Consumers who have opted out of cable will soon have a new option for watching their favorite shows. In December, Simple.tv will release a new DVR device that will allow users to stream up to five channels at the same time. The pre-order price will be just $200, but the device won’t come with its own hard drive, meaning consumers will need external drives for storing content. Meanwhile, TiVo has announced out-of-home streaming for cable subscribers via its Roamio set-top-box, that allows users to access content on mobile devices.

According to Janko Roettgers reporting for GigaOM, the Simple.tv device will come with the model name STV2-2US and will have two tuners. Roettgers took the “up to five channels simultaneously” feature listed on NewEgg.com to mean that consumers will be able to watch recordings or live video feeds on up to five devices at a time.

Simple.tv is making the streams available on PCs, mobile devices, and Roku boxes via the home network or on the go.

The hardware for the new device, made by SiliconDust, comes with 1GB of RAM, Ethernet and USB 2.0 ports. The company has said that it wants to make its services available on Chromecast and DLNA-compatible devices as well.

It’s likely that consumers who purchase the DVR device will also have to subscribe to Simple.tv’s EPG service, but requests for details whether the device will come with any free service to start have not yet been answered.

Simple.tv has yet to say much more about the device other than the fact that it will be available on December 12 at NewEgg.com.

In related news, TiVo recently announced the launch of out-of-home streaming via the TiVo Roamio Pro and TiVo Roamio Plus DVRs, which allow iOS device users to stream and download live television and recorded content to smartphones and tablets from anywhere, while connected via Wi-Fi.

“Android support and streaming via 4G/LTE is on the schedule next year — on iOS the minimum supported bandwidth needs more tweaking to meet Apple’s maximum bitrate for cellular,” reports Engadget. “Slingbox owners have enjoyed no-strings streaming for years, and others like Monsoon have pushed downloads while TV providers like Comcast and Time Warner offer their own apps; but TiVo’s setup promises the most streamlined solution this side of the similar Dish Hopper DVRs.”