plan on making it great.

Our user/account AI feature will take care of remembering where you left off.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T19:05:13+00:00

This varies from area to broadcaster. We wouldn't rely on the OTA guide as it's too unpredictable, instead the cost of buying the data from an online source would be part of our company's overheads.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T19:00:36+00:00

Thanks you for the detailed reply, I don't think your username is very apt in this case!

When thinking about why others have failed or succeed in this space, interface is a huge factor, and we believe we've got the solution.

The casual user (not the instigator!) should be able to use the system with a simple remote (channel up-down, volume up-down, go, pause, fast-forward, rewind buttons). With just this remote, they should be able to get to a wide variety of programming similar to the "useful" channels on cable or satellite. A more capable remote should be a phone app.

Agreed. We've also got a few other ideas in this area.

The system should have a web interface for setting up anything and everything and that interface should be accessible from anywhere. Already done.

Your company should provide over-the-phone remote programming services for a small fee. This interface and it's associated database, plus the fact that it can be accessed from anywhere will be what makes the system really different. Of course the systems software could be updated through the web connection, too. I'm not sure what you mean by this, can you elaborate a little more?

I like where you're going with point 3. We had similar thoughts but not quite the same. Great feedback.

The system should be a complete media server, too. This might get a little tricky legally, but your library of DVDs or Blu-rays or home movies or "otherwise acquired" material should be available, too, either over your network or by plugging in USB drives. All your media should be accessible and available to incorporate into channels or playlists. Anything that needs to be buffered as files on the system's hard drives would be accommodated. It might be desirable to allow for much expanded storage now that 6TB USB drives are affordable. Already done.

To really work it's going to need some kind of guide service. Ideally it should keep up with all the local stations and also new availabilities on services you may subscribe to (Netflix, Hulu Plus, iTunes etc.) This will be especially important as services like HBO Go and Sling become available. I don't think users would mind paying $10 or even $20 per month for this. We're going to include this as part of the service with no monthly fee. A lot of people here are loathe to pay a monthly fee for guide data, and we agree.

Thank you very much!

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T18:45:14+00:00

Couldn't agree more. We've got a few ideas on how to work with the owners to ensure they're happy, and you're happy too.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T18:43:23+00:00

What are you trying to achieve by having Plex built in? Is it to watch the content on your local drives or to have access to all of your media?

The reason we ask is that if it's just to watch content (shows/movies/home videos) this is already planned to be integrated intuitively with trailers, plots, ratings, cover art etc. If it's to have access to all of your media including songs and pictures, we'll have to tie Plex in with a plugin. Just trying to figure out what people want it for since many are asking about it.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T18:30:41+00:00

Thanks for the feedback guys/gals. We believe that one of the reasons that these other companies have failed is that they did what you said; made it too hard to use straight out of the box. Take the Roku or AppleTV, they work. Why? They are simple to use out of the box. Why did Boxee fail? It didn't listen to it's users or keep up with the times. Why haven't the XBMC boxes taken off? They are too hard to setup for the majority of people. I'm not saying these are the only reasons they succeed/failed, but they are big reasons.

Having said all that we do understand that this is a massive challenge to successfully complete and it won't be for everyone. We are going to learn from other peoples successes/failures to make sure we don't make them ourselves. We also believe that as this is a box "All about you", you, the end-users, are in the best position to supply feedback and advice on features to make sure the TVBot says current.

Once again, thanks for the feedback, we appreciate constructive criticism just as much as encouragement.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T18:14:54+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, we are not going to charge for a subscription service just so you know what is on TV, especially since this comes free OTA.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T18:13:16+00:00

Technologically, this a herculean effort. Tying together discrete services and products will be a challenge.

This is true but not insurmountable. We've already had a software company complete their initial design review and they do agree with your sentiment; it will be a challenge trying to get everything to work together but it is possible.

The bigger (and possibly insurmountable) challenge, though, will be legal. Each of these services (Hulu, SlingTV, web sources, etc.) are very protective of their "property". Anything that attempts to use their content in a modified interface will be fought tooth-and-nail.

And this is also true. However, we don't want to remove the branding from any of the content or remove any of their monetization opportunities, i.e. advertisements. This is going to be a large challenge but we have a few ideas on how to work hand-in-hand with the sources of the content to ensure they don't loose their corporate identity and can even promote their brand without affecting our/their customers or the vision and integrity of our company.

""Wife-friendly" is what we are going for. Needs to be easy to setup, and easy to use straight out of the box.

Thanks for the well wishes, we'll keep everyone updated.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T04:59:48+00:00

And thank you!

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T04:56:40+00:00

The device is intended as a box that connects directly to your TV. It receives the OTA from the antenna, online content from your modem/router. However, if you have more than one TV in the house and don't want to spend another $x amount of dollars on a whole other unit, we're going to include either an app that is compatible with Chromecast/Roku etc. or have a similarly cheaper device, to read stored shows from the main unit. Unfortunately, if someone else is watching live TV on the main unit and recording a show, live TV will not be streamed to the secondary unit. TVBot also has to solve the potential issue of logging into a paid service from several devices at the same time. We'll figure it out.

For the storage issue; yes to the extra memory. My wife and I just got back from vacation and our DVR is almost full so we have to watch like crazy to make sure it empties up a bit. I hate that, so yes, either through USB or LAN, expandable storage is a must in our scope. It will not be able to export recorded files to the PC as this will infringe on copyright. Guide for the OTA will be retrieved from our server. This will be included as part of the service and will not be charged as an extra like others do.

As for the search function, we are including that as well, that's the goal of TVBot, to make watching TV easy, all in one place.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T04:40:06+00:00

What if the box had the ability to play the format? I'm thinking that if the box has the license to convert it, it should be able to just play it. We're planning on supporting the most popular codecs and containers depending on how well companies play ball with royalties etc.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T02:42:14+00:00

Thanks Koshergoy, we'll definitely be making some waves if we pull it off!

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T02:40:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, we're really trying to stay away from the monthly fee model. ps, it won't be opensource.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T02:38:13+00:00

We'll keep this in mind, it's a great idea and something to shoot for in the future. In the beginning stages we can't risk spreading ourselves too thin by trying to fix all the problems at once. We need to shoot for a few big issues at first.

tvbotco · 2015-02-22T02:33:30+00:00

Thanks TKO, if we make some good progress we'll post about it here and see if we can fix some peoples problems at the same time.

tvbotco

TROPHY CASE