Home > Consumer Reviews > SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR-US Dual Networked High Definition Digital Television (White)

The HDHomeRun performs like a champ. Local cable (TW NYC) provides a decent free feed of broadcast + TNT,TBS,AETV in a unencrypted QAM. It's too bad the dual tuner goes to waste since I rarely have two things I want to record/watch. Check out the channel guide from SiliconDust for the channels your cable provider tosses out in unencrypted QAM, but don't trust the channel labels. Labels don't necessarily match what's currently being broadcast. Expect to get all local broadcast in SD/HD (major networks +1 channel each for 24hr weather), 3-4 PBS channels per station and some but not all basic cable channels (TNT, TBS, AETV, CSPAN, Local Access, not much else). Worked exactly as described, I just wish more was available as unencrypted QAM

Bundled software is minimal, though functional. Hardware compatible with many many PVR software apps. I use MythTV (Linux) after initial testing with VLC and bundled ArcSoft TotalMedia 3.5 (Windows). Can't speak for it's ATSC/OTA abilities, but likely stable/consistent assuming sufficient signal strength from your Antenna.

This dual tuner does a great job. It was easy to set up and works flawlessly. SiliconDust is constantly refining the software and firmware. I currently using it with Windows Media Center (Windows 7 and Windows Vista). This was just the solution I needed for my HDTV needs.

I purchased an HD Homerun to replace my elgato Hybrid (ATSC/QAM) tuner, which I used to pull in HDTV signals OTA (ATSC). The Hybrid was nice, but we got a second laptop, and sharing the tuner was becoming a pain. I plugged the HD Homerun into my Router (802.11/g), and used it as a QAM tuner. Everything worked perfectly... I was even able to stream the TV signal over wifi (1080i), which was cool. I used this with the elgato EyeTV 3 software package, which was a nice match. Some negatives: I wasn't able to tune in as many channels using the ATSC tuner (OTA) compared to the Hybrid. This was the main reason why I switched to the QAM tuner mode. A major factor in the quality of the QAM reception was quality of the splitter. I originally used a crappy splitter, and some of the QAM channels would randomly disappear. They would go in and out. Things were far more consistent after switching to a different splitter.

(edit) - I have been using this for a few months now, and I would like to add one more comment...I use it exclusively with EyeTV 3.0, and I am able to record two shows simultaneously! It works flawlessly, and the synergy between the hardware and software (EyeTV in this case) is just plain amazing. I would highly recommend this to everyone!

This is a really cool product. I've used this for several months now, and finally canceled my dish satellite service. I'm using a windows 7 RC, media center PC for my main entertainment box. I get all my local channels with a roof mounted ClearStream 4 antenna Antennas Direct CLEARSTREAM4 Antenna, and catch up on other shows using hulu desktop. See my build here [...]

Pros:
1. Beautiful 1080i HD picture and 5.1 surround with my rooftop antenna
2. Hassle free hardware/ software install, and drivers work flawlessly
3. Has dual tuners so one can watch and record at the same time
4. Tuners are automatically shared across different PCs and even laptops. So I can watch my TV on the patio with a laptop.
5. Reduces clutter in the living room, and no hardware to install in the pc itself
6. Windows, linux & mac support

Cons:
1. Only works with ATSC(antenna) or unencrypted QAM for cable. Comcast seems to be getting rid of all QAM channels except locals.
2. Pricey for a dual tuner
3. Require gigabit ethernet or wireless-n connections in all the rooms

If you are running a PC-based media center and want to add in an OTA HD tuner or two, this is a fantastic solution. No card swapping, or case-opening required.

I had HD shows recording on my homemade Myth box within a half-hour of unboxing the HDHR. The tuner works exactly as advertised and HDHR support in recent versions is simple and functional.

The longest single part of the whole install was the channel scan of each tuner in Myth. Took a few minutes for that part to complete.

The HDHR has my highest recommendation.