Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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SiliconDust Dual HD Digital Tuner
$69.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: New

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Been a while, so... The SiliconDust website.

Here is a video explanation from newegg

The real CNET review: http://reviews.cnet.com/video-players-and-recorders/silicondust-hdhomerun-dual/4505-6463_7-35112434.html?tag=similar;bingo.1

Seems like a really great way to save some money!!

Does it come with dust?

Sells for $99 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/SiliconDust-HDHomeRun-Definition-Television-HDHR3-US/dp/B004HO58SO

The reviews there look really good too.. 4 1/2 star average with just under 100 reviews..

So, could I fire Comcast Cable TV with this and still get programming on the computer?

Edit: Thanks for that CNET link, looks like you can only get unencrypted programming.
Need Comedy Central :-(

Great reviews on Amazon
Seems to work with Mythtv
Mfr page shows compatibility with:

• Windows Media Center
  
• Elgato EyeTV – DVR for Mac
  
• MythTV – DVR for Linux
  
• SnapStream BeyondTV – DVR for Windows
  
• SageTV – DVR for Windows/Linux/Mac
  
• MediaPortal – DVR for Windows
  
• GB-PVR – DVR for Windows
  
• VLC – Multi-platform media viewer
  
• TSReader – MPEG-2 transport stream analysis
  

dammit just bought one for $30 more than this, still worth every penny. had an original one for 6 years before i broke it.

this thing is really small, but effective ATSC tuner for all your networked devices. Also does unencrypted QAM over your cable lines if you get crappy reception.

silicon dust has the best customer service and a great community behind this product

Something about that little red light made me think that woot was selling Portal turrets for a moment.

Does it work when you need a digital adapter just to watch tv? I have comcast. Just plugging in your tv into the wall doesn't work anymore.

So, it won't work with encrypted channels. That leaves what? The Home Shopping Network. WOOT!

XBMC (formerly Xbox Media Center) is my favorite free media/home theater server. XBMC natively supports HD Homerun Devices and works great.

If you need help with XBMC HD Homerun setup check here.

I am using one of these now, and they are great.

These are primarily designed for use with OTA signals, but they will tune in non-encrypted QAM channels from digital cable.

Meaning it will NOT replace your cable box. You would be looking for the HDHomeRunner Prime and a cable card for that.

A Comparison Guide for the HDHomeRun Product Line may also be helpful.

Product site:

http://www.silicondust.com/products/models/hdhr3-us/

Decent price here on woot!

This might be awesome... if there were any shows left on TV that I watch anymore.

Yes, it will work with the new digital basic cable requirements, IF your cable provider broadcasts these signals in clear QAM. If your basic cable channels are encrypted, this is not for you - you need a device that accepts a cable card.

This device will definitely receive LOCAL broadcast channels over the air and through your cable provider - cable companies are required to transmit the local channels in the clear with QAM modulation. It may or may not receive other cable channels though - check with your provider to see if they broadcast your favorite channels in clear QAM or not.

Oh, and it won't receive analog channels.

If this was first connected to the little digital box from Comcast, could I get all the digi-cable channels I know get (vs. only the OTA channels, which are basically the 4 big networks)?

ILGal wrote:If this was first connected to the little digital box from Comcast, could I get all the digi-cable channels I know get (vs. only the OTA channels, which are basically the 4 big networks)?

This will not work with the little Comcast device - that device converts digital channels to analog, and may decrypt them along the way. These tuners will NOT receive the converted analog signal.

Here are some customer reviews.

Here's a stupid question...does "dual tuner" mean 2 shows at once? Or just digital/analog?

Silicon's website has a nice feature where you give it your zipcode and shows you what channels your HD HomeRun should pick up from your cable provider and digital antenna.

http://www.silicondust.com/support/channels/

How good of an antenna would I need? Like, would those little 2-foot-tall rabbit ears work? Or do I need something mounted on my roof?

jzmacdaddy wrote:Here's a stupid question...does "dual tuner" mean 2 shows at once? Or just digital/analog?

Two shows at once, no analog at all.

Goatherder wrote:How good of an antenna would I need? Like, would those little 2-foot-tall rabbit ears work? Or do I need something mounted on my roof?

Whatever is currently required by your HDTV will likely work.

A $20 directional antenna will usually do the trick.

Or you can move out of the sticks.

Goatherder wrote:How good of an antenna would I need? Like, would those little 2-foot-tall rabbit ears work? Or do I need something mounted on my roof?

Reception depends on how close you are to the transmitter, and how powerful your local stations are transmitting.

antennaweb.org is a great site for determining what sort of antenna you will need. Enter your address or zip code, and you will get information about your local stations, and the antenna you need to tune them in properly.

uojfe wrote:Whatever is currently required by your HDTV will likely work.

A $20 directional antenna will usually do the trick.

Or you can move out of the sticks.

Or move away from hills and tall buildings.

I see a antenna connector, could I connect it to my VCR's channel 3 and record from there?

lwang wrote:I see a antenna connector, could I connect it to my VCR's channel 3 and record from there?

Nope, your VCR outputs an analog signal - this device only records digital ATSC / Clear QAM.

First I noticed the creative Quality Post descriptions.
Then I looked at the product name in the description: 1 SiliconDust HDHomeRun
Then my face:

lwang wrote:I see a antenna connector, could I connect it to my VCR's channel 3 and record from there?

outputs through ethernet to your network device ie wireless router

must use a computer with media center or similar software

great if you've always wondered what that green media center button was on your windows pc

Some words of advice from a veteran HDHomeRun user: plan your home network layout and usage patterns very carefully if you expect to use this device without hiccups. Even a gigabit home network can be completely saturated by disk activity from a single high performance NAS. Got a VOIP ATA plugged into your router? There's some other traffic that will be demanding priority. If you are trying to stream HDTV programs over that same network at the same time, something's gotta give and the process that does may not always be the one you'd prefer. QoS will save the day, you say? Good luck with that... QoS has never lived up to the hype.

Consider your network usage carefully before you click that i want one! button.

Have been wanting one of these for long while. Might have to be sneaky and put this on the credit card.

Seeing as Comcast is jacking up their prices yet again in July, this is pretty tempting.

I already have an HDTV antenna which gets me the normal network channels + about 7 OPB channels. Would this be any different/better than that?

EDIT: Never mind, found my answer. It helps to read before asking.

I have one as a back up for my local HD OTA, use WMC to record and playback on a Xbox 360, it works well.

I have an older model HDHomerun that's basically the same thing -- dual HD tuner. It was great for a few years, but Comcast (in the Seattle area anyway) started encrypting more and more channels. I even lost some of the broadcast channels - they won't lock in anymore. I can't receive anything above 30 now in the clear.

Anyway, it's awesome if you don't need encrypted channels. If a digital TV without a cablecard can tune them (antenna or cable), then this box should also. Mine's set up with antenna on one tuner, and cable on the other, and it works great for what it can see.

I bought a Homerun Prime off Sellout (I think) a week or two back. It's not hooked up yet, but I'm sure it will solve all my problems. And pigs will fly. But I'm looking forward to it.

Goatherder wrote:How good of an antenna would I need? Like, would those little 2-foot-tall rabbit ears work? Or do I need something mounted on my roof?

You already got some good advice, I'll just add on. Rabbit ears work fine if they already work fine for you. However HD uses UHF more than VHF, and the old rabbit ears were often optimized for the old VHF analog channels, so if your current OTA signal is borderline you could be better served with an "HD" type of antenna.

In addition, outdoor will be better than indoor, and amplified works much better than non-amplified (at least for me). The aforementioned antennaweb.org has more details.

Monoprice.com has some very good HD antennas that are at least as good if not better than the ones costing twice as much at Beast Buy.

Wooters

Please stop posting about how much something costs on Amazon. That's part of the pitch/scam. Of course it will cost more on Amazon - woot! is OWNED by Amazon.

Get with the program!