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!

I love woot!

Got this last month for what I thought was a great price -- Until Now... the prime was going for upwards of $200 a month ago. But not waiting for it to show up on Woot was my only mistake -- if you want a cable card tuner this is it. Read the user reviews & other brands have a history of crapping out after you've used them awhile.

Now, what is a cable card tuner, how do you set it up & use it?

The Prime lets you receive all your digital cable channels on your PCs [& some other devices] via your home network. You get the same streams as your cable box, so 1) quality doesn't suffer, 2) you get switchable CC, 3) the streams can easily be saved to your hard drive(s), almost without your PC/laptop noticing -- it takes very little CPU, doesn't take over your drive so you can't do anything else etc. As a DVR this is great, since many other setups, including many cable boxes, save a reduced resolution picture. The downside is DRM -- you need to use win7 Media Center, & many [most?] shows/movies have DRM flags set so they can *Only* be played on the PC/laptop where they were saved.

To make the Prime work you get a cable card from your provider [it looks like a PCMCIA card] + optionally a Tuning Adapter [the one I got is just a tad bigger than a portable CD player] -- your cable provider **should** be able to tell you if you need a Tuning Adapter, but not every local office is up to speed when it comes to cable cards. Once you have everything hooked up both have to be activated by the cable provider sending a signal over the coax -- if you research on-line, this is the part that can go [very] badly... it took us a few weeks, more than a few arguments, 2 trips to the local office, & one service call to get the cable card & TA activated.

To hook it up you run a regular network cable from the Prime to your router, or use a separate switch if you don't want the video streams cutting into your overall network traffic. Then you connect the coax & the power adapter - done. If you need/use a TA, that gets a coax cable, power adapter, & a USB cable that connects to the Prime. To get win7's Media Center working with the Prime I suggest you read/browse the SiliconDust forums & Google/Bing beforehand. We set it up on a few PCs, not once did setup work without glitches, & every time was different, took a different method or work-around to fix. Having done the research beforehand we were prepared & it actually went pretty smoothly. TO set the prime up with our DLink router I reserved an IP address, then gave that IP full access in the McAfee running on our PCs -- the Prime does need 2 way communications with your PCs over your network.

Notes: Be careful where you put the Prime -- the LEDs are bright enough to bother you if you place it beneath your (HD)TV. Get a cable amp/splitter rather than add coax splitters to your existing setup [Amazon has several high quality cheap]. Run separate coax from that amp to the Prime & the TA.

bryaninphx wrote: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.

With Brighthouse I get between 1.5 & 13, all mpg2, the higher bit rate streams being the digital OTA broadcast. Note that like satellite, the picture you receive may or may not be full frame, e.g. 528 X 480.

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?

I've read/seen that with TIVO you can access the saved video, re-encode ect., but I don't have one so I can only repeat what I've read. The most obvious difference is the Tivo connects directly to your (HD)TV -- because of DRM you can only play most recordings on the PC/laptop where you recorded them, so you've got to connect that PC/laptop to your TV or use an extender. The channel guide is what win7's Media Center provides -- you can access it as a regular grid, or bring up a few channel mini display while watching. Personally I find it a bit annoying, & while it's hard to avoid it entirely in Media Center, I more often use TitanTV & our digital cable box.

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?

All depends on your cable provider. I gave up on trying to use both mythtv and tvheadend as a backend and switch between xbmc and mc7.

run2649 wrote:will this work with Netflix?

Absolutely not. you want a roku box

marlin8765 wrote:Will this work with Mac OS X and DirecTV?

NO, neither one. You *MUST* use Windows 7. No Mac OS, Linux, or anything else. It also only works with Cable - NO satellite.

I could live without satellite support, but because of *Cable Card* licensing restrictions (only Microsoft paid them enough to be included), it *ONLY* works with Windows 7.

cpetterborg wrote:NO, neither one. You *MUST* use Windows 7. No Mac OS, Linux, or anything else. It also only works with Cable - NO satellite.

If you want to get this working with your Mac, it may be possible--if you shell out $80 for ElGato's EyeTV 3 software. The SiliconDust HDHomeRun is listed as a compatible device here:

http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/software/EyeTV3/product3.en.html

I'm not positive that this includes the Prime, but I'd guess it does. Anyone know for sure?


Edit: Looks like I'm wrong, and EyeTV doesn't support the Prime:

http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12286#69610

But that link also mentions the following: "MythTV can be used on the Mac with HDHomeRun PRIME to receive channels that are not copy protected."

So at least there's that...

renegadetim wrote: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!

There are so many devices, apps, etc. that the best advice I can give is pick a device, research how people are using it, rinse, repeat. Lots of people are like my son, & rather than trying to stream video anywhere himself, he just accesses Netflix, Hulu etc. wherever he is, on whatever hardware. For his regular TV he uses a connected Blu-Ray player to access those same on-line streams, plus it plays DVDs & cost about the same as a streaming player only -- just have to make sure it has RCA &/or svid jacks rather than just a single HDMI.

As far as accessing cable TV goes... Analog signals may or may not be available without a box now, depending on the provider, but that won't last forever. You can access the first 100 channels analog with a tuner, digitize [capture] it, & stream the results. Only unprotected digital cable channels can be received by tuners, & those are usually the same channels already broadcasting digital over the air. TO record digital video you just save the stream, & unprotected channels can be streamed the same ways as if you captured them from analog. To watch or record protected digital video you need a cable box or a cable card device like the Prime. A cable card tuner like the Prime lets you save the digital stream, but it's usually got DRM, so don't plan on re-encoding or streaming. You can OTOH use the analog outputs on a cable box to capture video, which can be re-sized, re-encoded, streamed etc. As for cable box DVRs, the ones I looked at that our provider has available all save video at STD rather than HD resolutions -- that's why I went with the Prime. And don't plan on getting to that saved video -- if you want to stream the video you still have to capture it during playback 1st [Note some people have been able to get to that video but it's IMO very iffy].

Just wanted to let everyone know, the cable card is REQUIRED, it will not work without one.

*splurge!!!*

In for one. I used to keep a home-built PVR with SnapStream and multiple capture cards back when we were SD and a cable box wasn't strictly necessary, and though I rebuilt/upgraded it and got a couple of HD cards when we made the change to HD, I was never really able to get it going satisfactorily.

I waffled on this (or a similar model) when it was up before, but Comcast has already started their Big Gouge, and this is the best price we're likely to see for a while yet. I'll have a lot of Figuring Out to do when it gets here but saving money is a really huge motivation.

QUESTION for those who have one:

Never had a cable card before, will I need to ask for a particular kind of M-Card to utilize all three tuners or does an M-Card support any number of tuners?

pfsmith01 wrote: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?

Yes
Yes
The Prime communicates with a Tuning Adapter, if you need to use one, via a USB cable. If you're not using a cable card you don't have to worry 'bout it -- the Prime will scan & find the clear QAM channels just fine. If your cable card doesn't know where all the channels are, you use a Tuning Adapter, which gives that info to the Prime.

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

This will work without a cablecard; the card is only needed for encrypted content. It will also work with an HD antenna. Since it only has one input, you can only use one or the other, however, you can buy two prime tuners and use one for cable and one for antenna. The HD Homerun dual has two inputs and six tuners. It's basically two HD Homerun Prime's in one enclosure. Since it costs twice as much, you're better off buying two of these instead of the dual.

TheTimmy wrote:
and then I took my box back 'cause I wanna use it at home.

I was just using the HD Homerun Config Utility or whatever it's called, and VLC for playback, in Ubuntu, and also in Windows XP Pro via VMware in ubuntu. watching two SD channels (one in each operating system on the same computer [quad core 3ghz, 4 gigs ram] - 1 core and 1 gig going to the VMware guest OS {Windows XP Pro}) is fine. one SD channel and one HD channel at the same time also seemed fine, but two HD channels and things started to get choppy.

now granted this isn't your average everyday setup, nor is it optimal nor practical to watch this way, it is possible and proves it works, to an extent.

.
.
.

can someone tell me if splitting off from the cable modem's line would produce better/worse/different results than plugging into the regular TV line for cable internet subscribers?

Your biggest problems are using a VM (slows things down a lot if not on a VM server), and you are decoding two streams at once, which is much more intensive then the encoding. These will result in the choppiness.

It could also be that you have to low a bandwidth on your home network (not the WAN, but the LAN). Try Gigabit switches instead of a 10/100 switch throughout your network.

rabiddachshund wrote: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.

You're talking about the HDHomeRun DUAL - totally different. This is the PRIME which uses a cable card and allows you access to all your cable channels with the exception of Pay Per View.

rabiddachshund wrote: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).

Are you talking about channels above channel 136/860MHz range? If not are you sure your cable company hasn't installed a high-pass filter? If you haven't already put in your zip code and provider at the SiliconDust website and it'll tell you want channels your DUAL should be able to tune-in. Again, this device on Woot - the PRIME - is not the same as your DUAL tuner.

charwoman wrote:
QUESTION for those who have one:

Never had a cable card before, will I need to ask for a particular kind of M-Card to utilize all three tuners or does an M-Card support any number of tuners?

Never mind, I see that TheTimmy (and possibly others) have covered the subject pretty well. Thanks!

You all are missing the biggest application for this: MythTV. If you're not familiar with it, MythTV is a free DVR software package that runs in Linux. It's kind of a pain to setup, but works really well once you do.

In a "typical" MythTV setup, you have TV tuner cards in your PC, one for every channel you want to record at a time. So lets say I like three different shows that all happen to air on Thursday night. I currently only have one tuner card, so I have to pick which one I like "best" - I can't watch one and record another, or record even two (never mind all three). If I wanted to add more cards, I could get a cable splitter (and incidentally degrading the signal while doing so), have 3 cable connections into the back of my PC, and then I could record all three channels at once.

With the HDHomeRun here, I stick it in my attic where the antenna comes in (no need to run additional cables to the TV room, though you still do need *one* Ethernet connection). There are no cable splitters, and I tell my MythTV box "just record from the HDHomeRun - kthxbye". Easy peasy, and as an added bonus, it's cheaper than buying 3 tuner cards.

So here in IL we have Comcast - do I simply remove the cable card from one of my existing DVR boxes (note there is a sticker over the metal door covering the card that seems to imply do not remove me or the FBI will come) - or do I call Comcast and ask for just a cable card?

Anyone have one of these confirmed working with Comcast, with HD channels, into Media Center running on Windows 7?

charwoman wrote:
QUESTION for those who have one:

Never had a cable card before, will I need to ask for a particular kind of M-Card to utilize all three tuners or does an M-Card support any number of tuners?

Based on what I've read & my experience, kinda play it by ear... if the people working at your cable provider are knowledgeable about cable cards etc., go the full disclosure route. In our case we pretty much kept our mouths shut, just asking for a cable card & later a Tuning Adapter, & let the cable folks rattle on 'bout TIVOs or whatever... any & every attempt to go beyond that, even just mentioning the Prime, caused all sorts of grief, from longish speeches filled with misinformation to outright arguments. The only thing extra we had to do because of the Prime's 3 tuners was make sure the cable folks knew to update the TA's firmware, a MTR700... without that it ***may*** not even be possible to activate the TA, but I can't be sure -- a couple days after repeating "Update Firmware" a half dozen times to the tech they insisted on sending out, the TA just started working & it had had it's firmware updated.

Was on the fence... but with the new lower price... i might have to try it out.

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:

I haven't seen one of those in damn near 20yrs. I think its about time you upgraded you TV, how about getting one of these first...
http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/6ad3cade-372a-44cc-b147-b3405bb6daea/lg-22ld350-22-720p-lcd-hdtv#0

Crispin wrote: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...

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.

I humbly beg to disagree -- there's little difference between ATSC [digital over the air] & clear QAM. ATSC if anything is easier, & where the SiliconDust tuners 1st earned their great rep. If you don't/can't get ATSC perhaps try another digital antennae, maybe one with a built-in amp.

As far as wireless goes, check the SiliconDust forums... the network connection has to support the data rate your cable provider sends. Many people connect to the Prime using wireless, & AFAIK only those with slow connections have problems -- maybe upgrade your adapter &/or router? I assigned the Prime an IP -- enter that in a web browser & I access the menus etc. for the Prime, the cable card, & the Tuning Adapter. Go to the status page, then select a connected tuner -- you'll see the bit rate for the current stream. For me [unfortunately] it's not much at all, & easily within our wireless network capabilities.

Gadgetcrazed wrote:Does it work with AT&T U-verse?

No

werling wrote: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.

FWIW...
In the SiliconDust setup app you can set the 3 tuners in the Prime individually to work with a cable card, clear QAM etc.

As far as Tuning Adapters [TAs] go, they're normally used for switched video, but, I have to use one because the cable card channel map is old/off. Not disagreeing with what you posted, but mentioning it because it added a LOT of confusion to getting the Prime working.

For editing/conversion etc., perhaps look at screen capture/recording, same as with protected on-line video streams.

I have brighthouse networks, and a TV in one room with the cable box and cable modem/router next to it. I have my computer in another room and would like to watch my TV in there wirelessly. All I would like to know is if this will allow me to do that?

thanks

patrickbkc wrote:I haven't seen one of those in damn near 20yrs...

Thank You!!!
I was feeling so durn old when I saw/recognized that... I'm still old but now I at least have some company.

d1ez3 wrote:I have brighthouse networks, and a TV in one room with the cable box and cable modem/router next to it. I have my computer in another room and would like to watch my TV in there wirelessly. All I would like to know is if this will allow me to do that?

thanks

Yes, absolutely! This'll let you stream encrypted cable TV to any computer in your house.

You should bear in mind, though, that this does NOT have a video-out signal, so you'll need to either continue renting a cable box for your living room, or get an Xbox 360 to stream TV to your TV screen.

d1ez3 wrote:I have brighthouse networks, and a TV in one room with the cable box and cable modem/router next to it. I have my computer in another room and would like to watch my TV in there wirelessly. All I would like to know is if this will allow me to do that?

thanks

Should, depending on your wireless connection speed -- if you've got a fast connection shouldn't be a problem. I have Brighthouse, & traffic from one of the Primes tuners has never gone above 25 Mbps & is normally quite a bit lower than that.

Warning to Time Warner Cable Customers: In my area (NY state Capital Region) TWC illegally flags all channels they transmit except the ones also available over air (CBS. NBC, etc.) as "do not transfer/stream," despite that this flag is only allowed to be set on PPV transmissions.

My TiVo will record (using proprietary decryption) but not let me access my recordings from elsewhere, even my other TiVo. Depending on how "compliant" your devices are, you may be able to access only a tiny fraction of TWC's channels; I assume Microsoft will honor any copy restriction TWC sets, but the tuner itself may enforce copy policies and block alternative systems as well.

Nothing is certain until you try, but it's a far bigger risk than I'd take at this price point.

Edit: Based on a previous post from mikiemas, I'm going to say, no, nothing except the basic over-air affiliates will be streamable with this device if Time Warner is your cable provider. C'est la monopolies.

pyromosh wrote:You're not really in the right ballpark understanding what this does.

This is a tuner that sits on your network and says "here I am!" to compatible devices like your Media Center equipped PC (Windows Vista or 7).

Once it's on your network, your PC can see it, and access its tuner(s) to either record or watch live TV. Because it uses CableCard, it's a pure digital signal and will be basically as good as your cable company provides.

Once that's set up, if you wanted to watch it on a TV, you have two options:

1) physically hook up a dedicated Media Center PC to that TV
2) Hook up a Media Center Extender to the TV, that will talk to that PC through the network (most people will choose this option, and the XBox 360 is a Media Center Extender).

Silicon Dust also provides an iPad app so you can watch streams from this on your iPad, but you can't record, pause, etc on the iPad as far as I know.

The reason this is a network device instead of hooking up directly to a PC is so it can be accessed by multiple PCs / iPads on your network, rather than just one.

As far as wireless, it depends on how your network is set up, but as long as your wired network devices can see your wireless network devices, you should be good.

Ok. That was super helpful thank you. But still another question if you know, what do you mean by tuner? I would love to get rid of cable so any way I can seems great.

One of the biggest deterrents for me with this type of thing has been the ability to just lay on the couch on a lazy Sunday and flip through the channels. Would I be able to do this?

(seriously...I've always been a tech guy..What the Force happened to me)

haikuginger wrote:Yes, absolutely! This'll let you stream encrypted cable TV to any computer in your house.

You should bear in mind, though, that this does NOT have a video-out signal, so you'll need to either continue renting a cable box for your living room, or get an Xbox 360 to stream TV to your TV screen.

Thanks for the reply. So do I need to get a cablecard from brighthouse, or can I plug the coax cable directly from the brighthouse box to the hdhomerun box?

chriswells wrote: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.

With Brighthouse I get one plain ol' digital cable box included in the plan, & that's what I use rather than pay the added charges to rent their box w/DVR.

Far as bandwidth goes, at 15 Mbps IMO you might be pushing it -- I've seen 25 once or twice from one of the Prime's tuners, but 13 isn't that unusual for a HD movie... YMMV of course depending on what your provider sends over the coax.

A few questions if anyone knows. I currently have a couple of HD Tivos with lifetime. The Tivos are great, seemless, never hang, Guide is always right, wife likes them, etc. But I don't like the fact that there's no good way to back up the Tivos unless you physically remove the drives and image to another drive.

1) With WMC on Windows 7, are there any issues with creating backup copies of recorded files? I'm OK if I have to view the backups on the same PC that recorded them due to DRM.

2) IS WMC with the HDHomeRun as seemless as a Tivo? Does WMC deal with special episodes of shows that are scheduled to run 2 hours instead of the normal 1 hour (e.g., Survivor finale)? Does WMC ever hang and need a reboot? Any other usability issues that could inhibit wifely acceptance?

I'm tempted by this tuner, and could come out ahead on cost by reselling one or more Tivos.

From the SiliconDust website:

"HDHomeRun PRIME is not compatible with satellite TV or IPTV services such as U-Verse"

Color me unhappy! I was all set to pull the trigger, but I guess U-verse is still too close to it's satellite cousin to work with an Mcard.

You should bear in mind, though, that this does NOT have a video-out signal, so you'll need to either continue renting a cable box for your living room, or get an Xbox 360 to stream TV to your TV screen.

d1ez3 wrote:Thanks for the reply. So do I need to get a cablecard from brighthouse, or can I plug the coax cable directly from the brighthouse box to the hdhomerun box?

Lots of people run an HDMI cable from a [HT]PC to the TV, though if you need an excuse to get a Xbox go fer it.

Preferred would be to get a cable amp/splitter, then run one coax to your cable box, optionally one to your TV's digital tuner [e.g. I occasionally by-pass the box for a game], one coax cable to the Prime, one coax cable to the TA if you need one, one coax cable to the cable modem, & again optionally, coax runs to the rest of your home &/or hardware.

The coax out of my Brightouse digital cable box sends out std. analog cable for whatever channel the box is tuned to.

You can set the Prime's tuners to cable card or clear QAM -- without a cable card you'll just be able to get clear QAM, which are usually those channels broadcast digital OTA anyway. With a cable card you should get everything you pay for, with the exception of on demand, PPV, anything like that requiring 2-way communications between the cable box & the your provider.

rcbarnes wrote:Warning to Time Warner Cable Customers: In my area (NY state Capital Region) TWC illegally flags all channels they transmit except the ones also available over air (CBS. NBC, etc.) as "do not transfer/stream," despite that this flag is only allowed to be set on PPV transmissions.

My TiVo will record (using proprietary decryption) but not let me access my recordings from elsewhere, even my other TiVo. Depending on how "compliant" your devices are, you may be able to access only a tiny fraction of TWC's channels; I assume Microsoft will honor any copy restriction TWC sets, but the tuner itself may enforce copy policies and block alternative systems as well.

Nothing is certain until you try, but it's a far bigger risk than I'd take at this price point.

Edit: Based on a previous post from mikiemas, I'm going to say, no, nothing except the basic over-air affiliates will be streamable with this device if Time Warner is your cable provider. C'est la monopolies.

I'm in a different region, but I have a Prime and use it with TWC. They flag everything except locals as copy-once, so I have to watch shows recorded from those channels on the Media Center PC that recorded it. It's not a big deal.

I love the Prime! I'm saving about $90 per month because I don't have to pay TWC for their crappy HD-DVR service and set-top boxes.

mikiemas wrote:Lots of people run an HDMI cable from a [HT]PC to the TV, though if you need an excuse to get a Xbox go fer it.

Preferred would be to get a cable amp/splitter, then run one coax to your cable box, optionally one to your TV's digital tuner [e.g. I occasionally by-pass the box for a game], one coax cable to the Prime, one coax cable to the TA if you need one, one coax cable to the cable modem, & again optionally, coax runs to the rest of your home &/or hardware.

The coax out of my Brightouse digital cable box sends out std. analog cable for whatever channel the box is tuned to.

You can set the Prime's tuners to cable card or clear QAM -- without a cable card you'll just be able to get clear QAM, which are usually those channels broadcast digital OTA anyway. With a cable card you should get everything you pay for, with the exception of on demand, PPV, anything like that requiring 2-way communications between the cable box & the your provider.

Thanks for all the info. I have an xBox already too. So I just contact Brighthouse and ask for the card. It's a one time fee, without monthly charges I would assume.

Edit: just bought one, hope I like it!

ultrawolf wrote:A few questions if anyone knows. I currently have a couple of HD Tivos with lifetime. The Tivos are great, seemless, never hang, Guide is always right, wife likes them, etc. But I don't like the fact that there's no good way to back up the Tivos unless you physically remove the drives and image to another drive.

1) With WMC on Windows 7, are there any issues with creating backup copies of recorded files? I'm OK if I have to view the backups on the same PC that recorded them due to DRM.

2) IS WMC with the HDHomeRun as seemless as a Tivo? Does WMC deal with special episodes of shows that are scheduled to run 2 hours instead of the normal 1 hour (e.g., Survivor finale)? Does WMC ever hang and need a reboot? Any other usability issues that could inhibit wifely acceptance?

I'm tempted by this tuner, and could come out ahead on cost by reselling one or more Tivos.

Check the SiliconDust forums -- I *think* there were a few threads on setting up NAS to for video storage.

RE: your 2nd question, & IMHO, this is Windows so of course there are going to be issues. ;) I've never had or read about anything *I'd* consider really serious, but that's not to say anyone else wouldn't mind.

mikiemas wrote:Check the SiliconDust forums -- I *think* there were a few threads on setting up NAS to for video storage.

I was actually just thinking of a local USB hard drive, and copying the recorded files over night every once in while as a backup.

ultrawolf wrote:I was actually just thinking of a local USB hard drive, and copying the recorded files over night every once in while as a backup.

This does not work well - you have to setup a script or icsi drive.

http://www.mediacenterhouse.com/forum/archive/index.php/thread-349.html

one alternative.