Locast began service in Tampa Bay yesterday. When trying to set up the beta in Channels, it says that Locast is not available. I was hoping it could be added to the list of updates in the near future so I can try it out. No rush, I just wanted to let someone know that it changed.
Thank you.
Funny - I just signed up for Locast a week or 2 ago, not realizing they were not in Tampa yet. Happy to hear they are here now!
That would be awesome! I just received an email this morning that it's now available in Tampa.
Do I need the tuner box with Locast? Does it work similar to the TVE feed? It would be cool if I can just get rid of my boxes altogether!
I would also like this to be added, I am in Tampa and my HDHR antenna doesnt pick up all channels available.
It works the same way as TVE. You must be a donating user for Locast support, but that's it.
Just beware that the quality of Locast is less than broadcast. Video quality is suitable, but audio is only the first/primary audio stream, and it's stereo only.
Awesome! Thanks for the info. I am going to at least give them a try and see what I think.
Added to next build. Pre-release now available
Thanks for the info, @racameron. I was about to post exactly those questions. I was thinking of using Locast to supplement my existing antenna tuners. But not if it costs a monthly fee, and especially not if it is subpar quality.
The quality is actually quite acceptable. Just realize that the way Locast works is by reencoding broadcast streams from MPEG-2 (H.262) to H.264, and only the primary audio stream is sent. (Also, the audio is re-encoded from AC-3/Dolby Digital to AAC, and downmixed from 5.1 to stereo.)
The minimum "donation" that Locast asks for is $5/mo, which is to basically cover their costs. Remember, Locast is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to rebroadcast OTA streams over the internet to users that otherwise cannot receive their local broadcasts for myriad reasons.