Simple.TV

About Simple.TV

Simple.TV, operated by Really Simple Software, emerged as a notable player in the cord-cutting market, offering a hardware and software solution for over-the-air (OTA) television viewing and recording. The company positioned its product as a network-attached Digital Video Recorder (DVR) designed for consumers looking to move away from traditional cable subscriptions.

The core of the business was a physical DVR box that did not connect directly to a television but functioned as a network video server. Users would connect the device to a TV antenna to capture broadcast signals, an external USB hard drive for storage (which the user had to provide), and their home internet router via an ethernet cable. The device would then transcode the live TV signal and stream it, along with recorded content, to a variety of internet-connected devices, including Roku boxes, iPads, PCs, and Macs, both inside and outside the home.

Simple.TV's revenue model was twofold, combining hardware sales with a tiered subscription service. The initial hardware cost was approximately $150-$200 for the box itself. A basic, free service tier offered features like pausing live TV and in-home streaming. To unlock the product's full potential, customers could subscribe to the Premier service. This premium tier, available for a monthly or lifetime fee, added a comprehensive electronic program guide, the ability to set series recordings, and, most critically, remote access to live and recorded content from anywhere with an internet connection. The second generation of the hardware, Simple.TV 2, introduced dual-tuner support, allowing users to record two programs simultaneously or watch one while recording another.

Despite its approach to modernizing the DVR experience for cord-cutters, the company ceased operations. On August 5th, 2017, the Simple.TV service was officially shut down, rendering the devices unable to record or play content. The company cited an inability to move the business forward and maintain the necessary online services for the shutdown.