Getting to know the HDHomeRun HDHR3 OTA streaming device.

HDHomeRun Dual HDHR3-US Dual

The SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR3 –US Dual -- is a Dual Tuner  (OTA Only) HD receiver that puts live High Definition TV signals on your network for display on any and all of your PCs, MACs, Tablets and Smart phones.  That sounds kind of complicated, and for some it might be.   Imagine going to your pc to watch your favorite local channel.  How about your tablet?  How about on the go (may require an additional device or home VPN).   In this article I will walk you through the HDHR3-US in its entirety.  We will discuss pricing, availability, models, setup, use, and features of the HDHomeRun.

The HDHR3 model is the entry level offering from SiliconDust (gotta love the name).  It ONLY receives Over the Air (OTA) signals from an HD capable antenna.  It does this via two independent tuners within the device.  Other models extend this capability through your local cable provider via extended cable signals and a device called a cable card.  For this review we will focus on the ATSC/OTA model only.

Full Disclosure:  I requested a sample device from the company because I was interested in reviewing their product for GeekTech4Home.  SiliconDust provided the sample for this review. 

Pricing and Availability:

The HDHR3 can be found at many online retailers within a price range of $79.00 - $129.00.  It is also available from a smaller contingent of Brick and Mortar stores such as Microcenter, J&R Music and B&H Photo.

Setup/Installation

Setup of this small set top box is quite easy.  The HDHomeRun can be hidden anywhere and only needs access to power, an antenna and your network (wired only).  You simply connect an HD antenna roof mount, attic mount or a small indoor antenna to the rear of the device via coaxial cable.  There is only a single cable for the two tuners.  This is a nice feature since most dual tuners would require a second cable connection.  A wired connection is then made from your router/switch to the rear of the device.  The final connection is power.  Please note you can check the type of antenna and mounting location/direction that is best for your location and number of local channels at:  http://www.antennaweb.org/Address.aspx

The centralized nature of the HDHR3 allows it to be placed in a media closet or right on your television or right next to your router/modem.  The device does not need to be right next to your computer or tablets to work.  It simply uses your network to send the TV to your devices.

Ways to use the HDHR3

So now the device is connected and ready to use.  So how do I use it?  There are a couple of ways to use your new device:

1)  Watch directly on your devices.  Watch when the show airs.  This means you can simply install and run the HDHomeRun QuickTV application.  This allows you to detect your local channels and play them on your devices as they happen.  Watch the game, your favorite channels, shows, …  directly on your tablet, PC or phone.  You can switch channels.  You can often resize the playback window on your PC/Tablet allowing you to keep up with your favorites while doing other things on your device. 

2)  Turn your PC/Mac into your own personal DVR and watch your favorites any time you wish?  The easiest of the DVRs for most will be Windows Media Center.  Simply start the Media Center and connect to the HDHR3.  Download your guide (a pretty nice guide for use with the Media Center).  Select your movie/show/event and select record.  This will allow the computer to select the channel you chose at the time of your choosing and record the show.  This allows you to watch your favorite shows on your own time schedule.  This also gives you full playback capabilities like pause, rewind, fast forward and commercial skip.  You often get the same option of resizing the playback window to allow you to continue other work during playback.   You can also go fullscreen if you wish. 

3)  Playback via ROKU and Plex.  Till now we have talked about playback on network connected devices and not your normal home television.  Having a Plex server and Roku playback device gives similar if not better options to your home television.  Plex is a home media server that runs on a PC/Media server.  This means you have a PC that runs all the time allowing for playback of videos and personal home media like pictures, music, home videos and HD HomeRun content.  The Roku simply accesses the same Plex server and makes all of the above available not only on your other PCs/Tablets/Phones but also to your TV.  Plex expands the use of your HD HomeRun and your personal media to the web as well.  If the server is set to allow internet access then all of your recorded content and personal media can be reached from anywhere in the world.  This is my current setup and makes for quick and convenient access to everything media for me.  Kind of like having your own personal cloud that also includes your TV.

Perfomance/Picture Quality

 

Playback can be beautiful but performance can vary greatly due to a number of reasons.   As this is a streaming player the quality of your network is directly relative to your experience.  If you choose to stream wirelessly on your network the same issues you find with normal internet access will greatly reduce the overall quality of playback.  The way to mitigate this is to ensure you have a good wireless signal or a good wired connection on your playback device.  If you have a great connection the playback is beautiful.  As your network connection degrades so does your playback performance.  Although playback can still be achieved at lower connection speeds playback will be both slower and less attractive.  With a good network connection the channel changes and start of playback are much quicker. 

A dual tuner device such as this allows two people to watch two different channels at the same time.  This also allows for the recording of two channels at once or watch and record of two different channels a the same time.

Summary 

The HDHR3 (although oddly named) is a great device that expands the capabilities of your home media and network.  At an affordable price it allows you to easily view OTA HD content on your PCs, Tablets, and Phones.  You can also integrate it with a number of Media Servers such as Windows Media Center (can playback via XBOX), MythTV, XBMC also for Xbox playback.  The HDHR3 easily integrates for DVR playback with pause, record, fast forward, rewind and commercial skip.

I guess what can be said is that this device gives you options.  In fact you get a great many options as longs as you are willing to pursue them.   

With this easy to install product you can start using it within minutes.

The HDHR3 and SiliconDust fill a void within the market.  Nobody does what they do the way they do it.  Others are starting to come to this same market but so far with limited offerings that do not work as well.  For those hoping to use this device with their cable provider you might want the check out the Prime version of this product.  The prime will allow the use of cable cards from your provider to give extend the capabilities of your cable connection.  Good luck finding someone that knows what a cable card is at your provider though (stick with it they have to provide it if asked).

So you wanna Roku? Cutting the cord!

Ever wanted to tell your Cable or Satellite Provider to "Take a hike!" but can't miss that next episode of your favorite show?  Tired of the huge fees sometimes associated with your television service?  Tired of commercials?

CUTTING THE CORD --  PART #1  --  Should I?

In this first article we will discuss a couple of topics that will help you to make the decision to stay or go.

In Part #2 -- I will walk you through the technology needed to accomplish the break away.

Some questions you will need to ask yourself:

1)  How much am I paying for TV service?
2)  How much am I currently paying for Internet Service?
3)  How many TVs do I have?
4)  How long will it take to recoup my costs?
5)  How fast is my Internet access?
6)  How good is my Internet Service?

7)  Do I have internet access where my TVs are located?  Can I have access there?
8)  Is an antenna possible?
9)  What will I be missing?
10)  Can I find a way to cover what I could be missing?
11)  Is this for me?

Let me help you in answering these questions:

1)  How much am I paying for TV service?

This question is pretty easy to answer as long as you are not bundled in some manner that disguises exactly how much you pay each month for TV service.  Many bills are difficult at best to read.  Do I get a savings for bundling?  How much is the savings?  Do I pay additional fees for items such as HD, DVR, multiple receivers, pay per view, on demand, ...?  These will all need to be taken into account to get that final per month number.  For me it was a bill for approximately $75.00 per month that was set to skyrocket in a few months.

2)  How much am I currently paying for Internet Service?

Although this may seem like a strange question we have to ask ourselves this question for two reason.  1 -- Our new delivery system will be via Internet if we decide to cut the cord.  2 -- Is your Internet bundled with your TV, Home Phone, and or Wireless Phone?   If you were to drop one or more of these services how much would Internet access cost?  There is a product provided by most Internet Service Providers called "Naked Service".  Naked Service (I know funny :) is where your local Internet provider gives you ONLY Internet service.  This means no other services are provided and therefore many providers will charge a slightly higher fee because they are losing the other charges for traditionally bundled items.  My Internet provider changes its rates for Internet from roughly $30.00 with other bundled options to $50.00 for Naked Services (still funny :).

3)  How many TVs do I have? 

This is important to know because you will have to purchase a device (Roku or an other Internet media device) for each television.  These devices allow you to watch Internet TV from sources like Netflix, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Crackle, and many more.  Each device will cost anywhere from $50.00 to $100.00 per TV.  This will affect your initial cost of entry.

4)  How long will it take to recoup my costs?

Given the costs associated (usually MUCH lower than traditional services) how long will it take to recoup my initial costs?  As stated above I have to buy a Streaming Media Player (Roku, Apple TV, Boxee, ...) for each TV.  I will likely have to pay a little more for my Internet service.  I will have to pay a monthly fee for some of the services I will use like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime Membership, Vudu. If I can use an antenna how much does that cost for my area?  Do I need to pay someone to install an antenna or additional wired network jacks?  Will I pay extra for specialty content like NFL, NHL, MLB?  In my setup with 4 TVs and Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus I was able to recoup my costs in about 5 - 6 months.  My initial startup costs for streaming media to 4 televisions was approximately $300.00 for 4 Roku Boxes and a Single antenna (I actually purchased this many years ago).  My monthly fees are now $20.00 for all services.  With the increased cost of Internet services I am still saving roughly $35.00 per month over my introductory rate with a satellite provider.  Given my rates were scheduled to go up approximately $30.00 per month, that gives a savings $65.00 per month.  As you can see this adds up quickly.  Watch those early termination fees (They can be negotiated) as they can be large.  Ask first.

5)  How fast is my Internet access? 

If like me you have 4 TVs in the home that you would like to give service, can your ISP provide you with enough speed/bandwidth to stream video to each device simultaneously?  With 4 TVs will you only use 3 at any given time?  This is important to know as well.  With our 12Mbs Download speeds we are able to stream TV to 4 TVs simultaneously.   Our service is very solid and provides a very predictable bandwidth.  There are no peak/off/load hours where service is negatively affected.  We get roughly the same service throughout the day/night.

6)  How good is my Internet Service?

You will notice that I have separated Fast and Good.  Having fast service does not always equate to "Good" service.  Often people have issues with quality of service, outages, slow downs, ... even though their service is touted as being "Fast".  In our rural case our service provider was both slow and spotty at its best.  So if need be look at your options.  We now have stellar service that is middle of the road on speed but top notch on quality of service.

7)  Do I have internet access where my TVs are located?  Can I have access there?

There are two types of access we are talking about here.  Internet access via wired and wireless.  Wired is the preferred method but some older homes do not have Ethernet cables run throughout.  Some have access to easily run wired service some do not.  This is where wireless comes in.  Wireless gives you the ability to stream media to your TV over the same wireless Internet you would use for your laptops at home.  Although this is more flexible it also is not as stable.  You may get some interference to your TV setup and cause your devices to "buffer or wait" for the signal to return.  In smaller homes with great WiFi service this is not a worry.

8)  Is an antenna possible? 

You still want all your local channels right?  Late night news?  Well this is where an antenna comes into play.  OTA or Over the Air antennas allow ou to pick up full HD signals of your local stations.  This allows you to pick up some of those games, news, and some of the standard programming from non cable providers.  There are a couple of ways to do get OTA that we will discuss.  Centralized and De-centralized OTA.  In my setup I have a large Centralized antenna that feeds a splitter block that feeds the rest of the home.  This works well when you have access to your attic, as you can have a larger/much better/less attractive antenna.  De-Centralized simply means a separate antenna per TV.  These are normally very small aesthetic antenna that sit right next to the TV.  Depending on your location you may have some difficulty receiving channels using this method.

9)  What will I be missing?

This may be one of the largest deterrents to cutting the cord.  Many people just have to watch the current season "as it happens" and simply can not wait.  Sometimes this works out for both options where the content is available for both at the same time. However with streaming media there is often a delay.  For instance Hulu Plus will delay the release of current television shows by up to 3 days before releasing them online.  Some vendors/stations/channels/networks just will not allow release of current shows online at all.  Once they make it to a "Season" DVD they will release to services like Netflix or Amazon.  For me this is not only OK but it is great.  I get to sit down and watch (mostly commercial free) and traverse the seasons from start to finish (or at least till the last season) whenever and often wherever I want.  What happens with ESPN?  What about my games/sports?

10)  Can I find a way to cover what I could be missing?

There are some ways (often technical and sometimes not reliable) to cover or find those things that would normally be missing as stated above.  These options typically require either an additional subscription service like NFL, NHL , MLB, Nascar, Indy, ... or a home server that collects these items from "Other" sources.  Subscriptions to NFL, NHL usually have a similar cost and often are less than a season subscription to say NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTv.  There are options for filling the viewing gaps some easier than others.

11)  Is this for me?

This is a large question.  Streaming Media is a totally different paradigm to standard cable/satellite TV viewing.  Everything is in essence DVR'd.  You have whole shows from season 1 through the current season at your fingertips.  I can start and stop and return to an exact point later, on a different TV, on my PC, on my phone even.  I set up queues for things I would like to watch.  I get recommendations for other shows that are similar to what I am watching currently.  I do not have to be at the TV Friday at 7:00 EST to see see the new episode (although it may not be available anyways).  It is just different.  My mother-in-law at first was very reluctant.  It was different from what she knew or wanted to know.  Now, even though she has access to most of her shows via OTA networks she rarely switches away from the Roku.

Given the information above it can seem somewhat overwhelming to deal with the termination of existing services, transfer of services, purchasing and installation of technologies.  In Part #2 -- I am in now what!  I will cover those aspects for you in hopes of making the transition to streaming media easier.


So you can save money.  You can save time (no commercials with exception of limited commercials on Hulu Plus).  You can have access to thousands of movies/shows/seasons.  Did I mention radio/audio content as well (Pandora, Slacker and other free online music services)?  Did I mention there are a number of providers that stream movies and shows for FREE?

Stick around for Part #2 and I will walk you through the technical aspects of streaming media.