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HDHomeRun Premium TV could be the holy grail for antenna users | TechHive
SiliconDust, the company behind the HDHomeRun line of networked TV tuners, has solved one of live TV streaming services biggest problems with its new Premium TV offering.
For $35 per month, HDHomeRun Premium TV offers 45 live cable channels, including ESPN, HGTV, FX, AMC, and all three major cable news networks. While the package doesn稚 include any local broadcast channels, you can add those yourself by connecting an antenna to an HDHomeRun tuner, which itself is required to access the service.
What really sets Premium TV apart from other live streaming services is its DVR support, which lets you record over-the-air and cable programming onto a desktop PC or NAS box for an extra $35 per year. Unlike the cloud-based DVRs offered by other live TV services, HDHomeRunç—´ DVR doesn稚 prevent you from skipping ads, block you from recording certain channels, or set limits on how long it値l keep your recordings. You can even load the video files onto a Plex server or move them to your phone for offline viewing. The DVR is limited only by the size of your hard drive (hard drives, if youæ±*e running a NAS box).
[ Further reading: The best TV streaming services ]
I often hear from potential cord-cutters who are put off by cloud DVR痴 restrictions. HDHomeRun Premium TV could be the answer�f you can put up with some unique annoyances.
How HDHomeRun Premium TV works
HDHomeRun treats its Premium TV channels the same way as over-the-air broadcasts. For both, you need either an HDHomeRun Connect or HDHomeRun Extend tuner to watch live TV. The Connect costs $100 for two tuners (which can watch or record two channels at a time) or $150 for four tuners (for four simultaneous channels). The $180 Extend has two tuners plus a built-in transcoder, so it consumes less bandwidth for live TV and less storage for recordings. (If youæ±*e planning to set up DVR service, your PC or a good-quality NAS box can likely handle transcoding without the pricier Extend hardware.) The tuner then connects via ethernet cable to your router, which in turn streams video to other devices over ethernet or Wi-Fi.
hdhomerunduo
SiliconDust
An HDHomeRun tuner is required to use the new Premium TV streaming service.
With the tuner alone, you can watch live TV through HDHomeRun痴 free apps on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Xbox One. But to record live channels, you値l also need a NAS box, an always-on computer (such as a desktop Windows PC or Mac), or an Nvidia Shield TV. You'll also need ample hard disk storage space. A 1TB hard drive, for example, can store about 150 hours of HD programming (if it's not being used to store anything else).
Read TechHive's review
Once you致e set up the hardware and installed the software, you can add a Premium TV subscription through HDHomeRun痴 website. You値l then get an email prompting you to associate your HDHomeRun tuner with your account, at which point the new channels will automatically appear inside the HDHomeRun apps.
hdhomerunpremium
SiliconDust
The HDHomeRun Premium TV lineup.
Problems and solutions
For better and for worse, HDHomeRunç—´ live TV and DVR software work the same way as they did when I reviewed them earlier this year. While the DVR service is fairly inexpensive at $35 per year, and itç—´ nice to have over-the-air and cable channels in one place, the interface is an eyesore and confusing to use, especially for managing recordings. HDHomeRun is also still missing some features that other networked DVRs offer, such as out-of-home streaming, manually scheduled recordings, and a way to resolve scheduling conflicts. SiliconDust is working on an interface overhaul, but itç—´ not ready.
Jared Newman / TechHive
Easy-to-use software hasn稚 been one of HDHomeRun痴 strong suits.
Premium TV also has its own peculiar downside: Some channels air only in Eastern or Pacific time, regardless of what time zone youæ±*e in. That means if you want to watch American Horror Story on FX, and youæ±*e on the east coast, you値l have to wait until 1 a.m. local time.
The underlying issue here is that SiliconDust didn稚 build this live TV service on its own, but instead licensed the package of channels from another vendor, which made all the necessary deals with TV networks. At the moment, this vendor isn稚 supplying all the correct feeds to each time zone. Ted Head, SiliconDust痴 CEO, says his company is 田ontinuing to have a discussion with the vendor on this issue, but it痴 unclear when it might be resolved, if ever.
Head says SiliconDust is also working on supporting 60 frames-per-second video with 720p resolutionå¹¼hannels currently top out at 30 frames per second, which makes news, sports, and talk shows look choppier than cableé*�nd 5.1-channel surround sound. The company will also consider tweaking its channel lineup based on which channels customers watch and request the most.
鼎ertainly, weæ±*e always going to be looking at adding new content and taking suggestions from customers, Head says. å…¸his is a new process for us. Weæ±*e going to take it slow, and be realistic, and see what else might be available.
One of the benefits of HDHomeRun痴 hardware is that you're not obligated to use it with HDHomeRun痴 software. Instead, you can connect your tuner with Plex DVR, Emby DVR, or Channels DVR, all of which offer slicker apps and more robust recording features than HDHomeRun. You can even use the ad-skipping features built into Plex and Channels DVR. Although you値l have to pay for these DVR services separately, you won稚 have to spend the $35 per year for HDHomeRun痴 own DVR service.
hdhomerunpremiumplex Jared Newman / IDG
Connecting HDHomeRun Premium TV to Plex enables powerful recording and ad-skipping features.
Still, these DVR options haven稚 been fully integrated with HDHomeRun Premium TV. Channels, for instance, required me to select my local cable company as a source for guide data, followed by an arduous remapping process to make sure the channels appeared properly in the guide. With Plex, I had to delete my tuner from the DVR settings menu, and then add it again.
channelsremap
Setting up Channels for HDHomeRun Premium TV requires remapping local cable listings to display properly in the guide.
In both cases, the TV guide did not compensate for Premium TVç—´ time-zone issues, so channels that were airing during the Pacific time schedule did not show the correct guide information. The good news is that SiliconDust is working with guide data provider Gracenote on publishing a HDHomeRun-specific guide that apps such as Plex and Channels can use. Head says this should be available soon.
Like every other live TV streaming service, HDHomeRun Premium TV isn稚 perfect. Choosing the right cord-cutting plan is all about deciding which trade-offs youæ±*e most willing to make. At least for now, an uncompromising DVR doesn稚 have to be one of the sacrifices.
SiliconDust, the company behind the HDHomeRun line of networked TV tuners, has solved one of live TV streaming services biggest problems with its new Premium TV offering.
For $35 per month, HDHomeRun Premium TV offers 45 live cable channels, including ESPN, HGTV, FX, AMC, and all three major cable news networks. While the package doesn稚 include any local broadcast channels, you can add those yourself by connecting an antenna to an HDHomeRun tuner, which itself is required to access the service.
What really sets Premium TV apart from other live streaming services is its DVR support, which lets you record over-the-air and cable programming onto a desktop PC or NAS box for an extra $35 per year. Unlike the cloud-based DVRs offered by other live TV services, HDHomeRunç—´ DVR doesn稚 prevent you from skipping ads, block you from recording certain channels, or set limits on how long it値l keep your recordings. You can even load the video files onto a Plex server or move them to your phone for offline viewing. The DVR is limited only by the size of your hard drive (hard drives, if youæ±*e running a NAS box).
[ Further reading: The best TV streaming services ]
I often hear from potential cord-cutters who are put off by cloud DVR痴 restrictions. HDHomeRun Premium TV could be the answer�f you can put up with some unique annoyances.
How HDHomeRun Premium TV works
HDHomeRun treats its Premium TV channels the same way as over-the-air broadcasts. For both, you need either an HDHomeRun Connect or HDHomeRun Extend tuner to watch live TV. The Connect costs $100 for two tuners (which can watch or record two channels at a time) or $150 for four tuners (for four simultaneous channels). The $180 Extend has two tuners plus a built-in transcoder, so it consumes less bandwidth for live TV and less storage for recordings. (If youæ±*e planning to set up DVR service, your PC or a good-quality NAS box can likely handle transcoding without the pricier Extend hardware.) The tuner then connects via ethernet cable to your router, which in turn streams video to other devices over ethernet or Wi-Fi.
hdhomerunduo
SiliconDust
An HDHomeRun tuner is required to use the new Premium TV streaming service.
With the tuner alone, you can watch live TV through HDHomeRun痴 free apps on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Xbox One. But to record live channels, you値l also need a NAS box, an always-on computer (such as a desktop Windows PC or Mac), or an Nvidia Shield TV. You'll also need ample hard disk storage space. A 1TB hard drive, for example, can store about 150 hours of HD programming (if it's not being used to store anything else).
Read TechHive's review
Once you致e set up the hardware and installed the software, you can add a Premium TV subscription through HDHomeRun痴 website. You値l then get an email prompting you to associate your HDHomeRun tuner with your account, at which point the new channels will automatically appear inside the HDHomeRun apps.
hdhomerunpremium
SiliconDust
The HDHomeRun Premium TV lineup.
Problems and solutions
For better and for worse, HDHomeRunç—´ live TV and DVR software work the same way as they did when I reviewed them earlier this year. While the DVR service is fairly inexpensive at $35 per year, and itç—´ nice to have over-the-air and cable channels in one place, the interface is an eyesore and confusing to use, especially for managing recordings. HDHomeRun is also still missing some features that other networked DVRs offer, such as out-of-home streaming, manually scheduled recordings, and a way to resolve scheduling conflicts. SiliconDust is working on an interface overhaul, but itç—´ not ready.
Jared Newman / TechHive
Easy-to-use software hasn稚 been one of HDHomeRun痴 strong suits.
Premium TV also has its own peculiar downside: Some channels air only in Eastern or Pacific time, regardless of what time zone youæ±*e in. That means if you want to watch American Horror Story on FX, and youæ±*e on the east coast, you値l have to wait until 1 a.m. local time.
The underlying issue here is that SiliconDust didn稚 build this live TV service on its own, but instead licensed the package of channels from another vendor, which made all the necessary deals with TV networks. At the moment, this vendor isn稚 supplying all the correct feeds to each time zone. Ted Head, SiliconDust痴 CEO, says his company is 田ontinuing to have a discussion with the vendor on this issue, but it痴 unclear when it might be resolved, if ever.
Head says SiliconDust is also working on supporting 60 frames-per-second video with 720p resolutionå¹¼hannels currently top out at 30 frames per second, which makes news, sports, and talk shows look choppier than cableé*�nd 5.1-channel surround sound. The company will also consider tweaking its channel lineup based on which channels customers watch and request the most.
鼎ertainly, weæ±*e always going to be looking at adding new content and taking suggestions from customers, Head says. å…¸his is a new process for us. Weæ±*e going to take it slow, and be realistic, and see what else might be available.
One of the benefits of HDHomeRun痴 hardware is that you're not obligated to use it with HDHomeRun痴 software. Instead, you can connect your tuner with Plex DVR, Emby DVR, or Channels DVR, all of which offer slicker apps and more robust recording features than HDHomeRun. You can even use the ad-skipping features built into Plex and Channels DVR. Although you値l have to pay for these DVR services separately, you won稚 have to spend the $35 per year for HDHomeRun痴 own DVR service.
hdhomerunpremiumplex Jared Newman / IDG
Connecting HDHomeRun Premium TV to Plex enables powerful recording and ad-skipping features.
Still, these DVR options haven稚 been fully integrated with HDHomeRun Premium TV. Channels, for instance, required me to select my local cable company as a source for guide data, followed by an arduous remapping process to make sure the channels appeared properly in the guide. With Plex, I had to delete my tuner from the DVR settings menu, and then add it again.
channelsremap
Setting up Channels for HDHomeRun Premium TV requires remapping local cable listings to display properly in the guide.
In both cases, the TV guide did not compensate for Premium TVç—´ time-zone issues, so channels that were airing during the Pacific time schedule did not show the correct guide information. The good news is that SiliconDust is working with guide data provider Gracenote on publishing a HDHomeRun-specific guide that apps such as Plex and Channels can use. Head says this should be available soon.
Like every other live TV streaming service, HDHomeRun Premium TV isn稚 perfect. Choosing the right cord-cutting plan is all about deciding which trade-offs youæ±*e most willing to make. At least for now, an uncompromising DVR doesn稚 have to be one of the sacrifices.
