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).