Getting Live TV to Work with Plex: A Frustrating Journey

As a seasoned IT professional with over two decades of experience, I was excited to integrate Plex into my home entertainment setup. With its impressive capabilities for streaming movies and shows across devices, both within and outside my network, I was eager to make it work seamlessly for live TV as well. Unfortunately, my journey has been marked by frustration and trial-and-error attempts to resolve the issues.

Initially, I used a SiliconDust LPF-608M LTE Filter to improve signal quality, but unfortunately, it did not make a difference. Subsequently, I blamed the issue on the signal quality, assuming that Plex was not receiving a strong enough signal to stream live TV smoothly. However, this assumption proved to be incorrect.

My experience with live TV streaming has been disappointing, to say the least. While direct coaxial connection to my TV worked reasonably well, using an HD Homerun App (on both PC and mobile devices) came in second best. Unfortunately, Plex's performance was the worst, often stuck in a circular loading cycle.

I've tried various combinations of client-side players with Plex, including Firestick 4K and Windows 10 (both browser-based and Plex player-based), but none have produced consistent results. Additionally, I've experimented with different antennas, including the PBD WA-2608 Digital Amplified Outdoor HD TV Antenna, which comes with a 40ft coaxial cable and amplifier.

Given my extensive experience in IT, I'm confident that network issues are not the cause of the problem. My entire house is gigabit-wired using high-quality Cat6 cables, and I've implemented a robust 24-port L2/switch to ensure seamless connectivity.

My ultimate goal is to get Plex working reliably for live TV streaming. If you have any suggestions or expertise that can help me achieve this, I would greatly appreciate your input.

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