timbosan:

MediaLight: i quite like Igloo now i know that you hate repeats and igloo is pretty much that, However!

It does give you the option to pay per view live sports! it also has PVR( Pause Video Record)

In regards to netflix streaming box probably chromecast or firestick

Just to be clear, the Igloo boxes are NOT capable of acting as a PVR (which stands for Personal Video Recorder) as they have no ability to record.  They can however pause live TV if you use a USB stick/HDD.

Mspec: Not to worried about having to use phone/tablet to control Cromecast etc as we have a dedicated tablet that we use for controlling everything from the TV to the AV setup to the aircon.

I agree with what you are saying about the HTPC and I would not use it for the above services, currently its connects to a nas which has a lot of our (cough cough) backed up movies etc.

jonathan18: As opposed to some above, I'd avoid using the HTPC for VOD services like Netflix! I'd completely move away from an HTPC once I can get a box that can do it all, as I feel the UI is just SOOOOOO much better (and WAF faaaaaaaaaaaaaar higher) with a stand-alone device. Yes, Kodi and plug-ins can do wonders, but HTPCs have just so many things that can (and usually do)...

We use an Apple TV 3 in our HT and a Fire TV in the house for watching Netflix, Hulu etc (as well as Airplaying/casting other content to the TV), and I'd always recommend something like these over the Amazon Fire Stick (remote but no Ethernet) or Chromecast (no Ethernet, no remote). Do you really want to have to use a phone or tablet to control your device? I can't imagine anything more frustrating, and this was one of the key reasons I on-sold a Chromecast within days of buying one - I find the Amazon Fire a far better product.

kiwipawl: Do you know if Choice and Prime on demand will work with the Samsung blue ray player?

Cheers Paul.

Mspec: I used to have Kodi on our setup however changed to plex which seems to work pretty well.

It's a year since I cancelled my Sky subscription. Everyone's tastes vary, but I can tell you what worked for me. I replaced MySky with a Panasonic Blu-Ray recorder. It does most of what MySky did, with the exception of being able to rewind live TV (which is handy when the young'n barges into the room and yells all over the top of what I'm watching). I regret the model I got - top of the range (and top price) and it's not going to be upgraded to work with Freeview Plus. If I was doing it now I'd go for the Dish TV option mentioned in this thread which will cover the on demand function of the free to air channels.

My TV is not smart - it was one of the first Full HD Sony Bravias, so it's pretty much just a screen. I've attached a Minix Neo Z-64 Windows mini-computer. Cost me around $220 (might set you back a bit more now the exchange rate has slipped) for things like TVNZ On Demand, Plex, Lightbox, Fanpass and so on. I usually control it with a Microsoft wireless keyboard with a trackpad on it, but I also have a Flirc which means I can control Plex with my Harmony remote. But by far the thing I use the most is my Apple TV. Had a 3, upgraded it to a 4 late last year. I use that for Netflix, Hulu, BBC, some Aussie channels, YouTube, TV Streams, and Plex streaming from my big old Mac Pro. I have a DNS unblocker on it, but not on the Minix. I believe, from comments in the Lightbox thread, that an app for the ATV4 is imminent, so that will be handy. I can airplay Fanpass to it if I have sport that I want to watch (I usually subscribe for a month here and there when the Black Caps are playing), and also UK Channel 4. It doesn't do TVNZ On Demand, but I'm hoping eventually they'll sort that out, and then the Minix will become virtually redundant.

I absolutely don't miss Sky. When I cancelled it I was paying over $100 per month. My current setup costs me around $32 a month. I estimate I'd subscribe to Fanpass around 4 months of the year, which would average out at another $18 per month across the whole year. I'm still saving half of what I was spending before, and I have a much broader selection of content. 

It's a year since I cancelled my Sky subscription. Everyone's tastes vary, but I can tell you what worked for me. I replaced MySky with a Panasonic Blu-Ray recorder. It does most of what MySky did, with the exception of being able to rewind live TV (which is handy when the young'n barges into the room and yells all over the top of what I'm watching). I regret the model I got - top of the range (and top price) and it's not going to be upgraded to work with Freeview Plus. If I was doing it now I'd go for the Dish TV option mentioned in this thread which will cover the on demand function of the free to air channels.

My TV is not smart - it was one of the first Full HD Sony Bravias, so it's pretty much just a screen. I've attached a Minix Neo Z-64 Windows mini-computer. Cost me around $220 (might set you back a bit more now the exchange rate has slipped) for things like TVNZ On Demand, Plex, Lightbox, Fanpass and so on. I usually control it with a Microsoft wireless keyboard with a trackpad on it, but I also have a Flirc which means I can control Plex with my Harmony remote. But by far the thing I use the most is my Apple TV. Had a 3, upgraded it to a 4 late last year. I use that for Netflix, Hulu, BBC, some Aussie channels, YouTube, TV Streams, and Plex streaming from my big old Mac Pro. I have a DNS unblocker on it, but not on the Minix. I believe, from comments in the Lightbox thread, that an app for the ATV4 is imminent, so that will be handy. I can airplay Fanpass to it if I have sport that I want to watch (I usually subscribe for a month here and there when the Black Caps are playing), and also UK Channel 4. It doesn't do TVNZ On Demand, but I'm hoping eventually they'll sort that out, and then the Minix will become virtually redundant.

I absolutely don't miss Sky. When I cancelled it I was paying over $100 per month. My current setup costs me around $32 a month. I estimate I'd subscribe to Fanpass around 4 months of the year, which would average out at another $18 per month across the whole year. I'm still saving half of what I was spending before, and I have a much broader selection of content. 

timbosan:

Mspec: I used to have Kodi on our setup however changed to plex which seems to work pretty well.

I never managed to like Plex - it always seems (and I could be wrong) that they focus on compatibility over quality (of the streams).  I prefer to watch the content I have locally at the maximum quality possible.

The ideal situation with Plex is if every client in your system can handle all files in your library natively (and your connection method supports the required bandwidth). That is to say, can handle the video codec/audio codec/container format combination of all your files. This means no transcoding is performed and you simply get the (maximum) quality of the file.

Whenever files need transcoding, (or you're using wireless) that's when you'll run into 'quality' issues. And that's entirely dependent on your hardware, (server hardware, connection hardware, client hardware) so isn't really a Plex problem, but a hardware problem. You will get your local content at 'maximum quality possible' if all clients can handle every file natively (and your connection method supports the required bandwidth) OR if your server/connection/client combination is powerful enough to transcode and transmit/receive at the files maximum quality.

littleheaven:

 

It's a year since I cancelled my Sky subscription. Everyone's tastes vary, but I can tell you what worked for me. I replaced MySky with a Panasonic Blu-Ray recorder. It does most of what MySky did, with the exception of being able to rewind live TV (which is handy when the young'n barges into the room and yells all over the top of what I'm watching). I regret the model I got - top of the range (and top price) and it's not going to be upgraded to work with Freeview Plus. If I was doing it now I'd go for the Dish TV option mentioned in this thread which will cover the on demand function of the free to air channels.

 

My TV is not smart - it was one of the first Full HD Sony Bravias, so it's pretty much just a screen. I've attached a Minix Neo Z-64 Windows mini-computer. Cost me around $220 (might set you back a bit more now the exchange rate has slipped) for things like TVNZ On Demand, Plex, Lightbox, Fanpass and so on. I usually control it with a Microsoft wireless keyboard with a trackpad on it, but I also have a Flirc which means I can control Plex with my Harmony remote. But by far the thing I use the most is my Apple TV. Had a 3, upgraded it to a 4 late last year. I use that for Netflix, Hulu, BBC, some Aussie channels, YouTube, TV Streams, and Plex streaming from my big old Mac Pro. I have a DNS unblocker on it, but not on the Minix. I believe, from comments in the Lightbox thread, that an app for the ATV4 is imminent, so that will be handy. I can airplay Fanpass to it if I have sport that I want to watch (I usually subscribe for a month here and there when the Black Caps are playing), and also UK Channel 4. It doesn't do TVNZ On Demand, but I'm hoping eventually they'll sort that out, and then the Minix will become virtually redundant.

 

I absolutely don't miss Sky. When I cancelled it I was paying over $100 per month. My current setup costs me around $32 a month. I estimate I'd subscribe to Fanpass around 4 months of the year, which would average out at another $18 per month across the whole year. I'm still saving half of what I was spending before, and I have a much broader selection of content. 

 

Would you be willing to go into more detail on what you like about Apple TV, and what makes it valuable to you? I keep hearing so many good things about it but I have never seen it myself and I have to watch my budget. I use a streaming PC for everything, controlled from the couch. I control it with a Harmony remote and air mouse for keyboard input. AHK macros have made it much easier to use and I can also control it from my laptop, but it is still awkward at times and I am always looking for ways to improve it. I have tried plex and other media centre software, but it all seemed to be focussed on library content, not streaming site navigation, which is what I want.