SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR-US Dual Networked High Definition Digital Tuner Device (White)
by SiliconDust USA, Inc
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List Price: Our Price: $69.00 You Save: $100.99 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR-US Dual Networked High Definition Digital Tuner Device (White)
Customer Review: Wish I never messed with PCI cards. This is perfect.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've tried several PCI tuner cards in my Windows Media PC, and then finally got this. I wish I'd gotten this guy first. I was worried that using a networked tuner would involve latency, but I've tuned the same channel on my laptop (via wireless, even) and our TV, and there was only a barely perceptible difference in the timing. Most importantly, there is no noticeable lag in changing channels relative to a tuner card.
The reception is flawless, which is likely due both to a very good late generation tuner chip, but also (I speculate) to the fact that the tuner is not stuck inside the incredibly high-RF-interference environment of a computer case. I can't imagine being stuck next to a chip radiating RF harmonic all the way from MHz to GHz would be a great thing for a tuner to pull in weak signals. This certainly seems to have much less trouble than my old tuner cards.
A really cool benefit of this tuner is that you can watch TV from any computer in the house, as well. So, if my wife is watching something horrifying like "Grey's Anatomy," on the media center PC, I can just watch something else on my laptop instead of looking for a pen to stick in my neck.
One final advantage, that I haven't needed to try, is that this allows you to put the tuner as close as possible to the antenna. For example, you could have this up in the attic and only have to run a short cable from your aerial to this box. The reason this is important is that the raw RF signal coming from the antenna is the most prone to interference and attenuation, it being analog and extremely broadband. You thus want to demodulate it as close as possible to the antenna. Once you've got the digital stream, then it's no problem running a long ethernet cable or just using WiFi.
In summary, this is, after trying many options, the best way to get high def over the air TV (or unencrypted cable) into your computer.
Customer Review: A Mac Must Have With EyeTV from Elgato
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a bargain for hardware that will work with a Mac, Windows or Linux computers. I'm using a pair of these SiliconDust tuners for the ability to record four channels at the same time on one Mac Mini. This computer is just used as a video recorder. Recording works perfectly even though it is being done on an older Intel Mac Mini. Apple Mac mini (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive DVD±RW/CD-RW, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11g, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard) I should have purchased a second tuner sooner. I do record a great deal of content so I do exercise the two HDHomeRuns rigorously. The EyeTV software just coordinates which of the open tuners is used to record a channel. I had thought previously that this capability would not be available until a future software upgrade, but it works now under version 3.5. The software by itself is not available directly from Amazon, but the hardware that Elgato sells contain the EyeTV software. You can purchase the software directly from the company. On my home theater computer, I am using a EyeTV 250, Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus Digital/Analog TV Receiver and Video Converter, which came with the EyeTV software and a year's worth of TVGuide online channel guide information.
By the way, I am having great success on Comcast using their open qam channels for recording. For recording content off from encrypted channels, you might consider the EyeTV HD product connected to your cable box. Elgato EyeTV HD DVR for HD cable and satellite TV This requires using analog component cabling rather than what you might expect, such as hdmi.
Customer Review: Excellent networked tv tuner
Summary: 5 Stars
The SiliconDust HDHomerun was an excellent purchase. Like others have said, the unit is smaller than it appears in the pictures. That's great though since it stows away nicely in small areas. I have mine sitting right next to the antenna. Provided instructions are pretty much nonexistent although the product's official website has detailed instructions via a pdf file after a brief search. I plugged in a cheap $30-40 indoor antenna (I live close to a tower), the ethernet cable, and the power cord. It jumped on my home network with no prompting from me.
I installed drivers from the software disc on a Windows XP computer and also on a Vista computer with no problems. The Vista computer has Vista Media Center on it and after walking through VMC's set up tool, I had TV working on that computer within five minutes. The Windows XP computer didn't have Media Center, but the software disc came with a nifty DVR program called Total Media 3.5. It's not as feature rich as Media Center but it gets the job done. It even allows you to save programs in a non proprietary format unlike Windows Media Center. Total Media 3.5 also has an option to enable hardware acceleration so your video card can help out. I couldn't find a similar option in Media Center although that may be a default.
The HDHomerun sends the signal to both computers without a problem. It's never dropped the signal in the week I've been using it. I do need to mention that I have not tried both tuner slots at once. I don't have a coax splitter so I'm just sending on coax cable into the HDHomerun, so I am unable to review features associated with having both tuner slots utilized. I hope to upgrade and update this review.
For Amazon's part, shipping was prompt. I received my package within three days of ordering.
Great product. I recommend it if you want to share a tv signal over your home network!
Customer Review: Great potential to customize the "DVR" anyway you like
Summary: 5 Stars
No need to repeat all the virtual about this box as others have commented a lot already.
I bought it mainly for the purpose of "forgetting it". I hid it in a closet, together with one of my "hacked" Linux box. The duo does background recording of TV programs at timed intervals that can be set on any of my PCs.
The most useful feature to me is in its "HDHomeRun Development Guide" manual. They provide a dozen Linux based commands that you can use over the local area network on any of you PCs to direct it to do certain things, most useful commands are for changing channels and recording a stream to hard drive.
I have a "hacked" Linux box that was originally an NAS (Network Attacked Storage), by flashing it with Debian Linux, it now becomes a standby (always-on) little Linux server that has a cron job monitoring the recording schedule I setup. When the time comes, it will issue commands to switch channel and start recording.
The Linux box is so green that it consumes up to 17 watt only. It can also serve as web server and/or home media streamer. Leaving the duo on together with the router 24/7 does not make you feel guilty, thanks to its small carbon footprint.
PC is only turned on when I need to watch a recorded show or a live show, or when I need to change recording schedule. There is no need to use TitanTV or similar Hyper Text based utility, the setting is so simple a single line of script would suffice.
The command line script setup needs some Linux skill, but not too bad. Support has been good, it even resolved a hiccup of mine during the test run. The Linux box has it's internal hard drive, if not enough, it also has USB ports to attach external HDs. The external HDs can be turned on or off on-demand.
The recorded stream (.ts container) can be played back on my media player (a brite-view box) on HDTV.
Customer Review: Perfect with SageTV
Summary: 5 Stars
It works great. Previous to this purchase I was using a pair of HVR-1600 tuners to get clear QAM channels off cable, but the HVR-1600 could not tune in consistently. Some channels not at all, and those that it could, at random times Sage reported "no signal." I added a signal amplifier, and rewired all the way to the pole, thinking that might help. The cable man said my signal was great, but the problem persisted. So I got another tuner, or rather, pair of tuners (the other great thing about this product.) The HomeRun gets every (in the clear, not scrambled) channel, every time, and some that the HVR-1600 could never find. A much better tuner than the HVR-1600. Set up is some work, not unbearable, but I wouldn't call it plug and play. Well, physically, yes, plug in the power, coax and network wires, but then you have to scan the channels and figure out what is what. There is help at the Silicon Dust website, but the channel listing that users have submitted are not completely accurate, though helpful nonetheless. After a little effort (well worth it, a few hours one night), everything is ready and all one must do is add the tuners in SageTV. It's been working since (two months now) without a hitch, or having to tweak anything. It just works. I have since connected my HVR-1600s to an OTA antenna to get channels cable doesn't have, and for more tuners covering everything that overlaps (HD network channels, for example). For anyone using SageTV, either OTA or QAM cable, this product is a definite must have. You will love it. Another benefit is that many SageTV users have this product, so the support on their forums is extensive. Lots of help out there, for other users of Sage (best PVR product on the planet).