HDHomeRun developing a dual CableCARD network tuner for $249
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted January 7th 2010 4:49AM
posted January 7th 2010 4:49AM
Silicondust USA, Inc. announces First Network Attached Dual Digital Tuner with CableCARD™ Support
LAS VEGAS, NV - Jan. 7, 2010 - Silicondust USA, INC., based in Livermore, CA, today announced the development of their latest addition to the HDHomeRun® product line, by adding the First Network Attached TV tuner with CableCARD™ Support, for PCs with Windows7 Windows Media Center. Computer network environments incorporating the HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ will be able to support high-definition and other digital TV including premium cable channels, eliminating the need for a cable set-top box.
Silicondust's HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ builds on the success of their original Network Attached ATSC / QAM Dual Tuner which allows HDHomeRun® customers to stream digital broadcast video across the home network, without being tethered to one computer, in one location in the home.
The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ has dual digital cable tuners, a single RF input and ethernet connectivity allowing PCs with Windows7 Windows Media Center access to watch or record digital TV, including premium channels. The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ will be introduced to the consumer market beginning at $249. The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ supports Switch Digital Video (SDV) in conjunction with a cable providers tuning adapter.
The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ conforms to the OpenCable™ OCUR and DRI specifications.
"Silicondust is excited to introduce a Network Attached solution to the CableCARD™ consumer market," said Theodore Head, President and Chief Executive Officer of Silicondust USA, Inc. "this allows our customers the freedom to access TV from any Windows7 Windows Media Center PC in their home."
About Silicondust USA, INC.
Silicondust USA, Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based technology company that develops computer network attached digital TV devices for consumer and commercial solutions. With detailed knowledge of network platforms and extensive hardware and software engineering, Silicondust continues to introduce revolutionary tuner designs that enable freedom of TV viewing from all computers on a home or office network.
For more information about Silicondust USA, Inc and HDHomeRun® products and solutions visit www.hdhomerun.com.
Additional information, press only:
LAS VEGAS, NV - Jan. 7, 2010 - Silicondust USA, INC., based in Livermore, CA, today announced the development of their latest addition to the HDHomeRun® product line, by adding the First Network Attached TV tuner with CableCARD™ Support, for PCs with Windows7 Windows Media Center. Computer network environments incorporating the HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ will be able to support high-definition and other digital TV including premium cable channels, eliminating the need for a cable set-top box.
Silicondust's HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ builds on the success of their original Network Attached ATSC / QAM Dual Tuner which allows HDHomeRun® customers to stream digital broadcast video across the home network, without being tethered to one computer, in one location in the home.
The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ has dual digital cable tuners, a single RF input and ethernet connectivity allowing PCs with Windows7 Windows Media Center access to watch or record digital TV, including premium channels. The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ will be introduced to the consumer market beginning at $249. The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ supports Switch Digital Video (SDV) in conjunction with a cable providers tuning adapter.
The HDHomeRun® CableCARD™ conforms to the OpenCable™ OCUR and DRI specifications.
"Silicondust is excited to introduce a Network Attached solution to the CableCARD™ consumer market," said Theodore Head, President and Chief Executive Officer of Silicondust USA, Inc. "this allows our customers the freedom to access TV from any Windows7 Windows Media Center PC in their home."
About Silicondust USA, INC.
Silicondust USA, Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based technology company that develops computer network attached digital TV devices for consumer and commercial solutions. With detailed knowledge of network platforms and extensive hardware and software engineering, Silicondust continues to introduce revolutionary tuner designs that enable freedom of TV viewing from all computers on a home or office network.
For more information about Silicondust USA, Inc and HDHomeRun® products and solutions visit www.hdhomerun.com.
Additional information, press only:
I have been waiting forever for the ceton card now I want to hold out on this, I hope this thing comes out soon
@jmcguire525
Agreed. For my set up two of these would be preferred over one Ceton 4 tuner card. And for only $100 more.
Of course you would need two CableCARDs, around here Comcast gives the first free but each additional is $3 a month.
Plus if Microsoft opens up 6 tuners for retail Win 7 (or a hack is available), then it would only be $249 for an additional two tuners rather than having to buy a whole new Ceton card and sell the 4 tuner on EBay.
@jmcguire525
Last I heard, Ceton was also working on a 2-tuner version of their PCI card as well, and that it is likely to hit between the $200 to $250 mark. The HDhomerun is still a very attractive alternative with a proven track record and a few extra capabilities.
This is certainly going on my short list! :)
I was hoping for a $150-$200 price range, given that it's half the tuners of Ceton. At $250 I think it's too expensive to fly off a Best Buy shelf, but its still attractive to the Green Button and AVSForum crowd.
...And good luck to anybody trying to get their cable provider to install those cable-cards properly: I hope you don't mind hearing excuses like "Your router is not configured properly" to "Your drivers are out of date".
Sounds like a nightmare to me.
@BurtReynolds Yeah, I really would love to use this, but I'm scared to death of having Cablevision try to install this thing. The main reason I use 2 Tivo HDs is that the installers (ok really just one guy) have experience with the device. I would be a trailblazer for the HD home run.
Still, I'll probably end up buying it... I just can't resist. Been waiting too long. Now- what is a harder install: a dual-tuner network-based tuner or a quad-tuner internal model from a start-up.
@BurtReynolds
How about you install the cable card yourself? You want to be on the cutting edge, you have get your hands dirty sometimes. I've been holding out for an update to the HDhomerun. I may just pull the trigger on this when it ships.
@BurtReynolds Real world cable tech experience is actually the opposite. Since most cable installers have never seen CableCard on a PC before, they are more than happy to let the customer do everything on the PC side. All they want to do is insert the card and read off the CableCard ID numbers for authentication.
Your cable provider may not allow you to install it yourself.
That's just one of the many highly fun aspects of cable cards.
I'm a little sad that it's a dual tuner, but the simple fact it's a network tuner makes me happy. I'll likely buy two, but only if it comes out this year or else I'll just get the Ceton tuner.
I just hope this works with a Mac.
@Onazuka Why in the world do you think this would work with a Mac? The Mac wouldn't know what to do with the DRM'd data coming off of the tuner.
@Onazuka win7 only papa
@dmccall Well, the latest firmware for the ATI DCT streams channels that are not copy-protected in the clear. The tuner itself is a uPnP device and all CC authentication/decryption is handled by the tuner hardware.
With the right software a Mac should at least be able to use the unprotected channels. Your mileage may vary: Some cable providers set all of their encrypted digital as protected, some only protect the premium channels.
And SiliconDust does support the Elgato DVR stuff on the Mac already.
Anyone know how draconian they are about the broad cast flag? Do they ever allow recording on stuff you'd want to record and watch later like primetime stuff, or does basically everything you'd want to record have recording disabled flag set?
And on another note, too bad this will probably NEVER work with Linux, at least not without a crappy proprietary TV viewer, and that might not even be enough. Just being able to hardcode the broadcast flag in MythTV to allow recording makes sure of that. -_-
@ShyGuy91284 I'm not sure you really mean "broadcast flag", per se. Currently every show recorded with a CableCARD has a DRM marker that is set by the CABLE COMPANY, not by the broadcaster. In MY case (TWC in Raleigh, NC), every show that I could get over the air is "copy-freely". Every show that required me to get cable in order to see is marked with DRM, making it only viewable (but an infinite number of times for an infinite number of days) in my Media Center ecosphere. If there is a show on basic cable that I want to record and copy freely, I have to record it on a second machine that has a 3 year old analog tuner. It's days are numbered, however, as cable companies are getting ready to shut off the analog signals and require a cable box or CableCARD in order to tune these lower, non -over-the-air channels.
@ShyGuy91284
Cox cable in Omaha, NE marks EVERYTHING as copy freely.
I have not had a DRMed file since the new firmware came out.
Their tech even did a great job of installing the cards, he handed them to me...
Now they just need to not destroy my ears, everytime a local insert ad comes on.
@jsondag I also am in Omaha, NE. What are you using now for cable with your cable cards?
@ShyGuy91284
The current HDHR works in Linux, but I agree with you, the CableCard version most likely will not. I don't have any experience with Win7, but my understanding is that it records in a proprietary format, and you can only share that on media center extenders or other windows boxes. So you could not even have a single windows home server in a closet doing your recording and serving it out to Linux boxes. Unless something like PlayOn could trans-code the recordings into something less DRMish.
@sweendog102
Should have been more specific, since this wasn't about the ATI tuner, I just assumed everyone would know what I meant with all the articles about it.
I use dual ATI Digital Cable tuners, with cox digital cable.
so this should eliminate the need for extender software to be released if you plan on building your own ITX computer for each tv correct?
@jmcguire525: Doubtful. Media Center has never had support for network tuner pooling, despite it being a super-useful feature.
@erwos You've obviously never used, or even looked into, the HDHomeRun tuners. The drivers for these devices allow for network tuner pooling through Media Center, and you can add multiple of these boxes to your network for everyone to pool from. Love my HDHomeRun, and am stoked to see a version with CableCard support coming.
@thefinitemonkey You still wouldn't be able to get a shared guide that shows when other things are recording from other PC's.
@erwos ATSC/ClearQAM HDHomeRuns do allow for polling. It was a firmware update awhile back. Windows itself doesn't allocate the tuners, true, but the HDHomeRun itself has some rudimentary allocation code.
However, with the DRM involved in CableCard I don't know that I would count on it here. I hope so, but I doubt it.
The $50 premium for network connectivity is WELL worth it over the Ceton card. This is not to say the Ceton card is bad, it looks phenomenal, but separating your tuners from your PC is the holy grail of HTPCs, IMHO. The original HDHomeRun was just insanely great because of this.
@erwos
Or just sticking recordings on a server and playing them by using an extender (like the Xbox 360).
i think i came on myself.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank god for this device the ceton card is cool but internal and like the article says you dont have to attach it to the PC....I already have a HDhomerun this will be a beautiful addition
oh yeah do we still need a tuning adapter as well?
@raaaaaa Tuning adapters are only needed in some markets. You will have to ask your cable provider if you need them. They MUST provide them to your for free if you need them
@DanITman3152
cablevision here in northern NJ says $3 a month ontop of the $3 for cablecard, which comes out to be what a dvr cost a month
@DanITman3152 Interesting. With this networked tuner, will the TA attach to the tuner or to the PC? Not sure how that one will work.
I love my HDHomeRun. They put out top notch products.
it has gotten be able to stream to my ps3 before i'd get this.
@waitati ,
It will never happen. Current only Windows 7 Media Center supports CableCard tuners. So you can only use it with either a Win7 PC or Media Center Extenders connected to a Win7 MCE PC. Since PS3 probably will never likely to have Media Center Extender functionality (has to be licensed by Microsoft), it will not happen to your PS3. XBox 360, on the other hand, works fine for both live TV and recorded shows.
This will be a nice addition to their lineup. They have some nice products on the market with good support.
I've had my HDHR for a year and a half and had little to no trouble with mine. Only issue was I had a bad power supply which was promptly replaced for free by them.
argh!! why must they do this?? the decision was so easy yesterday about which way to go.... I guess now it's a race to see who can come out first.
this is exciting.. no more dealing with the crappy HD PVR and the major quality loss
I'm going to have to switch back to comcast... currently have dishnet... now I need to find a way to avoid paying those ETFs lol
This is good news. The Centon card is not going to fit in my slim HTPC case, so this is definitely a good option. I heard that Centon may come out with a slim card, so the more options the better! I currently have 2 ATI DCTs and an HDHR for clearQAM.
OMFG, this would be awesome with my ZinoHD. I hope this makes it out the door soon and isn't vaporware that won't show up until 2011.
Price is too steep. But I'm sure it will go down. Really nice to see Cablecard tuners finally starting to appear...
@(Unverified)
The Original HDHomerun hasn't gone down yet, i don't expect this to either.
I'll take two, or pretty much anything new from this company. All their products do is work and they still get hoards of attention/updates and support from the company.
Just an update on this. I still want one. :)