The Simple.TV second generation settop box.(Photo: Simple.TV)
Simple.TV is an aptly named system for cord cutters looking to harness free over-the-air local TV signals.
By connecting the Simple.TV settop box to your home network and antenna, you can watch local network broadcasts on the Web via Macintosh or Windows computers or on your smartphone, tablet or TV.
Interest in free digital TV has grown in the wake of the June Supreme Court decision about Aereo. Upstart Aereo had been streaming on the Net over-the-air channels in 11 cities, renting subscribers a dime-size antenna in lieu of one erected at their own homes. But the court ruled 6-3 that the practice violated copyright law because Aereo must pay the rights holders, the broadcasters, just as pay-TV services do.
Even before Aereo’s setback, Simple.TV had been an option for enhancing broadcast TV. Two years ago, its Kickstarter campaign resulted in the development and release of its first settop box with a single tuner.
Earlier this year, Simple.TV released a new settop box with dual tuners, which allows you to record two programs at the same time or record one and watch another. Simple.TV starts at $199 for the box, plus $50 for an annual Premier subscription that includes remote access — new subscribers can get six months free under a current offer — or $349 for box and a lifetime subscription. Note: You provide your own hard drive to record, pause and rewind video; I connected a 1 Terabyte Seagate drive.
Other new features included the ability to download videos from your computer to mobile devices, and updated apps for Android and iOS devices. You can also connect on Windows phones, Roku and Chromecast devices, as well as Apple TV using Airplay.
I gave Simple.TV a test drive recently and found it very easy to use — once I got it connected and running — and, as promised, it delivered local TV everywhere.
But there is a slight difference between Simple.TV and a competing product, Tablo, that I tried recently.
While Tablo connected wirelessly to my home network, Simple.TV requires an Ethernet connection to your home router. This probably provides a higher-quality connection, but many not be easy or feasible in some homes. In my three-story townhouse, the router is on the lowest level; the best antenna position is on the third floor.
For this test, I took the middle ground. I connected 50 feet of coaxial cable to the Winegard FlatWave antenna that I’ve used in other projects. Then, I taped it to the second floor kitchen window overlooking the deck.
That allowed me to have the Simple.TV box and the hard drive resting next to the router. If this was to have been a permanent installation, I would have found a way to connect the unused HDTV antenna in the attic.
Setup is done easily over the Web and Simple.TV performed well once it would talk nicely to my hard drive, which had been used on previous experiments. I would recommend an unused drive to avoid any such problems.
A screenshot of the Simple.TV app on an iPad. (Photo: Simple.TV)
The box picked up 40 local channels in the Washington D.C., area — including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS and several independent channels — and the easy-to-read program guide showed what was being broadcast live. I recorded some programs including The Rockford Files, in honor of the late James Garner, who passed away last month, and Masterpiece Mystery, which had the first of the final Agatha Christie: Poirot episodes.
The Rockford Files video was a bit grainy, but remember many digital channels are multiplexed and not high-definition, and it’s possible the episodes haven’t been remastered in HD. But the Masterpiece Mystery episode looked crisp and clear on my laptop when I connected on the Web at the office.
I also connected to Simple.TV via a browser on my laptop via a USB modem and an iPad in a doctor’s office and a hospital, allowing me to watch the local and national broadcast news programs. Then, I downloaded the Simple.TV channel on Roku and was able to watch Masterpiece Mystery in fine high-def quality on the big-screen TV.
Screen grab of “The Rockford Files” on Simple.TV on an iPad. (Photo: Simple.TV)
And up to five users can connect at home or away to see up to two different live broadcasts or one broadcast and a recorded show. I could see Simple.TV serving many different consumers, including transplanted NFL fans who still have family that could pick up local broadcasts of their beloved home team. Rather than pay for NFL Sunday Ticket, they could watch using Simple.TV.
“There’s a cord cutter crowd, for sure, but there’s also a secondary market of those folks who are looking for just more flexible ways to access content,” says Simple.TV CEO Mark Ely. “We have a whole generation of folks who are growing up with on-demand video services asking, ‘Why do I have to get all this stuff through cable? Isn’t there a better way to get the live TV broadcast content the same way that I get Hulu or Netflix or Amazon or other services?'”
Simple.TV is certainly one of the best answers.
“Cutting the Cord” is a new regular column covering Net TV and ways to get it. If you have suggestions or questions, contact Mike Snider via e-mail. And follow him on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
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