HDHomeRun
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HDHomeRun for Roku gives cordcutters access to live TV
HDHomeRun is giving cordcutters a new way to watch live TV through their Roku device. Its developer, Silicondust has released a Roku channel for the service called HDHomeRun OTA Live. At the moment, it's in its early beta stages and can only play over-the-air live TV -- viewers can use it to watch shows currently airing, check out the program guide and change channels, but that's pretty much it. Silicondust says it's working on bringing more features to the channel, though, including support for the company's HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner for live cable TV.
HDHomeRun's TV service for cord-cutters is shutting down
It's only been a few months since HDHomeRun launched its $35 per month Premium TV service, but now the company has emailed customers to announce it's shutting down. Cord Cutters News posted the email, which informed subscribers that it would work until the end of their plan date, but could not be renewed. The email doesn't get into why the offering is so suddenly going away, but the fact is that major Hollywood studios have sued its provider, Omniverse TV, claiming the company doesn't have the rights to distribute their programming. Still, HDHomeRun owners can expect to see their devices continue to work as they always have, just without the streaming subscription TV package. Users can record TV and stream it to TVs, set-top boxes and mobile devices, just like always. The question now is what other innovations it can make to attract cord-cutters when even the cable companies have taken notice of this market.
This new HDHomeRun DVR makes life easier for cord-cutters
If easy access to a DVR is the only thing keeping you from cutting the cord, then the latest HDHomeRun devices could be just the push you need. While SiliconDust has previously built well-regarded tuners, a software suite that manages your TV experience and even expanded with a $35 per month 'Premium' streaming TV service, now it has an all-in-one DVR. The HDHomeRun Scribe Duo is similar to its Connect Duo DVR, but with the addition of a 1TB hard drive inside and a year of free DVR service (normally $35).
HDHomeRun gets into the streaming TV business with $35 Premium service
For years SiliconDust has built hardware and software that helped cord cutters and home theater PC users control their own TV experience. Now it's going a step further by launching its own TV streaming service: HDHomeRun Premium TV. The $35 per month setup augments channels a subscriber catches via antenna with traditional cable channels like CNN, Disney, Comedy Central, FX and TNT. At launch it includes 45 channels, and like other internet TV packages there are no contracts or other strings, while recording is handled just like any other channel in its software.
HDHomeRun's DVR app is ready for the Xbox One
Earlier this year Microsoft confirmed that development of a DVR feature for the Xbox One is "on hold," so what's next for fans of its OneBox dream? SiliconDust's answer is an app that lets you watch TV streamed directly to the game system from a DVR (which could be a PC, Android TV box or NAS -- but not the Xbox itself) running its software and connected to a TV tuner device. Doing that means you can completely control it via the gamepad or Xbox remote -- and ditch the system's HDMI passthrough/IR blaster combo that can't do simple things like set up a new recording without switching remote.
HDHomeRun tuners connect directly to Samsung TVs
While we wait for the FCC and cable companies to work out a plan for the future of TV, Silicon Dust has a way for you to experience cable with as few boxes as possible. This week the company detailed the ability of Samsung's 2016 TVs to access streams from its network cable TV tuners -- no external box necessary. If all you want to do is watch live TV, then just having a HDHomeRun Prime in the US or HDHomeRun Expand in Europe plus cable is enough (antennas work too, with the HDHomeRun Connect or Extend).
HDHomeRun is ready to make your Android TV a DVR
When SiliconDust announced its DIY DVR project a year ago, recording your shows meant building a PC dedicated to the task, or hooking up network storage. Now it's testing out HDHomeRun Record for Android TV, which lets you create an entire DVR with just one of its TV tuner devices and an Android box. Unfortunately, suggested requirements of Android 6.0, Ethernet, and a USB 3.0 connection for external storage mean Amazon's Fire TV and Google's Nexus Player won't work, but NVIDIA Shield Pro owners should be able to try it out immediately, thanks to their 500GB of built-in storage. You can watch the recorded shows directly on the device, or on any platform that runs its HDHomeRun View app.
HDHomeRun Prime firmware featuring DLNA streaming comes out of beta
You'd really like to stream some HD cable TV to a DLNA client from your HDHomeRun Prime, but aren't willing to risk introducing beta firmware into your fully functional entertainment system? We have good news: after a little more than two months of beta, your wait is over. Today's official HDHomeRun Prime update comes with release notes detailing its newfound ability to stream Copy Freely content to any DLNA playback device (like XBMC, PS3 or Samsung's HDTVs, for example) that supports MPEG-2 and AC3. Protected content, like anything marked Copy Once, works as well if your device happens to be one of the few that supports CableLab's transmission DRM of choice, DTCP-IP. So while we warned that this feature might not be worth injecting beta software into the mix back in January, a number of fixes in this release plus weeks of testing should push HDHomeRun Prime owners to update now. [Thanks, Rob]
HDHomeRun Prime beta update for DLNA streaming is live
Got your HDHomeRun Prime, your favorite DLNA client and an itch to watch some premium HD cable TV? Well, then it's time to head over to the beta forum, download the latest firmware then register as a tester. Those of you lucky enough to have a nice TV provider that doesn't lock everything down with Copy Once flags will be able to watch live TV on just about any DLNA playback device that supports MPEG2. Those not so lucky will need a PS3 or a 2012 Samsung HDTV, without which this little gem ain't going to do you much good. Sadly, this exclusive to the HDHomeRun Prime because its the only one with the hardware to support DLNA, but the new tuners due this spring will allow DLNA access of ATSC, QAM and DVB sources -- as well as allow playback on Media Players that only support h.264. The usefulness of this is still pretty limited while we wait for the rest of SiliconDust's Project:Connect to come together, but we don't see any reason why you wouldn't join in on the fun.
Ceton officially drops the InfiniTV 4 price to $199
A device that was selling for around $600 on eBay just two years ago, is now officially priced at $199 -- the second $100 price drop in the past eight months -- and is available immediately from some of your favorite online retailers. That means both the USB and PCIe versions of the CableCARD tuner that can record four HD channels at once, cost a mere $50 per tuner. While this makes it the cheapest per-tuner CableCARD tuner ever available, the dual tuner Hauppauge WinTV DCR-2650 at $149 retail ($112 street) still requires the lowest total entry cost into the PC CableCARD tuner market. We've come a long way since ATI offered a single tuner for $299, but the still-pricey cards make it easy to understand understand why TV manufacturers and other set-top box makers, like Boxee, can't hide the price of a CableCARD tuner in the cost of their products.
Six tuner HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tuner ships tomorrow
We're not exactly sure what is so complicated about building CableCARD tuners, but after being bitten by the inevitable delay bug Silicondust says it is ready to ship the six tuner version of its HDHomeRun Prime. A tweet went out earlier stating Newegg would be forwarding the units to customers beginning tomorrow, while a post on the company forums confirms the first shipment leaving their location just a short while ago. Unfortunately that still leave the $249 three tuner version twisting in the wind, but if you preordered just hang in there, more word is promised "later this week."
Elgato offers HDHomeRun TV tuner bundled with its EyeTV software for $180
Elgato has been pushing EyeTV for Mac software alongside its own various TV tuner devices for a while now, but if you prefer Silicondust's HDHomeRun it's added a new package to the list of offerings. For $179.95 the dual-tuner HDHomeRun comes with EyeTV3 software for Mac, drivers for a PC and the requisite cables for you to watch some TV on your computer. It's not a major leap for the hardware or software involved, but if you're a fan of both they're now available in one convenient package at the Apple Store, Amazon and other retailers.
Elgato HDHomeRun lets you record live digital TV over network
Elgato has just announced a new product that will let you watch and record digital TV in full high-definition on any computer on your home network. HDHomeRun is a dual tuner that connects to both your cable TV or digital TV antenna and your network router, and then streams live TV over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. On your Mac, Elgato's EyeTV 3 software is used to watch, pause and rewind live TV. The software can also be used to find upcoming TV shows, record the shows for viewing at a later time, and export the recordings to iTunes so that they can be played back on iOS devices. Elgato also notes that by using HDHomeRun with its EyeTV app, you can stream live or recorded video to your iPhone or iPad over 3G. If you have a PC on the network in your home, you can watch and record the video using Windows 7 Media Center. The ability to stream to your iPhone or iPad is Mac-specific. The HDHomeRun box is tiny -- at 4 x 4 x 1 inch and 3.8 ounces, it won't take up a lot of room in your media center. HDHomeRun is available through Elgato's website, Amazon, the Apple Store and B&H Photo at a suggested retail price of US$179.95. We hope to have a full review of the Elgato HDHomeRun for your reading pleasure in the very near future.
HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner officially available for preorders for $249, six tuner version next week
After a false start when it passed certification earlier this month, SiliconDust's three CableCARD tuner HDHomeRun Prime is finally available for preorder from Newegg for $249. The release date is scheduled for June 29th but those interested in getting it hooked up to their HTPC as quickly as possible may want to wait until next week when the six-tuner 6CC version goes up for preorder, as those are expected to begin shipping first. There's no volume discount on the tuners at $499, but at $83 per tuner you might be able to justify it as a better value than the four-tuner and also network-sharable InfiniTV 4. Either way, if you just need a bit more information before purchasing, you'll find it on the sales page, on the linked PDF below or in the video trailer embedded after the break. [Thanks Justin & @TheReal_PeterF]
HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner passes CableLabs tests - Update: Preorder pulled, 6-tuner ships first
We've been waiting for SiliconDust's CableCARD-compatible HDHomeRun Prime for a little over a year and it seems finally ready to bring its triple tuner TV magic home, having gained CableLabs certification as of April 28th and subsequently showing up for preorder on Amazon. While this is mostly big news for Windows Media Center fans who need a new way to get premium channels on their box it also supports other DVR software like MythTV on Copy Freely-marked content. HTPC builders don't have to choose between this HDHR3-CC and the (suddenly in abundant supply and still $399) Ceton InfiniTV 4 just yet, since the listing has no shipping date and the last we'd heard from SiliconDust was that preorders would ship around 30 days after it completed certification. Check out our hands-on impressions from CES a few months ago if you're on the fence, but right now all that's standing between you and that grey box is a little bit of time... and $207. Update: According to a post on its forum, SiliconDust confirmed the HDHomeRun Prime has been certified and an email announcement will follow shortly, however it expects to deliver a 6-tuner Theater version first with the three tuner box appearing afterwards. The post also notes sites are "incorrectly listing" the HDHomeRun Prime for preorder and "will not be first in line for delivering product" so you may want to wait for the official word on which "major retailer" has the go-ahead to make sure you're first in line. The option to preorder disappeared from Amazon this morning, we'll let you know when and where the option to purchase pops up next. [Thanks, robniep] %Gallery-113086% [Thanks, Neil]
Ask Engadget HD: All-in-one DVR to replace my HTPC?
As much as we love DIY projects, HTPC owners know that from time to time the "yourself" part can be the most frustrating one when things don't work quite right. That's where our friend Chris finds himself on his current project, and he's looking for a way out: "Last year, I built my latest generation of Windows Media Center HTPCs. They're quad-core beasts w/ SSD OS drives and 1 TB storage drives. 4 GB of RAM, Blu-ray drives, Windows 7, gyro-mouse remote -- the works. I've got 4 total tuners via 2 HD Homeruns connected to 3 separate attic/rooftop antennas. On paper, it all sounds like a dream. The reality is, Windows Media Center has been a nightmare to use and maintenance is a never-ending chore. Codecs, subtitles, driver issues, more codec issues, software glitches, more codec issues, problems with going to/waking up from sleep, poor performance even on these powerful quad-core machines, etc. etc. Needless to say, I'm in the market for a replacement. Here is my small (and what I think is a very reasonable) checklist. At least 2x ATSC tuner that works w/ OTA antennas. I know a lot of people are convinced they can get everything they need from the web, but when there is free HD video being broadcast, and plenty to watch on the dozen or so channels in my area, I feel like it is a very logical request to have my streamer/HTPC box include tuners. DLNA support. It has to be able to fetch/store metadata and cover art. It doesn't have to get carried away with cast/crew photos or anything..just basic cover art, description, runtime, rating, etc. would do. Netflix/Hulu Plus. These are an absolute must, but it'd be nice to do Youtube and a few other basic streaming services if possible. (Continued after the break)
HDHomeRun Prime CableCARD tri-tuner comes one step closer to reality
Originally announced at CES in January, Silicon Dust's entrance into the encrypted cable TV tuner market just reached an important milestone on its way to market: CableLabs Certification -- anytime CableLabs is involved things take longer than anyone expects. The price of the three tuner HDHomeRun Prime is still set at $249, but the hope of being released by the "holidays" seems lost (Thanksgiving counts as one of those days right?). Said product is expected to start production in the next few weeks, after which you'll be able to pre-order the elusive tuner from major retailers. The big question of course is with the Ceton InfiniTV 4 still on a three month backorder, and selling on eBay for over twice its retail price, which should you order? We suggest you pre-order both just to be safe; worst case you end up on the good side of a crazy eBay auction.
CableLabs amends OCUR spec, tuner sharing and MythTV are on
We told you that CableLabs had received a few requests to amend the OCUR spec that dictates what a CableCARD tuner for a PC can and can't do, and as expected the organization that many love to hate has come through -- we, expected it anyways. The first change is the most significant which is that each tuner in an OCUR can be paired with different PCs at the same time. This lets you buy one quad tuner and use it on four HTPCs simultaneously; one tuner per PC (a single tuner can't be shared simultaneous though). When we originally asked CableLabs about changing this they said, maybe, but it'd take three to six months to run through the process. The other change we're glad didn't take forever to become a reality is the one that stated that even Copy Freely content had to be transmitted securely, which meant that Windows 7 Media Center was the only way to watch any CableCARD tuner stuff, and while there isn't much encrypted QAM content out there marked Copy Freely, MythTV and SageTV fans will have access to at least some premium HD content. This isn't as big a deal as changing the meaning of Copy Once to something less draconian, it is welcomed news for those who just received their InfiniTV 4 (pictured above) and felt constrained by the old rules. We're sure there could be considerable time between when the change is made official and when the firmware is released to the public, but hopefully Ceton and SiliconDust don't waste any time making it happen.
HDHomeRun Prime with CableCARD might work with MythTV after all
We've been following the developments of SiliconDust's HDHomeRun Prime for some time and while there's still no word on when it'll be ready to sell, the latest interesting news is that SiliconDust hopes to make it work with MythTV. Unfortunately the OCUR spec requires that any content marked Copy Once, or worse, be locked down with PlayReady DRM before it leaves the tuner, and there's almost no chance of that changing. But believe it or not there is plenty of programming delivered via encrypted digital cable that is marked Copy Freely (depending on your provider of course). So apparently CableLabs is considering a engineering change recommendation made by SiliconDust that would allow Copy Freely content to stream to DVR software that isn't CableLabs certified, and thus can't participate in the encrypted connection -- yes that's right, the content is encrypted as well as the communications between the hardware and software -- which means that software like MythTV could work with the tuner. Depending on your provider and your DVR software of choice this could be very good news.
HDHomeRun CableCARD will feature three tuners in time for the holidays
What you're looking at here is a picture of the board that makes the new HDHomeRun CableCARD tuner work. You might notice the four squares on the right, those are the tuners, yes there are four -- don't get too excited -- but one of 'em is for the out of band data and can't actually be used to record HD. But that's still one more usable tuner than initially announced at CES and the best news is that the price remains the same at $249. There isn't a hard release data yet, but the goal is to release the beta details in the coming weeks, then submit it to CableLabs for certification and then finally have it in your HTPC in time for the holidays -- when exactly do holidays start again? The actual case isn't done yet, but there won't be a hump like the classic HDHomeRun and as you can see the gigabit network tuner's connections are all on the back including one coax, one USB, power, and a single CableCARD slot for all three tuners -- the USB doesn't do what you're thinking, it's for the Tuning Adapter. Contrary to some reports -- a USB version isn't on the table and we can't say we're surprised as that wouldn't be Silicon Dust's style. A picture of the connections on the prototype after the jump.
