How does the HDHomeRun work?

[rdefino]

I'm looking at grating 1 at newegg today. Do these unit work with OTA and comcast digital. I know I can't record HBO and those channels but I would like to replace the usb tuners I'm using.

Also, how well are they working? I see they are dual tuners.

Thanks

[carlgar]

They work fine for OTA and clear QAM comcast. I use 3 of them to record the clear QAM from Comcast. I have used one to record 1 OTA channel until Comcast started carrying the channel in clear QAM. I do not have digital Comcast but do not see why it should be a problem as long as the channel is clear QAM.

[davephan]

HDHomeruns work very good. If you have Comcast and still have clear QAM channels, it would work. Comcast seems to be phasing out clear QAM. In my area, there are almost no clear QAM Comcast cable channels left. I use my HDHomerun for OTA digital channels. If I had more than one HDHomerun unit, I would put them on a separate network segment, isolating the traffic from the main network, since they generate quite a bit of traffic. The SageTV server would then have two network cards, one for the HDHomerun units, the other for everything else.

You can't use the HDHomerun for digital cable channels. So you would need another tuner to record them. If you want to record them in HD, then you would need a HD-PVR for the digital cable channels.

Dave

[rdefino]

When you say "You can't use the HDHomerun for digital cable channels", that means I cannot record hbo and channels like that...right? But I can record, HD OTA...right?

Thanks

[davephan]

The HDHomerun works great for recording local OTA HD channels. It could also be configured to record clear QAM cable if you still have it. But channels like HBO need a cable box, a tuner card, and possibly a USB-UIRT to change the cable box channels.

I use a HD-PVR, HD cable box, and a USB-UIRT to record HBO and other premium and digital cable channels. You could use a different tuner card if you don't need to record in HD from the cable box.

If you have analog cable, you could use a 2250 to record those channels. My 2250 is setup to record only the analog cable channels. The local channels and channels offered in as digital HD channels are removed from the 2250 channel line up. For example, the analog HGTV is removed from the 2250 channel line up, but included in the HD-PVR channel line up.

If you use the HDHomerun for OTA HD, then you can remove those channels from your other tuners. The OTA recordings will not be missed the next time you have a cable outage. There will be less conflicts with the other cable channels too.

Dave

[cowboyway]

I have one i've been using with sage for the last 4 months on comcast clear QAM and OTA. It works terrific. In fact today (black friday) has the lowest price i've ever seen for the dual tuner model at newegg. I just bought a second one.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by davephan

If you have analog cable, you could use a 2250 to record those channels. My 2250 is setup to record only the analog cable channels. The local channels and channels offered in as digital HD channels are removed from the 2250 channel line up. For example, the analog HGTV is removed from the 2250 channel line up, but included in the HD-PVR channel line up.

If you use the HDHomerun for OTA HD, then you can remove those channels from your other tuners. The OTA recordings will not be missed the next time you have a cable outage. There will be less conflicts with the other cable channels too.

Dave

Dave,

What is the purpose of removing channels from the tuners? If you didn't remove channels wouldn't the priority setting for each tuner dictate which tuner will provide the selected channel to watch. I guess in this way it would be possible (not to probable) that two didfferent TV's can view the same show........one viewing the higher priority (let's say, HD feed from OTA) and the other, the lower priority (analog or QAM cable feed).

What is the issue in this logic?

Thanks,
Greg

[toricred]

The issue is that Sage has no way of knowing there was a cable outage. If the OTA channels aren't in the cable channels then you will always use OTA for them and will get them even when cable goes out.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by toricred

The issue is that Sage has no way of knowing there was a cable outage. If the OTA channels aren't in the cable channels then you will always use OTA for them and will get them even when cable goes out.

But, isn't it also true if I set the OTA tuner (HDHR) as the highest priority tuner and the cable tuner as the lowest priority, then it will automatically look at the OTA tuner first. If the primary tuner is not available it will look at the next one, and so forth, and then proceed down the list. In my understanding if cable did have an outage, you wouldn't notice it until the other tuners were exhausted. If you did set the cable as your primary tuner then you would have an issue.

When you select a priority for a tuner do you do select it for the whole tuner or do you select it per channel?

I'm just learning this stuff, so I may be misunderstanding something.

Thanks,
Greg

[davephan]

If there was a cable or satellite outage (rain fade), then I do not miss the recording. If I have enough capacity so I do not miss local OTA channels, then I have enough HDHomerun units. If I did miss recording OTA HD channels, I would simply add another HDHomerun unit.

My 2250 has the local OTA channels removed, since I never want to record local OTA HD channels in SD with the analog tuner. I also remove the digital only cable channels from the 2250 channel line up, since they are not analog, and the 2250 will not receive them. There's almost no clear QAM channels on my Comcast cable TV.

If I have enough coverage for the local channels and analog cable channels with the HDHomerun and 2250, then I do not want to waste the HD-PVR on recording OTA and analog programs that will be recorded by the other tuners.

Maybe I would notice programs being missed by partitioning the channels between tuners if more people watched 'Live TV' with SageTV. Most 'Live TV' is watched without SageTV.

Dave

[Fuzzy]

I keep everything enabled. I'd rather record a program from the backup source (in SD if that is the case), than have it NOT get recorded due to a conflict. I never see a reason to NOT have a channel that is available in the lineup, unless of course, it is a channel you NEVER watch... in which case, it would be off of all tuners.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Greg

I guess in this way it would be possible (not to probable) that two didfferent TV's can view the same show........one viewing the higher priority (let's say, HD feed from OTA) and the other, the lower priority (analog or QAM cable feed).

Actually, both locations would be watching the same program from the SAME tuner. Once a show is being recorded from one tuner, it will re-use that same file for all clients that choose to watch that program. You don't need to record it multiple times for each viewer.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by davephan

Maybe I would notice programs being missed by partitioning the channels between tuners if more people watched 'Live TV' with SageTV. Most 'Live TV' is watched without SageTV.

Dave

Thanks for your detailed explanation........it helped. I think my reasoning was in context to your excerpt, above............. everyone watching live TV through SageTV. I still may end up with a similar situation, as yours........live TV without Sage.

Thanks again,
Greg

[Fuzzy]

If you are like most sage-enabled households, you will most likely not watch ANY live-tv anymore. The only exception being possibly sports or news programs.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I keep everything enabled. I'd rather record a program from the backup source (in SD if that is the case), than have it NOT get recorded due to a conflict. I never see a reason to NOT have a channel that is available in the lineup, unless of course, it is a channel you NEVER watch... in which case, it would be off of all tuners.

OK, this is what I was thinking...........I see advantages both ways..........it depends if you are looking only for HD quality shows or just want to make sure you get something recorded.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Actually, both locations would be watching the same program from the SAME tuner. Once a show is being recorded from one tuner, it will re-use that same file for all clients that choose to watch that program. You don't need to record it multiple times for each viewer.

So, what you are saying is that if I'm watching live TV (which is being recorded anyway by default) and someone else tunes in the same channel, that TV will also tune in the live TV signal..........is this correct?

Does that person also have the option to watch the show from the beginning (recorded), while the other person continues to watch the live signal?

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

If you are like most sage-enabled households, you will most likely not watch ANY live-tv anymore. The only exception being possibly sports or news programs.

This is the general message that I've been getting. I still can't watch recorded sports........something about knowing that the outcome has already been decided. In case of the Bears.........it was decided before they took the field!

I really can't wait to get something going. Need a dedicated computer first.

Thanks for the help,
Greg

[toricred]

With the Bears it is decided before taking the field, but my beloved Cubs loss is determined before the games are even scheduled.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by Greg

So, what you are saying is that if I'm watching live TV (which is being recorded anyway by default) and someone else tunes in the same channel, that TV will also tune in the live TV signal..........is this correct?

Does that person also have the option to watch the show from the beginning (recorded), while the other person continues to watch the live signal?

There is no "live signal". You're always watching a recording. "Live TV" is just a shorthand for "Record this program, start playing back the recording immediately, and delete the file when the number of playback clients goes to zero." The recording thus created appears in the SageTV Recordings list, and other clients can select it for playback (from the beginning* in that case). If another client elects to watch "live TV" on the same channel, it will start playback of the existing file from the current time code rather than from the beginning. But this is just UI sugar that adjusts the playback point depending on which command you used to initiate the playback. In all cases you're playing back from a recorded file, never directly from the tuner.

* Note that "from the beginning" means "from the point where recording started". If you start watching "live TV" in the middle of a program, then obviously that recording won't contain the beginning of the program (unless it was already scheduled for recording for some other reason).

[Greg]

Greg,

Great response........I'm sure many have, in one way or another, explained this to me. I now understand it. For some reason I thought you actually viewed the live feed right off the tuner before being recorded. The way it works is as soon as you tune to a channel, SageTV is recording it.
I always wondered what would happen if someone else tuned to a channel you were watching. I thought that they would not be able to watch it and would be sent to another tuner, if available. The cool thing is, it's all recorded and it appears any numbers of rooms can "tune" in the same channel or watch from the beginning or wherever.

Thanks again,
Greg

[Fuzzy]

Sounds like you've got it. And actually, I do even watch some sports recorded.. I work Sunday mornings, and usually can avoid the game results until I get home. I do find I end up just watching my own 'highlight reel'. by skipping through the games. Not quite as great as watching live, but I don't have to 'wait' and hear the commentators blabbing during timeouts and official reviews, and don't have to watch commercials.. (unless there's a particularly attractive beer commercial on).

[Greg]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Sounds like you've got it. And actually, I do even watch some sports recorded.. I work Sunday mornings, and usually can avoid the game results until I get home. I do find I end up just watching my own 'highlight reel'. by skipping through the games. Not quite as great as watching live, but I don't have to 'wait' and hear the commentators blabbing during timeouts and official reviews, and don't have to watch commercials.. (unless there's a particularly attractive beer commercial on).

I would've liked to skip right to the end of the Bears game today............but I'm one of those loyal die-hard fans and watch it to the brutal end.......painfull!