One other issue is that in the initial release you can't use the Plex client app itself to schedule recordings. Williams said both of these features, standard on other DVRs, might be available in a future release. You can't, for example, begin a recording, wait 20 minutes or so, and start watching that show from the beginning while it was still recording (and thus skip the commercials). The DVR also can't "time-shift," so there's no way to watch something at the same time as it's recording. One reason behind the decision, according to Williams, is that Plex doesn't allow users to watch (or pause) live TV through the interface - you can only watch stuff you've previously recorded. Plex's program guide isn't a standard grid-style channel-centric timeline, but rather a collection of thumbnails for individual shows labeled arranged in Netflix-like rows like "On Right Now," "Starting Soon," and "Upcoming Favorites." Once set up, the interface behaves in some ways like a standard DVR, but with some major limitations, at least at launch. Interestingly, he also said anyone with an HDHomeRun could "share" the box with other users elsewhere in the world, allowing them to schedule and view recordings. Plex's setup finds and connects to the box on a user's home network, and Williams described the process as seamless and quick. The system is mainly intended for cable cord cutters who watch free over-the-air TV, said Williams. The service also works with HDHomeRun's Extend and Prime boxes in the U.S., the latter offering the ability to DVR non-copy-protected (Clear QAM) shows from a cable system.
(Versions are available in the UK for around £100 and Australia for around AU$230 the Plex DVR works in those countries too, complete with program guide information).
To get it up and running a user needs access to an over-the-air antenna connected to an HDHomeRun box, which start at $90 for the two-tuner Connect model. In that way Plex's DVR is much like Tablo, or HDHomeRun's own software. The main appeal is that recorded shows are neatly integrated into Plex alongside other video, photos and music, and available to watch not only on the main TV, but on other TVs in the house as well as mobile devices. Williams walked me through the feature and it seems well implemented, if more limited than a traditional over-the-air DVR such as TiVo Roamio OTA or the ChannelMaster+.
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