[mythtv-users] Any cord-cutters using MythTV?

[Mark Wedel]

On 06/12/2018 05:12 PM, jrh wrote:
> 
> 
>> On Jun 12, 2018, at 6:43 PM, DryHeat122 <dryheat122 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I've been using MythTV to record cable content for years, but I'd really like to stop sending the provider a giant check every month.
>>
>> I know there is capability to record HTTP streams, but I'm wondering if it's feasible to use MythTV to record from any of streaming services like Hulu, Sling, DirecTV Now, etc.
>>
> 
> I cut cable 8 years ago, and have used an antenna since. Mythtv doesn’t work well with the referenced sources due to DRM on them.
> However, I have amazon prime and rarely use it as I have plenty from antenna.
> Regards

  I'm in much the same case as Jrh.

  I have slingtv, and they offer a cloud PVR service on most all channels for a 
fairly minor amount per month (I ended up getting it free as a beta tester). 
Even if it wasn't free, I'd probably pay for it based on convenience.

  For all of those service, as noted, DRM makes it impossible to stream them via 
HTTP/IPTV.  You could set up some method to play them and then record them with 
something like an HDPVR (I did this before slingtv offered the PVR service). 
But in that solution, you are losing some quality on that process.  And there is 
the complication of setting up a process to get the program you want.  I was 
using a Roku for this (to an HDPVR) - the roku was at least somewhat convenient 
in that you can make HTTP requests to it to mimic keystrokes, instead of going 
the IR blaster route.

  The providers really have no incentive to make this process easy - they would 
much rather that you use their streaming service.

  I will also note that you can use google chrome with an UA spoofer to watch 
most of that content on your linux desktop (note that chromium does not work, 
because it lacks some of the closed codecs).

  I suppose if someone was really adventurous, they could scrape the data as 
chrome plays it back, but that would still be a lot of work in that you could 
probably have to write a script to imitate mouse presses to get the program you 
want.  Not even sure if that would be possible (whether the page layout would be 
consistent).

  I do miss some of the features of mythtv when watching via streaming service, 
but not enough to deal with the hassle of trying to get something better to work 
reliably.