We have always thought the
HDHomeRun was an ingenius idea, especially since it's possible to share multiple tuners with multiple PCs over the network. When we first learned that SiliconDust was going
to release an HDHomeRun that supported CableCARD, we were concerned that our favorite features wouldn't make it into the product. So we dropped by the booth and checked out the development board (pictured above) to learned more about the plans -- this is a dual tuner test board, despite the fact it looks like it has three. The best news is that you'll be able to share a tuner with multiple Media Center PCs, which is really cool. Now obviously only one PC can use a tuner at a time and if the content is marked
Copy Once, you can only watch it on the PC where it was recorded, but it is still cool. The HDHomeRun software that works with the existing hardware, also works with this, but isn't required. SiliconDust expects to start the beta in the next few months -- no you can't sign up yet -- with a release later this year. The box will look a lot like the existing single tuner HDHomeRun (the blue one pictured in the gallery) but without the hump and will include a CableCARD slot and a USB port. Speaking of the USB port, it is for a
Tuning adapter, but you can also plug it directly into the PC like the
ATI or the
Ceton card, but obviously that kind of defeats the purpose.
posted January 7th 2010 7:42PM
Multiple pc can share the tuner but what's the point if multiple pcs can not share the recordings?
@Alton
they can share the copy freely recordings I'm assuming
@Alton For me, this would be more about Live TV than sharing recordings. I would envision having a primary recording HTPC and then maybe having a secondary HTPC in the bedroom that you might share the cablecards for live watching on now and then.
@Alton this is a point that confuses me as well. If you have a media center server that does all of your recording, can your extenders play those back? Can computers on your home network play them back? For all of this new stuff I am still going to have to break the law to watch tv that i already paid for in my house aren't I?
Very cool, why not just do 3 tuners( or even better 4) and add a 2nd USB for those w/ cisco TAs? sell it for $449./dream 2networked cable card tuners is a huge step in the right direction.
PS Ben, the RVU alliance website has a PDF with the locations of Demo's (4 IIRC). Any hope that a firmware update for those new Samsung 3dTVs could enable RVU? :)
Looks like Cablecard Lives and tru2way is dead.
Wish these guys would do a four tuner version, it would make more sense for a shared pool to have four tuners. Any chance that the tuner can feed the same show to two pcs at the same time since you can't share a recording? That way you could have the same movie available on two machiens.
@johnw248
Yes, well at least with the current HDHomeRun. Just use hdhomerun_config to send a stream to a UDP multicast address (like 224.0.0.1) and then use VLC on the two computers to read from the multicasted stream. We use this method at work to send out the locals to hundreds of IPTV boxes on our network.
I woulnd't say that when you plug it into a computer directly that it defeats the purpose. It gives you the ability to have a dual tuner external device for $200. I think the price mentioned before was $200.
Personally I thought the HDHomeRun was for a niche market, more so then Media Center is. I like the concept of the product but only if I can have multiple media centers share the same guide, recorded shows, etc...
@Brian HDHomeRuns are great. With Win7, you can share ATSC and Clear QAM recordings made from HDHomeRun tuners via Home Group or even old fashion drive mappings.
Not sure why it would matter if they share the same guide, each PC attached to the HDHomeRun just download's it's own.
What we all want is tuner pools where multiple 7MC boxes negotiate tuners for recordings in case the machine set to record doesn't have the tuner availability and another box does...
@andysexton
Yes but still, I see it as a small niche market.
And Media Center is great but I do wish it would allow you to hook up multiple computers that act as one for recordings, guide, etc...There are ways to kind of do it but it's not native.
But for HDHomeRun, and the CableCARD version, I would only use it so I could have a smaller HTPC not using any tuner cards inside or having it attached outside the box. I could hide network tuners a lot easier.
Ok, so because of all the DRM, like this "copy once" crap, I'm guessing Mac support is non-existant at this time? I like Macs because we don't need to deal with most of the junk that Windows forces upon the end user, but conversely, I can't do some things like Blu-ray and it's sounding like CableCards because of the lack of secured DRM paths.
-Brian
@brianbobcat OSX itself isn't certified by Cable Labs due to not having the proper content protection built into the OS at low levels. So don't expect CableCard any time soon.
Ok so if something is copy once, say you record it onto your main PC's windows 7 media center.
Can an XBOX 360 running media center extender in another room view that recording?
@cypherx Yes. Extenders are fine, it's other PCs that have issues.
How logical is DRM? (not very)
@ brianbobocat:
Correct. Your Mac can't use this (or any other CableCard tuner) due to Apple not having a CableLabs-certified content protection system. :P
@ cypherx:
Yes. An Extender can play back any 'protected' content that was recorded by its host Media Center. Since the 360 works as an Extender, it'll work.
-Chris
Now, if only they would release more extenders as well... :(
@palehorse
Has there been any news on new extenders?
Interesting. From the gallery I can see:
- UBICOM 71xx series network processor. A newer version of the processor in the HDHomeRun.
- The RTL8211 NIC supports Gigabit Ethernet. Forget about network congestion.
- USB-A port means it's clearly for a tuning adapter and NOT a host interface. So this tuner can handle the TA itself. Very nice.
- The reason you see 3 tuners is because there actually ARE 3 tuners: Two tuners for QAM and one for the OOB data channel.
This tuner is very good news for the Mac and Linux community. Here's why:
CableCARDs are bound to the device they are paired with. In this case, the tuner itself, not any of the devices the tuner is connected to.
All of the authorization and decryption is handled inside the CableCARD's secure processor, not on the PC or the tuner. Video comes out of the CableCARD unencrypted, but to be compliant the device _must_ apply some form of protection to content that has the Copy Control Information (CCI) flags set. (Windows Media DRM is used to be Media Center compatible.)
All CableCARD tuners are in fact networked uPnP devices. Even the ATI tuner appears as a USB network adapter, gets an IP address, and talks to the host over uPnP.
So, there's nothing to prevent the tuners from being used by different PCs at different times, as long as the DRM is enforced when the CCI says it must be.
However, (on my cable system, at least) most of the non-premium channels do not have the CCI flags set. Movie channel are usually the ones that have CCI: HBO, SHO, MAX.. the only standard digital channels I've seen with CCI are AMC and AMC-HD.
If the CCI isn't set, the video can be streamed over the network in the clear. None of the uPnP control is encrypted. which means there is absolutely no reason why MythTV, for example, couldn't talk to it and get an unencrypted stream for any subscribed channel with non-CCI content.
By the way, the only stuff I've seen labeled as "copy once" is HBO, which was never going to relax restrictions on it's content anyway (duh).