ivioo wrote:Can this thing compress the signal? I'm guessing it doesn't so does that mean there is no way to place this device in house A and watch said TV in house B? What is the bandwidth on this for a SD/HD signal?

No compression, it delivers whatever your Cable Provider delivers.

MPEG2 and H.264 HD streams can be anywhere between ~8-19Mbps, depending on network and provider.

ThunderThighs wrote:Well, looky there. We done lowered the price! Take that!


Usual disclaimer: If you ordered before the price change, have no fear. You will get the lower price and will most likely be contacted by our wonder customer service people to explain it all.

Now, go buy 3!

You ROCK, TT! And Andy Cohen would love that modified side ponytail that you sport in your avatar.

How does this work as a TiVO replacement? I understand the capability to record multiple shows and whatnot, but what about TV listings? Will I have to use a separate website to view the listings for the week and plan my recordings in advance? Or browsing live TV, am I reduced to flipping around to find something or does it have some sort of magical guide to show what's playing?

Keanpa623 wrote:How does this work as a TiVO replacement? I understand the capability to record multiple shows and whatnot, but what about TV listings? Will I have to use a separate website to view the listings for the week and plan my recordings in advance? Or browsing live TV, am I reduced to flipping around to find something or does it have some sort of magical guide to show what's playing?

If you're using Windows Media Center, you'll set up the channels during initial setup, and it'll automatically pull the listings for you from then on. It's really handy- you get all the information you need.

Keanpa623 wrote:How does this work as a TiVO replacement? I understand the capability to record multiple shows and whatnot, but what about TV listings? Will I have to use a separate website to view the listings for the week and plan my recordings in advance? Or browsing live TV, am I reduced to flipping around to find something or does it have some sort of magical guide to show what's playing?

Windows 7 Media Center has a 10-12 day Guide listing very similar to TiVo.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Record-TV-in-Windows-Media-Center

I would not call this a TiVo replacement, But it is very close if you have a PC or XBox 360 attached to your HDTV.

Ceton will be releasing a Windows Media Center Extender later this year, called the Echo, for an easy connection to your TV.
http://cetoncorp.com/products/echo/

http://cetoncorp.com/wp-content/themes/ceton_v2/downloads/Datasheets/Datasheet-Ceton_Echo.pdf

I've been looking into these types of devices lately due to the Slingbox and other devices like this one being here.

My major question that I can't seem to find an answer to is, do any of these work with just the DTV converter box with coax cable in and out or do you have to have a set top box/cable card from the cable company for them to work?

In looking at this, the Slingbox, the Vulkano, Roku and similar devices, do any of them work with just a coax cable wired input/output?

Ideally, I'm most interested in the Vulkano because I'm looking for DVR capabilities and the ability to stream my cable to my computer anywhere... however, If I have to rent a set top box from the cable company to attach the device to, I find it a bit redundant(Might as well rent the DVR from cable company).

Right now I have coax cable connected to a digital tv tuner, with coax cable output attached to my tv. I don't have an HDTV or a box. I get standard cable(local, and all the major networks), but no Premium channels or HD. This is all I need, and I'd like to be able to DVR and stream live remotely this content...

So, what can I use to do that? Is there anything? Is what I'm looking for a combination of two devices, like this one and a slingbox(if that's even possible/compatible)? Thanks everyone in advance!

haikuginger wrote:Sort of! Bear in mind that, unlike the Slingbox, there are no video-out connections on this little box- you'll have to find your own way to get video to your TV, whether it's hooking up your Media Center PC directly, or using your XBox 360 as an Extender.

Slingbox's Input and output ports are purely for pass-thru, AFAIK. So that's why I see this box as a cable box, hardwired to a slingbox (though you are right, no output.

As most copies of Win7 comes with Windows Media Center this should be no problem at all.

Just to be clear...

Will this work without the cablecard?

Can I use it to pick up OTA or whatever is unencrypted over cable?

Reason is, I would prefer the extra tuner over the non-cablecard version from SiliconDust, and, I might get a cablecard at some point in the near future...

Also, what is the USB port for?

will this work with Netflix?

lwang wrote:From the picture of the silicondust tuner, the connector that sticks out looks like it can connect to my antenna/game switcher, then the 2 fork connectors coming out of the swticher can be attached to the 2 screws on my TV. The switcher I am talking about:

Assuming that you were serious ...

The connectors on that switch are RCA, one for composite video and one for audio (not stereo). The connection on the HDHomeRun is a screw-on, F type, connector. You could get an adapter to let you physically connect them, but they're different types of signal (many channels from a cable connection or antenna, vs a single composite video signal).

Also, the connector on the HDHomeRun is for input (from your cable company or whatever), not output. :-)

pfsmith01 wrote:Just to be clear...

Will this work without the cablecard?

No. You need the HDHomerun Dual for that. The Prime will not work without a cablecard.

pfsmith01 wrote:
Also, what is the USB port for?

It's for connection of an optional SDV (Switched Digital Video) adapter, which may or may not be required by your cable company.

I see that XBOX 360 supports it. Can I use my Wii to link wirelessly to my TV?

renegadetim wrote:My major question that I can't seem to find an answer to is, do any of these work with just the DTV converter box with coax cable in and out or do you have to have a set top box/cable card from the cable company for them to work?

The HDHomerun Prime works only with a cablecard. The DTV converter box receives only ClearQAM (unenecrypted) channels from your cable provider. If you want an HDHomerun for that, you want the Dual, not the Prime.

renegadetim wrote:
In looking at this, the Slingbox, the Vulkano, Roku and similar devices, do any of them work with just a coax cable wired input/output?

The Dual hooks directly to your coax cable without the need for a cable card and receives ClearQAM channels.

renegadetim wrote:
Right now I have coax cable connected to a digital tv tuner, with coax cable output attached to my tv. I don't have an HDTV or a box. I get standard cable(local, and all the major networks), but no Premium channels or HD. This is all I need, and I'd like to be able to DVR and stream live remotely this content...

So, what can I use to do that? Is there anything? Is what I'm looking for a combination of two devices, like this one and a slingbox(if that's even possible/compatible)? Thanks everyone in advance!

AFAIK you need two devices, unless you can find a software solution for your PC that will enable it to stream ClearQAM channels. Orb will not, last I checked.

Does it work with AT&T U-verse?

Syndil wrote:No. You need the HDHomerun Dual for that. The Prime will not work without a cablecard.

Some reports contradict this.
http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12484

My TIVO can't record anything from Time Warner NYC that isn't from an over the air station because TW marks them all as copy protected. Will this record those stations? I'm not just talking HBO, I mean ESPN, CNN, etc, anything non-OTA.

I thought the trendy geeks don't watch broadcast/cable TV anymore?

Thanks! You just saved me money. This should be in big letters on the home page. A lot of us only have OTA.

Can I *watch* more than one channel at a time using a single PC running Windows Media Center?

I understand I can record multiple channels simultaneously, but I've watched some YouTube videos and so far I haven't seen anyone demonstrate watching more than a single channel live.

I used to do this on my dual-tuner TV with PiP (e.g., watch CNN and FNC, flipping back and forth), but I lost that capability when technology "advanced" (analog to digital).

It works and it does not without a cablecard / tuning adapter. If your provider sends its content digitally encrypted then you will need the cablecard to decrypt that content. If the provider also uses switched digital video (sends just the channel that you are watching to the line and nothing else) then you will not need the tuning adapter. Find out what your provider requires for added hardware, as that is what it ultimately boils down to. Oh, and if you use Time Warner like I do (not much of a choice there for cable providers, I dont want satellite) then be prepared to only be able to watch the shows that you record with this thing on the computer it was recorded on / extenders to that computer Thanks, copy protection. This will also render the video file completely useless for editing out commercials and for converting to mobile formats such as .mp4 etc.

Works very well with MythTV.

broderya wrote:Techradar has a review ... http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/digital-tv-receivers/silicondust-hdhomerun-591815/review

This is another, non-CableCard, product review, not for the Woot product.

GleeGuy wrote:I thought the trendy geeks don't watch broadcast/cable TV anymore?

Ha! That's what I was thinking.

I don't have cable anymore but bought the dual for OTA sports and PBS. I hooked it up to an old amplified antenna and it works decently. I live in the sticks so there aren't many channels but if I'm ever bored, I can install a better antenna.

When the dual was offered, someone suggested that a wired Ethernet connection would be preferable to wifi and I've found that to be true. I'm still using a wireless g router and it doesn't have enough bandwidth to deliver the content cleanly one room over. I don't have this unit and it may be different but it's something to think about.

lwang wrote:From the picture of the silicondust tuner, the connector that sticks out looks like it can connect to my antenna/game switcher, then the 2 fork connectors coming out of the swticher can be attached to the 2 screws on my TV. The switcher I am talking about:

Really? How old is your TV? The connector on the HDHomeRun Prime you see is a coaxial cable for the incoming signal from the cable company. The output is via ethernet to your computer network. I then have a home theatre PC attached to my TV via HDMI cable.

lynx44 wrote:Looks like with MythTV it'll only be able to display "Copy Freely" shows. Anyone able to speak to how many shows/channels carry the "Copy Freely" tag? I feel like I read in the past that it's usually just the premium channels that lock out their stuff, like HBO and Showtime, but everything else tends to be open. Is that true?

I've heard that it depends on the carrier, but it basically works the way you described it. I have been using one of these with MythTV for the past 4 months and have been extremely impressed. Setup was straightforward, but I used Windows in a VM to register the cable card with my cable company, Charter. I've tested it with all three channels simultaneously and it worked great. The HDHomerun Prime does all the heavy video crunching, so your MythTV backend can be a fairly low power device.

We don't watch premium shows (never have), so this was an optimal solution for us. Comedy Central, OTA networks, Food Network, etc., all run fine. It won't decode any premium packages like HBO or ESPN Red Zone. I stream HD wirelessly to any TV or computer in the house, using a properly configured wireless N configuration. I stopped watching SD TV completely after I installed this device.

gantt wrote:Can I *watch* more than one channel at a time using a single PC running Windows Media Center?

I understand I can record multiple channels simultaneously, but I've watched some YouTube videos and so far I haven't seen anyone demonstrate watching more than a single channel live.

I used to do this on my dual-tuner TV with PiP (e.g., watch CNN and FNC, flipping back and forth), but I lost that capability when technology "advanced" (analog to digital).

Sort of, but not really. You can start recording up to three channels and then switch between the recordings (time shifts), fast forwarding, pausing, rewinding, etc on any of the recordings. I don't think you can run two instances of Media Center at the same time (I will have to try this tonight).

I have been sitting at the TV attached to HTPC watching something and been watching something else on my PC at same time, both from this tuner. Again, not quite what you want, but...

Nostrom0 wrote:This device mAKES MY BRAIN HURT!!!!

Mine too. I can see this becoming a paperweight because I can't figure it out. Pass.

cltmhorn wrote:I own the HDHomeRun Dual. I have it plugged into my OTA antenna to distribute TV signals to multiple computers in my home. Unfortunately, unlike the Dual, the Prime does *NOT* support broadcast HDTV (ATSC) - only cablecard. Which makes this entirely unusable to me.

I wish I would have read the comments like these before I commited $150 to buying this a month ago from Woot, now I have no recourse but to try and return it for store credit at some other retailer or sell on eBay for a loss since Woot isn't the best when it comes to returns.

Any reason why I couldn't use a splitter and run one input to my cable box and the 2nd to this thing just so I can watch a different channel on my Ipad?

Will this work with Mac OS X and DirecTV?


That's what I want to know -- we have aan apple router as well.

lwang wrote:From the picture of the silicondust tuner, the connector that sticks out looks like it can connect to my antenna/game switcher, then the 2 fork connectors coming out of the swticher can be attached to the 2 screws on my TV. The switcher I am talking about:

Except, there is no output. The coax connector you see is the input. Check the PDF linked in the description to verify.

This cannot be used stand-alone with a TV to replace a cable box. It needs a some form of media center computer to be able to view the channels.

This is a very good device. Works well even with Windows 8, I have one. I want another one but got other things right now. The support from the company (SD) is great and they fix bugs with firmware releases as often as they need to. This is also a great price.

The only things were:
I had to pay $7 a month for a cable card, you really have to work with Comcast to get the cable card working with Windows Media Center and Media Center can flake out on the Play Ready content protection and make you jump through hoops to fix it. No fault of SD just can be kinda involved.

The support for a lot of this is often found on the SD forums. They also give you all the direct support lines to Comcast (etc) rather than hitting a level 1 helpdesk person first that asks you if your PC is powered on and can you reboot your refridgerator.

It really is a great device, if your savvy.

Justen

WARNING! Does not work with Analog (Basic) Cable! I got the dual tuner when it was up recently and was seriously disappointed to discover that the only channels it picks up are the music-only channels that we aren't supposed to have.

Bonus! It has a preset range of channels that it scans, so it doesn't even pick up the higher-range digital channels that actually contain TV shows (which we aren't supposed to have either).

Side note: anybody know how to convert an analog signal to digital? All I can find are Digital-Analog converters.

Shame, really. Seems like it might be a neat little device.

This does work without a CableCard, but only for ClearQAM channels you get from your cable provider. It does not work with the ATSC digital OTA signal you'll get with your bunny ears.

I have mine set up without a CableCard right now. I wanted to see how it performed on my network before I broke down and ordered a digital cable package from Time Warner again.

The good news is this thing works really seamlessly with Windows 7 Media Center. There is a small software install and configuration, but once Media Center picks up your channels it acts like any other DVR box.

The bad news is it only works well for wired Windows 7 computers. If you try to use it with a wireless laptop, the live tv stream will occasionally pixelate and drop out. It's not constant but happens enough to be annoying and unwatchable. Apparently the HomeRunHD passes on the cable feed directly to the Media Center pc and any dropped packets are noticeable.

So now my question is, what about those of us who bought this a few weeks ago from Sellout.woot for the original price?

I wish I'd waited a few months before I bought mine at Micro Center. I'd have saved myself $70.

Anyway, I'm a very happy owner of one and it works very well. I have a dedicated HTPC that pulls channels over the network from this thing just fine. It's only limited by needing Windows Media Center to watch and record premium channels, so if you don't have HBO or anything, you can run a number of different DVR options. However, WMC works better than any cable box I've seen and there are plug-ins to allow you to integrate XBMC media center and Hulu Desktop, so you can have the best of all media worlds if you like.

One thing to mention: I run mine on an AMD Zacate motherboard (E-350 processor) and really have no problem at all with recording and playback. I wouldn't use this on an Atom-based system, though. I think the Zacate is just about the minimum to make this work. Also, I ran into one problem with HBO: there's an issue with the frame rate on the digital stream not being properly flagged as 29.97 frames per second, so the video stream stuttered when I watched it. It turns out it's a driver issue with some graphics chip sets (Like the ATI graphics on my motherboard). I solved it with a cheap Nvidia card. Just something to watch out for if you set up an HTPC with this. Otherwise, it's pretty bulletproof and Silicon Dust is updating the firmware regularly to address any issues.

If you want to build your own DVR and be able to watch cable TV in a window on your desktop PC, this thing is a dream come true.

Motz wrote:although i do work for Ceton. I do enjoy my infinitv 4 because it has more tuners and internal

Pretty good comparison of all the different cable card tuners before all the price drops:
http://thedigitalmediazone.com/2011/12/03/cablecard-tuner-comparison/

I do not work for Ceton and I think the InfiniTV 4 is a killer hardware device as well.
This HD Home Run isn't bad either though and for the price, if I didn't have the InfiniTV 4 I'd jump on it.
Microsoft really should have done more advertising of the Media Center capabilities. They wonder why people haven't been using it but a lot of people simply don't know about it. We don't pay a penny to the cable company for DVR service or the features that let you go room to room, etc etc.
I've sat on my back deck and watched football games live, streamed wirelessly, in HD on a slate PC.

Have one, LOVE it! I am a technophile, IT professional, so I have to say this isn't for everyone.

I have a carpload of PC's and this was an excellent way to cut the DVR cost and cable box charges. Now only $3/month for the M-Card.

Observations:
- Love the WMC 7 guide and recording management
- 3 tuners is more than enough for me, but you can add another prime later if you find you need 3 more
- Sometimes flaky DRM handshake with cable co throws 'subscription required' messages at times, for now I found an easy and reasonable workaround for the few times it happens. Don't have to reboot HTPC for this...try the soft reset noted here: Prime WMC 7 Tips and Tricks Make a shortcut on your desktop, paste in the text and when it flakes a double click and 15 seconds get you back going. BTW, that link above is loaded with tips on the prime.
- Given the $40-50/month savings on all the boxes and DVR(now central to all also) I love this thing!
- Keep in mind that to have a DVR, you may need an HTPC on 24/7 (not sure if WMC7 would wake up to record correctly for me)

Good luck!

Almost bought this yesterday for $209 - glad I waited!!!

Am I correct that the only things this will not do that my Charter DVR does are Pay-Per-View and On-Demand? If so, are there any viable workarounds for On-Demand such as a cheaper cable box rather than a full DVR?

Also, can anyone say for sure that an 802.11G signal is fast enough for at least 2 HD video streams? I've found that my wi-fi drops the connection speed to around 15 Mbps (Internet speed tests using wi-fi vs. the full ~30 Mbps using the LAN). I'm not ready to replace my router yet because I don't want to go through the hassle of customizing a new one to the same degree.

I have Verizon FIOS, I understand that I will lose the On-Demand offering from them but I can't find out any information about if I still have access to the TV Guide (showing me what channel number is associated with what TV Station). Can anyone clarify this for me?