PixPlus ATSC Digital TV Converter Box with DVR & 64GB of Storage Review

[@davidsradioroom9678]

an honest review. That is why we count on you. Thanks.

[@BlondieSL]

The really sad thing is, those companies that are making these things all seem to miss the mark. As a computer guy, including programmer (now retired) I see clearly that the coders do a fair job, but seem to create bugs where bugs shouldn't be. Like setting up to record a channel at a certain time should not fail. The only way it could possibly fail is if, for example, the code that is processed to see if there's a channel to be recorded, may not be accessed at the EXACT MOMENT. What I mean is, I've seen some code, perfect example, a full-featured clock with auto DST and such, that was very laggy and sometimes missed the flip time. I had to restructure the routines, because what I found, is that whomever coded it, just had one big timer (to execute code over and over) and inside the timer, tones of IF statements to check everything. The problem was, hundreds of IF statements were being processed at moment that were unnecessary. An example is code was constantly being executed over and over that checked to see if it was time to flip the day (Mon, Tue, etc). That cause major lag for nothing. What I did was to take ALL that code and set it all inside a single IF statement. It was the IF statement that just confirmed that the actual internal clock jumped from 11:59:59 to 12:00:00! Just that along got rid of most of the lag and unnecessary code being executed. From what I'm seeing on this box, I suspect there's something like that going on too, which would explain why SOMETIMES a set recording's code doesn't get executed. The trigger is missed because other code was taking up CPU time and by the time that was done, the "internal clock" was now ahead of the time set for the program. This could also explain why the signal and quality meters freeze. I can see that the code for those are being executed at a very fast rate. More efficiently would be to have that code executed, perhaps, only ever 250ms to 500ms (perhaps even once ever second only). I wish that one of these companies would make GOOD hardware and make the code open source, but having the video compression codex available if it's good and a complete list of registers and such so that coders could design their own code for these.

[@michaelscheel9533]

Finally a power input of 12V, I want to able to use these boxes to use outdoors or during power outages with a powerpack.

[@AntennaMan]

This unit also uses a 12V power input if you want a DTV box that's more stable with better tuner sensitivity. amzn.to/4cJyUFE

[@shancole4926]

Is orbytv coming back

[@wadebarnett2542]

I saw that Kim Komando picked up your "scammed" story! I hope that drew in more subscribers for you.

[@AntennaMan]

I hope so too!

[@jmr]

I've been hoping to see a decent completely offline DVR. It's a shame no one can deliver a decent experience.

[@AntennaMan]

There's probably one out there. I'll keep looking.

[@Shododaan]

@@AntennaMan Yeah. I've been using Tablo for a long time but after the last two florida hurricanes I've realized they won't play content if they can't contact the mothership when my generator is running but the internet isn't working due to internet infrastructure damage. Maybe you can chat them up?

[@BlainsTube]

@@AntennaMan Keep us posted.

[@michaelkatz6572]

Tyler, I really appreciate your honesty.

[@tomsmith2013]

I really appreciate those sapphire eyes and that schnoz. 😀

[@tomsmith2013]

Aw ... Tyler.

[@frankm496]

I've been enjoying ADTH NextGen tuner box. They seem to be up on things and always making improvements with software updates. Nice functionality and love the simple remote control. I had two Mediasonics Homeworx. The 1st gen one died on me in about a year and the 2nd gen one died on me in about 6 months. Complete crap and will never buy again. I also had the Tablo Dual HDMI. The Tablo's interface was horrible and very laggy switching channels. Such a very bad experience and wasn't willing to chance buying the newer version.I watch yours and other folks' reviews on the ADTH and went with it. It was middle of the road with cost. Anyway, you get what you pay for. Thank you, Tyler, always appreciate your reviews and advice. Great advocate

[@bobbynash282]

Thanks for sharing this. It can save so many people money. All they have to do is listen, so easy.

[@stephenahancock]

Very thorough review. Without going back and reviewing your old videos how does this compare to the Homework tuner. I like the old style remotes. I ordered the Tablo and sent it back when I saw it had the ROKU style remote. I decided to stay with my Homework tuner. For me these remotes are so much more functional. It would be nice to be able to record another channel while watching TV. but for $30 I can buy a second Homework tuner and hook it to a different source input. Thanks Tyler. I recommend your channel to everyone that talks about cutting the cord.

[@kensmith5694]

That is a useful review. I use the Homeworx unit and it works fine for me.

[@JB-mk4ry]

Going on 10 years of using my HW150. Never an issue.

[@AntennaMan]

Wow I'm surprised that model has worked ten years for you. Some report it failing after a few years.

[@TV_Alternate_Reality]

@@AntennaMan Ha, I am still using (about 10) windows 7 laptops with dual USB tuners and Windows Media Center since 2007 when TV channels went digital in my area. Now I have 100's Terabytes recorded OTA TV and all edited with VideoRedo to remove commercials. The math says I have about 30 years to watch it all and then die (old age).

[@stevejohnson1321]

Looks like I stick with my "viewtv" model for awhile. There isn't much to complain about, nor is there much worth recording right now.

[@4biz]

loves this review&thank you for recomending the tavlo tv.i've gotten mines&its works very damn well.thank you for that.

[@garyday6681]

Thanks for the video, I needed a tuner for the new android radio with av input I just installed in my car.

[@PC4USE1]

The aspect of this tuner I like is the signal strength,quality display but with the limited or nonexistent DVR feature and the lesser tuner sensitivity,I'll stick with Mediasonic.

[@AntennaMan]

I also like how the signal strength and quality is shown on each channel but no doubt the Mediasonic unit is more functional.

[@richardgusztaw5091]

Nicely done with your detailed review of this product.

[@XMguy]

I have the ZJBox. It’s similar to others. But scheduled recordings can have issues. They will record, I go to play them, they freeze and stop. I like this box because the power led doubles as a signal lock light.

[@paulsartana1785]

I am looking forward for your review of the new Mediasonic. I have a feeling it will deliver, since the previous versions did.

[@sbccave4015]

Love my core innovations tuner/dvr it was 35-40 bucks when i bought it

[@roberthansen2008]

Thank you for reviewing this antenna man. I always trust your opinions on things. I will not be purchasing this thing. I have the tablo that I bought in December of 2020. And then I got the lady friend of 4th generation a week ago. But I've had some issues with it not working with the Amazon fire tv. It works with the Roku TV just fine. The Roku 4K stick does not work with it except for the scripts provided streaming channels. My antenna channels did not work with it at all. But we'll see what it does on her tv. Otherwise I might have to scroll through some of your videos to see what a good DVR is. Cuz basically you that are going high-end or low end with these things. There should be a decent happy medium. So you know it's the same company that probably makes all those cheap 25.00 and $30 units. And they just sell them under different names I bet.

[@fidddle121]

Watching ota tv in Brooklyn. Channel 11 sub channels and a telemarketer channel have changed their codec. Only audio is available on those channels. Using a 10 year old Panasonic tv. Has a beautiful picture on all other channels and sub channels. Love this tv. Hate losing the video. Hope this isn’t a trend.

[@68hoffman]

zapperbox is now working towards whole home intergration -meaning soon the zapperbox will be abel to access all other zapperbox' s on your home wi-fi or ethernet network ..and next year is leaning towards PC and android apps ..i am very pleased with my zapperbox m-1 dual tuner ..buy with confidence

[@AntennaMan]

Zapperbox is definitely the leader in ATSC 3.0 tuners. The owner is extremely dedicated to the unit and works very hard to make sure it's the best out there. I hope it pays off for him.

[@roxcyn]

Oooh, I was hoping for a home run, but we didn't quite get there.

[@craigspada1676]

Good video, I own 2 of these boxes, I do not have those problems, this works better than iview or mediasonic, I have own both for 2 years the the dvr has the same bugs, same inside board. I would send that unit back and get a new one.

[@AntennaMan]

That's interesting. I wonder if I got a bad unit.

[@riceexe]

I'd love to see you review one of the android based ATSC 1.0 DVRs, such as the iView Cyberbox or Aluratek ADTB02F, both of which seem to be running on identical software. I was actually able to pick up an Aluratek unit, which I unfortunately bricked after trying to flash better firmware on it.

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for this info! I wasn't aware of either unit and will look into them.

[@BlondieSL]

This is interesting. If those are Android boxes, then you should be able to "unbrick" them and install better code if available... no? If the code, by some chance, open source for those of us who like to design our own code for stuff?

[@riceexe]

@@BlondieSL The devices come pre rooted, and I assume they have unlocked bootloaders, however, I was unable to find a rom or even a port of TWRP for any Amlogic S905D based devices. There are various Android TV 9 roms for other chips in the S905 family, perhaps someone skilled could port them over.

[@riceexe]

Forgot to mention that there is a version of CoreELEC (a linux distro dedicated to running KODI), but I was unable to get it to detect the ATSC tuner

[@Boomerlake]

Yeah, for just $25 you get what you pay for. Review the ATSC 3.0 Zinwell tuner box sometime. It's got a good remote control, and the info button gives you most everything you may want to know. The only major downside to some people is that it isn't DVR capable.

[@AntennaMan]

The Zinwell ATSC 3.0 tuner box is on my list. I hope to get to it sometime next month.

[@MrNickb-s500]

Tyler Thanks for the valuable information 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@dennisud]

I'll wait for your review of the Mediasonic unit as this one clearly was slapped together using below grade parts!

[@AntennaMan]

It's sad. This unit had potential with the upgraded UI but clearly it needs work.

[@mikereece1885]

Tyler, there is an interesting KZbin on ATSC3.0 from TJ Ferreia ("NextGen TV ATSC 3.0 is robust" at 125 miles). It is interesting only because apparently one of the initial ATSC 3.0 claims (extended/enlarged receiving range) appears to be working out in the real world. For those of us who are armchair engineers, ATSC3.0 is so difficult to understand ( QAM, physical layers, error correction parameters and on and on).

[@BR0078]

Hi Tyler. Love your channel. I was wondering if you could ever speak to signal strength/quality numbers and what is reliable signal or not.

[@4Lights.5Liights]

Military time is OK, but the button push errors are not acceptable. Thank you Tyler.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

Thanks COOP ...

[@FleaMarketJohn]

Interesting to play with simply for the price but I think I'm going to pass. Wouldn't be bad if you just need a converter box for an old TV though?

[@kensmith5694]

For a little more you can get a better one. There are many good ones at about the $40 mark

[@404010ful]

Tyler, still kicking around with my Mediasonic Homeworx pvr-150 it only does one channel to record to and I cant watch another channel while it records one ,so nothing to write home about. For the amount of recording I do its fine for now. If I want to watch other channels over the air I switch back to my tv tuner. So nothing interferes. But I will think about the Tablo one . Lucky enough I have the boring remote on my phone from a remote app that relates to a hub remote.

[@stuartstuart866]

Tyler, you have mentioned in other videos that Samsung, LG and Vizio have really good OTA tuners. Is there a stand alone tuner that can match or exceed these TV brands for getting reception? Thank you.

[@JoshRazauskas]

Hey Tyler. I’ve been considering saving up for a DVR with all of the changes to college football now and how hard it is to keep up with all the games but if you use one, does it affect the no delay aspect of over the air when watching your live choice because you have to use an HDMI hook up or is the antenna still run through coax and only the DVR via HDMI?

[@PhoneSpecificationsUSA]

LOL. Your "WTF?" face at 2:32 made me laugh. The onscreen menus and guide looks like something you would see displayed by a computer made during the 1980's.

[@tpl608]

My man Tyler. Please do the side to side head bob and Bla Bla Bla on every video as your signature. It was glorious. 😅

[@harveywhitehouse919]

Hi tyler I live in the uk and was wondering if you have heard of a company called SLx? Been looking at there omni directional aerial that will live in the attic as we dont currently have an external aerial, thanks if you do see this

[@craigarnold1212]

I think the first clue to this being a dud came with the ports for cathode TV's that somehow linger on! Possibly for porting from camcorders or old game boxes? Maybe there is a 4K stb more worthy? Typically you get what you pay for, it's when you pay more and it doesn't live up to expectation that it becomes a problem. First rule with the cheap units is that it will not get any updates to the firmware. I only bought one of those and after chatting on their forum with an employee I knew they would not update it to fix my issues. Everything else I have has been updated monthly or quarterly with system updates annually.

[@onehitsword6800]

Military time isn't hard. In simplest terms after 12, 13=1:00pm and 14=2:00pm and so on

[@BlondieSL]

That's not the point! Some of us HATE the 24-clock thing and prefer, 12-hour, with AM/PM. As a coder, I honestly find it annoying that those coders didn't add simple code to allow a user to select their preference. It's such a simple thing to do, so one must wonder why they chose not to. It could be as simple as cultural attitudes.

[@Juliaflo]

That eliminates Pix Plus for me. Thank you for helping me save money.

[@ecash00]

REQUIREMENT, Light on the remote, while pressing buttons. So you can tell the batteries are DEAD.

[@seanlavoie2]

I’m under the impression that in spite of its cheep price that the remote control actually works okay? A few years ago almost every device like this seemed to have a remote that barely worked even when it was next to the machine.

[@AntennaMan]

The remote seemed to work okay with this unit. I think improvements have been made over the years.

[@chilicheesejay]

I just need something cheap to record WWE NXT when they move to the CW in a month since I work the evenings it will air. I'm almost to the point of just buying a cheap converter box and going through my VCR...

[@mindfreak2121]

Can you please do a video and review for the 2024 Version Digital TV Converter Box Mediasonic HomeWorx HW250STB

[@timf6916]

Good information

[@TV_Alternate_Reality]

Question about recording to hard drive with these DVRs ... Are you limited to ONLY using the same DVR to view the recorded videos OR can the hard drives be attached to another device (e.g. computer) and then play back the videos on that other device using standard media player apps (i.e. do these DVRs record to external hard drives using an industry standard video file format such MPG?)

[@AntennaMan]

You aren't limited to viewing the recorded videos on the box. If you record them to a flash or hard drive, you can play them on any device that plays the video codec it records in. I know they play fine on a computer.

[@wendyschickennuggets]

Can it be used on an old analog tv with the coxial?

[@AntennaMan]

Yes it can!

[@alliejr]

Yes, summer time = DST

[@GerardPinzone]

Something tells me a lot of the issues could be fixed with a firmware update. You might want to check it in 6 months.

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks

[@MiloPerrotti]

It's lame we get $30 or $230! Where's the$75-125? Of course with the expected increase in quality that is.

[@BlondieSL]

And dual tuners that are sensitive!

[@pokepress]

There does seem to be room for a mid-market device, the trick is figuring out the set of features and how to position it.

[@LM-wq4fe]

ADTH NextGen is mid market.

[@x1625]

I have a Homeworks, are ther any better units reception/tuner wize?

[@AntennaMan]

Yes, the Homeworx tuners are better reception wise. I actually compared the two in the beginning of the video.

[@stephenhallman1305]

I can't find anywhere on your sites if you install antennas.I'm older and not getting up on a roof.I understand your consultation fee,but I'm also looking for someone to install,also.could use your help thanks

[@philliplangley9302]

Have you tested the Aluratek model ADTB01F

[@AntennaMan]

I did a few years ago. It wasn't anything special and the video performed poorly so I unlisted it. You can watch it below if you wish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHLKaoWIe8hsecU

[@Oni64]

Can this output in 1080i for a HD CRT TV or Plasma TV

[@mikeblank5139]

Heading to the bargain Bin, In less than one year. Priced at $ 5.00

[@1stprinceoflite]

If it's not 500 Gb I wouldn't even think of buying it.

[@joe10117]

meadia sonic had same issues had mine set to correct time day nothing recorded 2 gig flash drive

[@johnn.4407]

Please, please electronic companies. Give us a decent, 2 tuner, NO SUBSCRIPTION DVR like the old DTVPal or the Channel Master Stream+ with a remote and HDMI out. It doesn't have to be $30 either. SHEESH!

[@shermanmaddoxrcpc774]

DVR+ wasn’t too bad either. My old dtvpal had video problem with it replaced some bloated caps fixed it. It’s too bad we can just get someone to put together a hybrid that has the best of the pal stream+ and dvr+

[@MotownBatman]

Could this be Used as a Pass-thru for Plex? Looks like it has the Connections Necessary...

[@AntennaMan]

I'm not sure how Plex works but this unit only has an HDMI output. It does not connect to the internet in any way.

[@poolmotorrepairguyFL]

I have a H96Pro s912 8 yrs now

[@juangualda1426]

Tyler, how's the Tuner?

[@AntennaMan]

I mentioned this in the video. Rewatch it.

[@ecwnikos]

thank you for the review but i will pass on this one.

[@rayesboy3]

I’ll gladly keep and a pay a monthly fee for programming for my TiVo over the air DVR.

[@kyleboyd1889]

it works on cathode ray tube tvs

[@kensmith5694]

Many others do too.

[@craigspada1676]

Hey one other thing, your sdram card has to be fast enough for data, most cards are not, I use and ssd it works great!

[@oldtech8520]

Finally here

[@bluemetal04606]

For my area, the FCC's website is more accurate than rabbit ear's

[@AntennaMan]

That sometimes happens as both are general estimations that use different factors. At least each is way better than antennaweb.org which has the tendency to say no channels can be picked up at a given location when they can.

[@zedge1205]

I just want an OTA tuner so I can live in my AppleTV and not switch tv inputs. Don’t need actual DVR recording. Does anyone make a basic tuner (with a decent TVos interface)?

[@vancecost]

@AntennaMan Thank you Tyler. I’ll stay away from it…!

[@tubefr71]

@0:25 well the design comes from the AppleTV

[@deanlamb275]

$25? That's a pretty deal.

[@AntennaMan]

It is but you get what you pay for as shown in the video.

[@Bowhunters6go8xz6x]

The settings program looks almost exactly like the cheap Chinese made FTA receivers that are out there but thats what you get for $25. Cheap low quality Chinese stuff.

[@glynnetolar4423]

The usual Chinese developed user interface. Bad.

[@craigneiger6566]

I just want a TV I don't have to scan for channels.

[@AntennaMan]

Unfortunately every tuner requires an initial channel scan to pre-program local channels on it. However, you typically don't have to rescan often as long as the antenna picks up all of your local channels reliably.

[@craigneiger6566]

@@AntennaMan I just live to far away from everything. Sometimes if the channel signals are weak I'll lose the channel I scanned before. . But if I get up in the middle of the night and run a scan I get everything I need again. It's alright I get plenty of junk and reruns to watch over and over if I want to. Ugh

[@randomperson712]

What, no love for Airtv & Sling? Why only ever mention Zapper and Tablo? Looks hinky... just sayin.

[@Markimark151]

It’s yet another rubbish DVR that doesn’t actually record shows as it’s advertised, it’s just a watered down digital converter box that can time shift live TV, this makes my old DVD recorder look easier to record and playback.

[@VincentBard-m2k]

Miller Ruth Lopez Joseph Hall Kevin

[@luisreyes1963]

Forget that hunk of Chinese E-Waste. Invest in a Tablo instead.

[@LuteFrontier]

Tylor is gay for his Antennas

[@DJboutit2]

This box is junk the software needs 3 more updates to be usable

[@BartlettTFD]

Not impressed with this unit at all 😩

[@joycedimaggio3816]

Doesn't seem worth it.

[@AntennaMan]

For most people it isn't worth even the $25 price considering it's barely functional.

[@gstar7686]

Don't waste your time or money on this antenna garbage. Many stations reduce their signal after 10PM so you're screwed if you're trying to watch something late at night with a weak signal. Antennas aren't worth a goddamn now.

[@Jean0987654321]

My HDHR is superior compared to this and it was only 38 bucks

[@Jean0987654321]

TL;DW: This DVR is junk. Don't bother buying it