Streaming services that offer on-demand content, media servers that connect your Mac to your PS4 or Xbox One or other entertainment system, and even digital tv streaming services like PlayStation Vue and SlingTV, have made cord cutting a much easier task in recent years.
One big reason cord cutting is still so hard for a TV lover like myself is the lack of a proper DVR. Many cable companies offer a DVR (including my provider) along with their TV packages, and there is nothing quite like watching your favorite current shows on your schedule and skipping through commercials.
The very smart, Glenn Fleishman over at Macworld has pointed out some awesome solutions to turn your Mac into a DVR, and he makes it sound like heaven on earth.
"Since I have a Mac that's on all the time and has terabytes of available storage, I'd prefer keeping control in my hands, storing recordings locally on my Mac, and choosing how I time and space shift. It also gives me the option to trim out commercials before watching a movie."
Now, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems, and Fleischmann outlines a few of the shortcomings of the macOS app eyeTV, which he has been using for a while.
"The eyeTV 3 macOS app is showing its age. Despite consistent updates and bug fixes, the fundamental software looks unchanged from years ago and remains just as frustrating to use now as then.
eyeTV orients itself around a programming grid, which in the U.S. requires a yearly subscription to TV Guide. The subscription includes actors on shows and a brief description, but no show art and no links from names to find other shows they're in. There's no graphical way to browse or group by series, genre, or the like." In the article, Glenn goes much more in depth of a few different methods you can try to turn your Mac into a DVR, and if you're really serious about cord cutting, his article is worth a read.
Unfortunately, being a Canadian Citizen, not many of the options Glenn outlines will work well enough for me to consider making a swooping change to my TV habits; however, it does make me excited for what the future could hold.
What do you think?
Would turning your Mac into a DVR help you finally cut the cord? Let us know in the comments below.
