SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Use this on Comcast cable network. So far, Comcast has many clear QAM channels. I bought this to hedge bets that Comcast does not go the way of Time Warner (no clear QAM channels). Ethernet signals are sent via wireless link to my house (~1/4 mile away). SD channels are very clear, but some HD channels break up. I need more bandwidth for HD channels.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I've hooked the tuner up and installed it on multiple computers and xbox, it was a snap, pretty much plug & play with a few CAT 6 cables & HDMI splitters to the appropriate TV's. I love paying for one cable card instead of 5 set top boxes. The no DVR fee is a plus too. This product pays for itself in 3 months of Cable Bill savings. Installing the cable card was as easy as inserting it into the HDHomeRun Prime and placing a phone call to an automated service. The call took 4 minutes. I also have to mention it's a must to delete the unused channels from the guide...no sense in browsing through channels I don't pay for or watch.

I have nothing bad to say about this product.

Ordering was a breeze, cheapest price around and came in 2 days with standard shipping. I would absolutely do business here again.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I use this product to display FIOS TV on my HTPC and iPad using HDHOMERUN App. Took a little while to setup with Verizon. Had to spend some time on phone with Verizon tech support to activate MEDIA CARD (which your must rent). But now that it is working, it is rock solid.

Fun way to watch TV. iPad, PCs, TVs with no settop box (just htpc).

By the way WMC guide is sooo much better than FIOS settop box guide.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Works like a champ with my Verizon FiOS CableCard. Don't rent when you can save money buying it instead. Works well with Windows Media Center and XBMC on my Raspberry Pi.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

This is really great for replacing the DVR from the cable company. Unfortunately, if you have a service like Bright House that uses switched digital cable, you will need a tuning adapter as well (available from your cable company, as is the CableCard).

The device itself has lots of status messages than be displayed, and the web interface gives a surprising amount of information.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

got rid of 3 cable boxes...and still have high def and all my premium channels! This thing is awesome. One look and all my neighbors are getting them. Works with Verizon and comcast cable cards(havent used any other) and takes 20 minutes to set up.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I just set this up on a Windows 7 machine, and so far it looks great. The physical device is small and light and seems well assembled. Installation and configuration were pretty easy - it takes a little time to go through all the steps, but the documentation is clear enough, and everything worked on the first try, which is a refreshing surprise for this kind of thing. Even the Comcast activation went smoothly. The video signal looks great in live TV mode - it looks indistinguishable from the Comcast STB output.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Extremely easy to setup. Non HD channels work great over Wifi, but need a lan connection to get HD that isn't choppy. I haven't used all three of the built in tuners at once, but using 2/3 causes no issues.

Difficult to install into window's media center if you have already set it up (but that is more a Window's issue)

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

To avoid hassles during activation, connect it without tees and amplifiers (one 2-way splitter max). After you get it sucessfully activated and all your expected channels are working, then you can usually move it down a split. Check signal using the Silicondust ConfigGUI utility.Used sucessfully with Comcast in Baltimore - southern region. Only the premium movie channels are flagged/encrypted "copy-once" (Cable co dependant).

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I have this running on my SageTV with a FIOS Cable Card. A little bit of trial and error to get everything up and running but now it is working like a champ. It did work out of the box for Windows MC, the configuration I had to work thru was regarding a 3rd party program. It records 3 channels in HD and leaves plenty of bandwidth on the gigabit LAN.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

To be fair, most of the setup issues are with configuring the cable card with the cable company. I also needed to install a tuning adapter from the cable company alongside the HDHomeRun unit to permit tuning of SDV channels. Also, setting up Windows Media Center on multiple PCs took a lot of time.
However, everything has been working like a charm for over a week now. My networked Windows 7 PCs grab any available tuner, up to all three. You need, of course, a solid Gigabit network which I'm so happy I put in years ago. Windows Media Center works seemlessly with the tuner, you have no idea it is running across your ethernet network. I almost bought a one PC tuner before I discovered this. Just wonderful!

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

and with the savings it will pay for itself in about about 15 months. That includes still paying $3.99/mo for the cable card. After that, saving $13+/mo point forward.

Plus I now have 3 tuners instead of 2. Using Remote Potato, I can schedule and see recorded TV from every Windows 7 PC in the house, which would have required 3 extra STB's from Verizon to accomplish before.

One caveat is that I already had the gigabit network (for best transmission and bandwidth)and a Windows 7 PC at every TV, so this was a no brainer for me. You're mileage may vary.

Still excellent product and works great for me.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

The HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner is very easy to install and configure with Windows Media Center.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I got this box to replace 3 cable boxes with DVR service (~$30/month from Cablevision). Before I bought the unit I read SiliconDust support forum and I expected that the setup will not be easy. So, I prepared my network (1Gbps, no firewalls on LAN side, broadcast permitted) and my PC (Win7, powerful Nvidia video card, etc.) and expected everything to be easy. Unfortunately, after initial setup I started getting ALL kinds of issues that I read on the support forum – no sound, no picture, wrong codecs, no or weak TV signal. In the end of the day the box works, saves me money, but if you do not like to play with "technology" do not buy this product. It has great idea, but it's not ready for home market where you expect to plug a device and get a service.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I setup with mythtv .24 + patches

Needed a few calls to comcast to fully program the mcard. The second person asked if it was a hdhome run prime and programmed it correctly.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

In short, so far this product is a winner. It fits my intended need – simultaneously feed two HDTV's and record a third channel. My downstairs TV connects directly to a PC and the upstairs TV is connected via an Xbox (used as an extender). The PC runs on Win7, Windows Media Center, with the interface for the HD Homerun Prime entirely through my router with a Cat6 link to the Xbox. The bonus – I can also view TV independently on my networked PC's. Set up for the HD HRP with Comcast was easy. I picked up a CableCard (first one is free) at the local Comcast Office and activated the card over the phone using their special number. I have ditched my Comcast boxes – note that On Demand and Pay-Per-View is not accessible

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I use this product to enable my Xbox 360 to play live TV. Just FYI - if you plan do to this, make sure you're able to hard-wire your Xbox 360... I had a great wireless N connection but the bandwidth wasn't enough to stream HD. Hard-wiring the Xbox fixed it.

The Good: Setup was easy with FIOS - cable card activation was no problem. Quick driver/firmware update by SD. Its nice being able to record/watch more than one thing at a time.

The not-so-good: Original drivers/firmware caused tuners to remain active (so you couldn't change the channel), however the newest drivers/firmware fixed everything and it now works great.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I puchased the product to see if it can replace my $20/month Tivo rental. My cable provider is RCN. It did not work as expected. 1. The HDHomeRun Prime will not recevie the preminum channls such as Showtime , HBO, TBS and TNT. It works with regular channels, ABC, CBS, FOX. etc. 2. The windows software is not as stable as it appear. Getting errors when multiple computer is accessing the system. 3. Don't even try to run HD via wireless network, it constently freezes. (I am using 802.11n network).

On the plus side 1. Windows setup is a fast 10 minutes. However, MythTV instruction is a total disaster. You'll be spending hours trying to figure out if it will work.
If you want to try the item. Get the thing work on Windows 7 Media Center first and make sure it recevies all the channels that you pay for before trying any other operating system.

Maybe next year it will be ready for Prime Time. At this time, it is still a BETA product.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Okay, I'll be honest, this tuner is not for everyone. It is for A/V or computer geeks like myself. I have intergrated this tuner into my home network to use with Win7 Media Center and my MythTV DVR setup. If you don't use something like this to record and view your TV, this tuner is probably above your head.
Another thing to consider is how difficult it is to get a CableCARD from your cable co working correctly. Mine took 3 phone calls for a total of 1.5 hours of tech support. Some have had it much easier, some harder.
So, that said, if you have an appropriate use for this product and understand how it works along with patience/persistence for the CableCARD activation, this product ROCKS! I have 3 TV's in the house hooked up with MythTV front-ends and Win7 installed on my office PC and laptop. I have setup the MythTV backend to utilize only the 2 and 3 tuners, while reserving the 1 tuner for watching live TV on the Win7 devices. I've done this since MythTV won't know that Win7 is using a tuner, which will end with errors if MythTV tries to use a tuner in use with Win7.
Before using this device, I rented an extra HD cable box for use with MythTV and relied on the box's firewire connection and an IR transmitter to change channels on the box. This was, at times, troublesome. I had to pay for the extra box and could only record 1 channel at a time. Now the box went back and I have 3 tuners that tune to the correct channel every time. There are still a handful of channels that are incorrectly protected from recording, but the cable box wouldn't output video for those channels either. This is the cable companies fault as usually only premium movie channels get his treatment (which aren't protected here, shh).
Anyway, I love this product! And to find that B&H had the best price for it was reassuring as I purchase all of my pro video gear from them, many consumer electronic items, and even optics for my firearms. The only time I had an issue with a product, I found the B&H return process to be quick and easy.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I got my HD HomeRun Prime a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that I couldn't be happier. I know that in the past, there have been many complaints about this device because of firmware issues, but it seems like SiliconDust has fixed them all. For anyone wondering, I'm using beta firmware from 2011/11/25.Setup was kind of a pain, but this is only because Comcast took several days to get a working CableCard to me. I'd recommend having a technician come out first to give you the card - should save you some time, and Comcast will do it for free. Once I got my CableCard paired with the HD HomeRun Prime, it worked flawlessly. I get several hundred channels, and most are in HD.Setup with Windows 7 Media Center was also a little tricky, but Silicon Dust's instructions are very easy to follow. I've stress-tested this device and have had all three tuners running on different machines on my home network.Super-cool device, I've been waiting for something like this to come out for years. If you're willing to be patient for the first few days to get this thing working, it's well-worth the [$].My only gripe with this is that there are no labels for the front-facing LEDs. While those would have been nice, it sits up in my kitchen cabinet where no-one can see it anyway, so it doesn't really matter. The plastic that it's made from also feels pretty cheap, but again, it sits in a cabinet where no one will ever see or touch it, so this isn't a big deal.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Use this on Comcast cable network. So far, Comcast has many clear QAM channels. I bought this to hedge bets that Comcast does not go the way of Time Warner (no clear QAM channels). Ethernet signals are sent via wireless link to my house (~1/4 mile away). SD channels are very clear, but some HD channels break up. I need more bandwidth for HD channels.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I've hooked the tuner up and installed it on multiple computers and xbox, it was a snap, pretty much plug & play with a few CAT 6 cables & HDMI splitters to the appropriate TV's. I love paying for one cable card instead of 5 set top boxes. The no DVR fee is a plus too. This product pays for itself in 3 months of Cable Bill savings. Installing the cable card was as easy as inserting it into the HDHomeRun Prime and placing a phone call to an automated service. The call took 4 minutes. I also have to mention it's a must to delete the unused channels from the guide...no sense in browsing through channels I don't pay for or watch.

I have nothing bad to say about this product.

Ordering was a breeze, cheapest price around and came in 2 days with standard shipping. I would absolutely do business here again.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I use this product to display FIOS TV on my HTPC and iPad using HDHOMERUN App. Took a little while to setup with Verizon. Had to spend some time on phone with Verizon tech support to activate MEDIA CARD (which your must rent). But now that it is working, it is rock solid.

Fun way to watch TV. iPad, PCs, TVs with no settop box (just htpc).

By the way WMC guide is sooo much better than FIOS settop box guide.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Works like a champ with my Verizon FiOS CableCard. Don't rent when you can save money buying it instead. Works well with Windows Media Center and XBMC on my Raspberry Pi.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

This is really great for replacing the DVR from the cable company. Unfortunately, if you have a service like Bright House that uses switched digital cable, you will need a tuning adapter as well (available from your cable company, as is the CableCard).

The device itself has lots of status messages than be displayed, and the web interface gives a surprising amount of information.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

got rid of 3 cable boxes...and still have high def and all my premium channels! This thing is awesome. One look and all my neighbors are getting them. Works with Verizon and comcast cable cards(havent used any other) and takes 20 minutes to set up.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I just set this up on a Windows 7 machine, and so far it looks great. The physical device is small and light and seems well assembled. Installation and configuration were pretty easy - it takes a little time to go through all the steps, but the documentation is clear enough, and everything worked on the first try, which is a refreshing surprise for this kind of thing. Even the Comcast activation went smoothly. The video signal looks great in live TV mode - it looks indistinguishable from the Comcast STB output.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Extremely easy to setup. Non HD channels work great over Wifi, but need a lan connection to get HD that isn't choppy. I haven't used all three of the built in tuners at once, but using 2/3 causes no issues.

Difficult to install into window's media center if you have already set it up (but that is more a Window's issue)

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

To avoid hassles during activation, connect it without tees and amplifiers (one 2-way splitter max). After you get it sucessfully activated and all your expected channels are working, then you can usually move it down a split. Check signal using the Silicondust ConfigGUI utility.Used sucessfully with Comcast in Baltimore - southern region. Only the premium movie channels are flagged/encrypted "copy-once" (Cable co dependant).

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I have this running on my SageTV with a FIOS Cable Card. A little bit of trial and error to get everything up and running but now it is working like a champ. It did work out of the box for Windows MC, the configuration I had to work thru was regarding a 3rd party program. It records 3 channels in HD and leaves plenty of bandwidth on the gigabit LAN.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

To be fair, most of the setup issues are with configuring the cable card with the cable company. I also needed to install a tuning adapter from the cable company alongside the HDHomeRun unit to permit tuning of SDV channels. Also, setting up Windows Media Center on multiple PCs took a lot of time.
However, everything has been working like a charm for over a week now. My networked Windows 7 PCs grab any available tuner, up to all three. You need, of course, a solid Gigabit network which I'm so happy I put in years ago. Windows Media Center works seemlessly with the tuner, you have no idea it is running across your ethernet network. I almost bought a one PC tuner before I discovered this. Just wonderful!

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

and with the savings it will pay for itself in about about 15 months. That includes still paying $3.99/mo for the cable card. After that, saving $13+/mo point forward.

Plus I now have 3 tuners instead of 2. Using Remote Potato, I can schedule and see recorded TV from every Windows 7 PC in the house, which would have required 3 extra STB's from Verizon to accomplish before.

One caveat is that I already had the gigabit network (for best transmission and bandwidth)and a Windows 7 PC at every TV, so this was a no brainer for me. You're mileage may vary.

Still excellent product and works great for me.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

The HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner is very easy to install and configure with Windows Media Center.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I got this box to replace 3 cable boxes with DVR service (~$30/month from Cablevision). Before I bought the unit I read SiliconDust support forum and I expected that the setup will not be easy. So, I prepared my network (1Gbps, no firewalls on LAN side, broadcast permitted) and my PC (Win7, powerful Nvidia video card, etc.) and expected everything to be easy. Unfortunately, after initial setup I started getting ALL kinds of issues that I read on the support forum – no sound, no picture, wrong codecs, no or weak TV signal. In the end of the day the box works, saves me money, but if you do not like to play with "technology" do not buy this product. It has great idea, but it's not ready for home market where you expect to plug a device and get a service.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I setup with mythtv .24 + patches

Needed a few calls to comcast to fully program the mcard. The second person asked if it was a hdhome run prime and programmed it correctly.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

In short, so far this product is a winner. It fits my intended need – simultaneously feed two HDTV's and record a third channel. My downstairs TV connects directly to a PC and the upstairs TV is connected via an Xbox (used as an extender). The PC runs on Win7, Windows Media Center, with the interface for the HD Homerun Prime entirely through my router with a Cat6 link to the Xbox. The bonus – I can also view TV independently on my networked PC's. Set up for the HD HRP with Comcast was easy. I picked up a CableCard (first one is free) at the local Comcast Office and activated the card over the phone using their special number. I have ditched my Comcast boxes – note that On Demand and Pay-Per-View is not accessible

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I use this product to enable my Xbox 360 to play live TV. Just FYI - if you plan do to this, make sure you're able to hard-wire your Xbox 360... I had a great wireless N connection but the bandwidth wasn't enough to stream HD. Hard-wiring the Xbox fixed it.

The Good: Setup was easy with FIOS - cable card activation was no problem. Quick driver/firmware update by SD. Its nice being able to record/watch more than one thing at a time.

The not-so-good: Original drivers/firmware caused tuners to remain active (so you couldn't change the channel), however the newest drivers/firmware fixed everything and it now works great.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I puchased the product to see if it can replace my $20/month Tivo rental. My cable provider is RCN. It did not work as expected. 1. The HDHomeRun Prime will not recevie the preminum channls such as Showtime , HBO, TBS and TNT. It works with regular channels, ABC, CBS, FOX. etc. 2. The windows software is not as stable as it appear. Getting errors when multiple computer is accessing the system. 3. Don't even try to run HD via wireless network, it constently freezes. (I am using 802.11n network).

On the plus side 1. Windows setup is a fast 10 minutes. However, MythTV instruction is a total disaster. You'll be spending hours trying to figure out if it will work.
If you want to try the item. Get the thing work on Windows 7 Media Center first and make sure it recevies all the channels that you pay for before trying any other operating system.

Maybe next year it will be ready for Prime Time. At this time, it is still a BETA product.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

Okay, I'll be honest, this tuner is not for everyone. It is for A/V or computer geeks like myself. I have intergrated this tuner into my home network to use with Win7 Media Center and my MythTV DVR setup. If you don't use something like this to record and view your TV, this tuner is probably above your head.
Another thing to consider is how difficult it is to get a CableCARD from your cable co working correctly. Mine took 3 phone calls for a total of 1.5 hours of tech support. Some have had it much easier, some harder.
So, that said, if you have an appropriate use for this product and understand how it works along with patience/persistence for the CableCARD activation, this product ROCKS! I have 3 TV's in the house hooked up with MythTV front-ends and Win7 installed on my office PC and laptop. I have setup the MythTV backend to utilize only the 2 and 3 tuners, while reserving the 1 tuner for watching live TV on the Win7 devices. I've done this since MythTV won't know that Win7 is using a tuner, which will end with errors if MythTV tries to use a tuner in use with Win7.
Before using this device, I rented an extra HD cable box for use with MythTV and relied on the box's firewire connection and an IR transmitter to change channels on the box. This was, at times, troublesome. I had to pay for the extra box and could only record 1 channel at a time. Now the box went back and I have 3 tuners that tune to the correct channel every time. There are still a handful of channels that are incorrectly protected from recording, but the cable box wouldn't output video for those channels either. This is the cable companies fault as usually only premium movie channels get his treatment (which aren't protected here, shh).
Anyway, I love this product! And to find that B&H had the best price for it was reassuring as I purchase all of my pro video gear from them, many consumer electronic items, and even optics for my firearms. The only time I had an issue with a product, I found the B&H return process to be quick and easy.

Comments about SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime TV Tuner:

I got my HD HomeRun Prime a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that I couldn't be happier. I know that in the past, there have been many complaints about this device because of firmware issues, but it seems like SiliconDust has fixed them all. For anyone wondering, I'm using beta firmware from 2011/11/25.Setup was kind of a pain, but this is only because Comcast took several days to get a working CableCard to me. I'd recommend having a technician come out first to give you the card - should save you some time, and Comcast will do it for free. Once I got my CableCard paired with the HD HomeRun Prime, it worked flawlessly. I get several hundred channels, and most are in HD.Setup with Windows 7 Media Center was also a little tricky, but Silicon Dust's instructions are very easy to follow. I've stress-tested this device and have had all three tuners running on different machines on my home network.Super-cool device, I've been waiting for something like this to come out for years. If you're willing to be patient for the first few days to get this thing working, it's well-worth the [$].My only gripe with this is that there are no labels for the front-facing LEDs. While those would have been nice, it sits up in my kitchen cabinet where no-one can see it anyway, so it doesn't really matter. The plastic that it's made from also feels pretty cheap, but again, it sits in a cabinet where no one will ever see or touch it, so this isn't a big deal.