Here are the best ways to stream local TV to your Apple TV or iPhone from an antenna
If you're a cable-cutter who's somehow missing broadcast TV, you can still get over-the-air channels without springing for Sling, PlayStation Vue, or YouTube TV -- you just need an HD antenna and a compatible tuner. These are some of the better Apple-ready North American tuners to choose from.
There are actually several HDHomeRun models available, varying mostly by the number of built-in tuners. We'd recommend the Extend ($179.99), which has just 2 tuners but unlike any of the other models includes a hardware H.264 transcoder -- that allows more efficient streaming to connected Apple devices, which can include iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs.
For DVR functions, you'll need a computer or network-attached storage (NAS) with enough space to record videos, saved in resolutions up to 1080p. Streaming in HD quality requires all devices to have at least 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
SiliconDust offers a DVR subscription service, simply called HDHomeRun DVR, but you can also use it with alternatives like Plex Pass, which has apps across Apple platforms. In fact we'd recommend using Plex if at all possible, since it's a handy way of organizing all your offline video.
The only other tuner on this list (officially) compatible with both Macs and Plex, the ClearStream TV ($99.99) is a cheaper but barebones alternative. It's less powerful -- for instance offering just a single tuner and potentially taking a long time to load live channels or a program guide -- but it may be enough. You can watch on an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or via Chromecast.
Like the HDHomeRun Extend, the Dual Lite ($139.99) has twin tuners to offer simultaneous streams. Its big feature however is the ability to stream not just inside the home but when you're away via official apps. These are available for for iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs.
The catch is that you'll need to attach a USB hard drive for both live and recorded TV. A cloud subscription is required for out-of-the-home streaming, along with features like series recording and full show art and metadata.
Remember TiVo? They have less raison d'etre these days, but the Bolt is a quad-tuner powerhouse that can potentially let you skip an Apple TV entirely. It comes with 1 terabyte of internal storage -- about 150 hours of HD video -- as well as a voice-equipped remote, Amazon Alexa support, and 4K compatibility. Native apps are present for services like Netflix, Plex, Hulu, and HBO. If you want you can stream in- and outside of the house, just like Tablo. Mobile streaming covers computers, iPhones, and iPads.
Privilege has its price. The Bolt costs $249.99, and that's before a mandatory service plan that's $6.99 per month, $69.99 per year, or $249.99 for a permanent subscription. You'd better really, really want over-the-air and DVR functions if you choose this over an Apple TV and a service like Sling.
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Extend
There are actually several HDHomeRun models available, varying mostly by the number of built-in tuners. We'd recommend the Extend ($179.99), which has just 2 tuners but unlike any of the other models includes a hardware H.264 transcoder -- that allows more efficient streaming to connected Apple devices, which can include iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs.
For DVR functions, you'll need a computer or network-attached storage (NAS) with enough space to record videos, saved in resolutions up to 1080p. Streaming in HD quality requires all devices to have at least 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
SiliconDust offers a DVR subscription service, simply called HDHomeRun DVR, but you can also use it with alternatives like Plex Pass, which has apps across Apple platforms. In fact we'd recommend using Plex if at all possible, since it's a handy way of organizing all your offline video.
AntennasDirect ClearStream TV
The only other tuner on this list (officially) compatible with both Macs and Plex, the ClearStream TV ($99.99) is a cheaper but barebones alternative. It's less powerful -- for instance offering just a single tuner and potentially taking a long time to load live channels or a program guide -- but it may be enough. You can watch on an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or via Chromecast.
Tablo Dual Lite
Like the HDHomeRun Extend, the Dual Lite ($139.99) has twin tuners to offer simultaneous streams. Its big feature however is the ability to stream not just inside the home but when you're away via official apps. These are available for for iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs.
The catch is that you'll need to attach a USB hard drive for both live and recorded TV. A cloud subscription is required for out-of-the-home streaming, along with features like series recording and full show art and metadata.
TiVo Bolt
Remember TiVo? They have less raison d'etre these days, but the Bolt is a quad-tuner powerhouse that can potentially let you skip an Apple TV entirely. It comes with 1 terabyte of internal storage -- about 150 hours of HD video -- as well as a voice-equipped remote, Amazon Alexa support, and 4K compatibility. Native apps are present for services like Netflix, Plex, Hulu, and HBO. If you want you can stream in- and outside of the house, just like Tablo. Mobile streaming covers computers, iPhones, and iPads.
Privilege has its price. The Bolt costs $249.99, and that's before a mandatory service plan that's $6.99 per month, $69.99 per year, or $249.99 for a permanent subscription. You'd better really, really want over-the-air and DVR functions if you choose this over an Apple TV and a service like Sling.
Comments
At their own site, https://www.watchairtv.com/product/watchair-epus-100b/ every product is on sale, and the white unit is out of stock. I didn't write the piece, but I wonder if WatchAir is going to be around from the looks of it.
One of those projects I'd like to make is an OTA antenna with the streaming box all powered with a solar cell and battery to mount on the pole. No cable at all.
Editorial staff have nothing to do with monetization at all, and we never skew our coverage in that regard.
I didn't write the article, but my observation is, WatchAir looks like a dead product to me. Sold out, everything else on discount. Not promising for the long term outlook of the company.
At the time, it was just a plastic shell, no electronics, I think. I asked them about it in 2018 on three occasions, and got no response. I'm glad they finally produced it.
The advantage of a tuner with Wi-Fi in it is that it can work with AppleTV or iOS and potentially be a DVR you can use anywhere in the world. Bravia and a tuner do not work like this.
A number if TV’s these days don't have a built in tuner. So you need something, or your stream. That's a Tivo or a cable box or whatever.
For "anywhere in the world use", you'd likely need lots of different tuners in different countries, since some (many?) different countries use different standards: "While NTSC and PAL have both gone away, the US and UK implemented incompatible digital TV standards, so you cannot just switch the power cord for a US TV* and watch TV in the UK. That said, many cable and satellite boxes, game consoles, and Internet TV devices support both digital standards." https://britishexpats.com/forum/moving-back-uk-61/moving-us-uk-bringing-computers-television-897749/
Haven't checked lately, but when Japan first went to HDTV, they chose an analog system that was backward compatible with the old system (as when US went to color, it chose a backward compatible system with the old BW system. Don't try this in foreign countries before checking for compatibility.
While a given tuner may support several popular country standards, they may not support all of the countries you may plan to visit.
You could have one ATSC tuner in the US, and use the app on iOS or AppleTV while traveling around the world. Or you could do the reverse, put a DVB tuner in the UK and use the app while traveling around the world. I did not mean that you should have multiple tuners around the world as you understood me to be saying.
Handbrake would be a good way to rip these, provided you have a DVD drive connected to the computer. Then use a server (Mac, PLEX, or a NAS like a Synology) to host them for serving up to streaming.
I'm actually kind of sad that Elgato killed off its TV line. I have a Diversity stick that still kind of works, but I have issues with antennas. Plus EyeTV keeps throwing up messages about not being fully supported, suggesting it will stop working with the next OS update.
On the positive side, I rarely watch live TV these days, so not having a tuner doesn't really matter. I feel I should still have one, for some reason, and there are a couple of TV shows I prefer to watch live as they go out, but with the majority of our programming coming from overseas, there really isn't much point.