HDHomeRun user question

The hdhr doesn't use stb. All you have to do is plug it into a cable jack. This will allow the hdhr to stream any unencrypted channels.

It works with myth, mce, sage and beyondtv pvr apps plus vlc for viewing.

My cable company said the same thing about the cable modem. Their response is "we don't charge for the cable modem, so we aren't required to allow you to use your own."

Usually the local channels you can get over the air are unencrypted. Anything else is a bonus that you shouldn't count on receiving in the future.

the 360 can't stream dvds. You will need to convert them to wmv or make it a single mpg file.

generally you wont get channels beyond the locals in HD with the hdhomerun.... to record channels like bravo in SD you can get any of the SD tuners. the recording apps can have multiple tuners to record. I personally run vista ultimate with 2 HD tuners (HDHomeRun) and 2 SD tuners (hauppauge mce-500)

if you want to record bravo, you need to buy either a cablecard equipped pc from dell/velocity micro/niveus etc. or rent a dvr from your cable company.

think of the hdhr as a means to record ota digital signals that also happens to work with unencrypted cable.

depends what provider you have

I have VZ Fios and VZ encrypts all the cable channels, so you need to first run the cable through a STB and then connect the STB to your PC tuner to be able to view & record shows / channels like Bravo.

I think some digital cable co. still broadcast unencrypted analog channels (maybe digital too), if that is the case, then you can just plug the coax directly into the tuner card and get the SD ones.

To view HD locals like NBC, FOX...you need a QAM capable TV tuner. The HRHD is actually a LAN network device that is (happens to also be) a dual HD tuner (not a 'hybrid').

good comparison & explains hybrids:
http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/comparetuners.html

nice FAQ
http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/commonquestions.html

Please be careful with the terminology.
Digital TV is broadcast in both high-def and standard-def resolutions.
Analog TV is only broadcast in NTSC format.
If you mean an analog TV tuner, you should write "NTSC tuner", rather than "SD tuner".

The HDHomeRun is a digital TV tuner than can receive both HD and SD digital TV.

Regards

I use both the HDHR and set top box.
Most cable service reps won't know anything about QAM so I wouldn't even waste my time asking them about it.


You are correct.
You need an STB to see/record the encrypted channels. And, depending on your cable provider, most or all channels my in fact be encrypted. You need to find others on this board with the same provider that you have and see what is un-encrypted - if anything.



I use SageTV. Some people use BeyondTV or GB-PVR or MCE or other apps.

No.
There is a working hack with MCE. You should check out the Silicondust forum. There is a whole thread on getting the HDHR to work with MCE. Also many people in this thread use MCE with the HDHR.


Yes, it sounds like the guy is new or as you suggested - retarded.
Maybe your provider is different, but you should be able to confirm which models are acceptable to use on the providers web site; NO guessing involved. I use a store bought modem and it works fine and has already paid for itself (saved $3/month).



You are right about that. In most cases only the network channels are in the clear, although my provider also has Universal-HD and Discovery-HD in the clear as well.


Well that depends on you and your family's viewing habits. Some people only watch network TV and are happy to just get prime-time programming in crystal clear HD. But it sounds like you are more like me who watch lots of different things that are either not yet in HD or are not unencrypted. You definitely won't get ShowtimeHD/HBO HD or TNTHD using the HDhomerun.

I still record SD digital (Hauppauge 500) from my STB and use the HDHR for HD football (Fox, CBS, NBC) on Sundays and Universal/Discover-HD. I get about 8 HD channels at no extra cost.

It is not a lot of channels, but it is much cheaper/reliable than getting a crappy HD DVR and high price HD package from the cable company.

I'm guessing they are encrypting abc/nbc/fox, so you won't get those with a hdhr even if you pay the $10.

for the ir blaster, buy the $30 msft mce remote/receiver/blaster.

I can't help you with the dvd conversion program. I'm looking to do that myself now but I haven't started playing with anything yet.

Hi guys,

We have started tracking what channels you should be able to get OTA or unencrypted on digital cable:

http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/hdhomerun/channels

Nick

Where can you add your local channels at? Is there a form that you can submit your channels, an email, etc? I'd be glad to help others in my area out, I know the QAM channels around here.

I just setup my 2nd HDHR dual-tuner with BeyondTV on WinXP Pro for a total of 4 QAM tuners. (A lot of times when shows are back-to-back, there's a several second recording gap between the shows and, if a show runs over, I'll miss the very last part. Yes, I'm anal about these things. )


My cable co charged me a monthly fee for renting their cablemodem. So I just bought a D-Link cablemodem, hooked it up, and called my cable company to enable the unit's MAC.


I thought that the only device you would record encrypted QAM shows on was the cable company's own, locked, HD-DVR. You mean I can timeshift encrypted QAM shows on my PC with only a CableCard? What's the catch?

HDHR will work without any problems at all in MCE 2005 and Vista MCE for OTA HDTV recieved with an antenna.

The HDHR does come with a utility to Scan for unencrypted QAM channels on your cable system and use them in MCE

I just got one today and was playing around with it. Found 23 channels on Comcast in Huntington WV that were unencrypted. There was also all ofthier music channels

Local OTA HDTV channels should not be encrypted.... They are free if you put an antenna up. It's something we have been fighting forever at work. Some companies pass it un encrypted, others only include it when you subscribe to thier digital tier, or HDTV tier. Other companies however that don't encrypt the channel steer the consumer wrong, they don't let them know that they broadcast the channel unencrypted...so if you do have a QAM capable tuner then you can get it. So when you ask, the only responce you will typically get is well you have to have our set top box to get it in HD. At that point the uneducated consumer doesnt know any better and they make more money off of you. OK I need to stop ranting..... back to the subject.

Yes you will need a NTSC capture device to pick up the channels on the analog side of things. If you decide to go with the digital set top box from your cable provider and use it with your HTPC then yes you will also need a device to control the channel changing. the MCE remote and IR receiver have and IR blaster with it for this purpose. If you decide to use something other than MCE you can search around on your cable box and see if there is anotherway to change the channels using serial, firewire or etc.

Thanks for posting that feature of your website here, Nick! It looks like there are a bunch of channels I am missing, I will add them soon.

the catch is you need to buy a new pc. the cable card tuners are only available to oems.

Nicely said. Remember that CS reps at the cable cos. are normally so non-technical that they often don't know the basics. I have seen some reps in the tech dept. that are not much better.

Yourbest bet is: decide what overall set-up you want. Get the wiring installed (usually yourself, but they may offer to do it for you) and have your provider turn on the service. Then you can hook everything up and enjoy.

The catch is you have to BUY a new Vista enhanced PC (expensive) or get a series 3 Tivo (more than $10 per month to rent in addition to the purchase price).

Also, just remember you are not getting anything for free. If you use a cable card it authorizes you to capture only the encrypted QAM shows you pay monthly for from the cable company.

Also anything that was encrypted and unlocked by the cablecard will only be playable on that PC - and a crash and re-installation of software can kill pre-crash recordings.

I am setting HDHR up this week. I have comcast in Atlanta Ga. I am amazed to find I can 70-100 channels with it These are digital. Bravo is antlog I think, as it is about 70. Any thing under about 100 is antilog, and I think you can get it with an antilog tuner. Alot of the channels are weather and on demand which do no good or Do it your self. The rest above about 100 are digital sd and look good up to 800s. Then hd starts and 15 or so are now available. I have digiltal primemum so you may differ. HBO is NOT, but discover HD is and NGHD and others. Everybody says it may change, so expect it. Don't waste time asking comcast as they will just make up an answer and confuse you, like telling you, you can't do any of what I have already done with thir sytem.

This thread has been very helpful. Thanks. I've been in this process myself and would like to just verify that I understand this all correctly. I have a MCE2005 system. I was getting my HD via a cable card in the TV and wanted to be able to pause & record HD. I decided against $3K for a new PC with dual cable cards for now. I didn't know about HDHR. I decided to pay the extra $25/month to upgrade my cable digital package from extended basic to digital classic AND get an HD-DVR. They just installed it Friday. I'm already finding OnDemand useless and the schedule and record functions less user-friendly than MCE. SO... from the sounds of it, I could return the cable DVR and save $25/month and simply buy an HDHR. This will sit beside my MCE (or anywhere with coax access) and simply plug into my network and the coax out of the wall. And with the HDHR software my MCE will then be able to pause and record in HD... correct? Am I missing anything or is it really that simple? I understand it's only clear QAM and that's fine as long as I can still record SD as I have been doing on the MCE. I just want to be able to live pause and record HD via MCE. I haven't ever been a premium cable user so not getting HBO, etc is no issue.

Thanks,
Sheila

Sheila: With the HDHR you can get any OTA HDTV Channels in your area with an antenna. MCE will be able to pause record and ETC with no problems.

As to using the HDHR on your cable system, it all depends on what they have un-encrypted on thier system. If you have un-encrypted channels on your cable system then yes the HDHR should be able to tune them, and you can use the utility to add them to your guide in MCE 2005... I dont know about combining OTA and QAM on the HDHR though... havent researched it (incase that was your next question )

Thanks Nintari. I can't do OTA here (condo very close to many station transmitters) hence the cable. I used the link at SilconDust and we have tons of non-encrypted here. Mainly I'm just interested in the networks anyhow. So it sounds like this would save me money and be pretty straight-forward. Thanks.

Another question...if I'm not trying to stream content, does the HDHR have to be networked? Is there a way to plug it directly into my media center pc? Thanks.

it's only connection is a network connection, no USB or etc

Yes, it uses a network/ethernet connection only.

But if you're talking about using it without a router and just plugging it directly into your media center pc, you can do that. No cross-over cable necessary.

Just make sure in Windows your NIC is set for obtain IP addr automatically.

Note on available channels. I thought all channels on cable under 100 or so, were anti log. I have comcast and I just saw some channels below 100 that said digital as well as anti log. What are others finding?

It's Analog, BTW.
I have Bresnan, and get everything from 69 on down as analog. 70 and up are digital.