Why would I want a tuner card over HDHomerun?

Help with tuners from ATI, Hauppauge, AverMedia and more.
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TheMightyGeckoe

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Why would I want a tuner card over HDHomerun?

#1

Post by TheMightyGeckoe » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:30 am

Why would I want a tuner card, like the ceton, and have it tied to one machine when I could buy the SiliconDust HDHomerun (or 2). It seems to me that I could purchase the Homerun(s) would allow me to keep them in a closet without having to use a computer as a video server, per se. I guess basically, what are the advantages and disadvantages of one over the other?

I would also like to say a thank you for reviving the Green Button site. I didn't like the new one.

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STC

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#2

Post by STC » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:38 am

Hi TMG,

Well I suppose you could say it's horses for courses. Both products have their own unique benefits. Ideally you'd have at least one PC on your network utilizing more than one tuner. The Infini's tuners can be shared on the network to other PC's as well, so why not install an Infini in one? It's certainly neater IMO. Price point is also a factor. You can get an Infini with 4 tuners for under 300 greens now.
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richard1980

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#3

Post by richard1980 » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:43 am

First, the InfiniTV has 4 tuners that can each be assigned to other machines on the network.

Aside from the obvious advantages of having more tuners, here are the benefits of the InfiniTV:
  • Nearly 1 year market advantage (the importance here is how many firmware updates have been pushed out)
  • Tuners are statically assigned instead of being dynamically assigned
Here are the advantages of the HDHRP:
  • Ability to locate the tuners away from the PC
  • Tuners are dynamically assigned instead of being statically assigned
  • Slightly cheaper
IMO, the biggest thing to look at is tuner assignment. Dynamic and static assignment each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it really depends on your implementation which is better.

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STC

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#4

Post by STC » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:45 am

Good points Richard. My money is with Ceton. Excellent support as well. Jeremy runs a tight ship.
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TheMightyGeckoe

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#5

Post by TheMightyGeckoe » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:02 am

Those were some awesomely quick, informative responses. Pointed out some things I didn't realize. Thank you, very much.

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makryger

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#6

Post by makryger » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:20 am

Another important difference: because the ceton tuner will be in a computer, the computer will have to be on 24/7 in order to allow other computers to access the tuners. The computers attached to an hdhrp will not have to be, as they can just sleep and turn on when they need to record, and the hdhrp has its own power supply
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#7

Post by STC » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:24 am

Yup, another good point M.
I have my HTPC on 24/7 so that doesn't factor for me.

-We are all different, with different needs, apart from the fact we ALL want to watch TV :D
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#8

Post by newfiend » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:24 am

+1 For Ceton.. Well built piece of hardware. Mine has been rock solid and I have almost had it a year. It is much cleaner as an internal unit, but it needs good airflow. Small cases can give you heat issues, but this has never been a problem for me. The tuners can be shared over the network so no reason for messy external box(S).

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HTPCwatcher

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#9

Post by HTPCwatcher » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:24 pm

I can see advantages to both methods.

However, using the Silicon Dust method if one single PC were recording three HD channels at once that is potentially a lot of network traffic. With a tuner card that traffic never sees the network.

Personally, I am one who thought that 2 tuners was plenty and begrudgingly bought the Ceton last August because they had the only game in town. Now I find that 4 tuners is perfect. Turns out that 3 tuners would not have been enough on many occasions. Live and learn.

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#10

Post by JTScribe » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:32 pm

I had two HDHomeRuns and both had bad AC adapters after a few months. Was kind of a pain, as a result I switched to two HVR-2250s . . . I figured it's one less potential failure source, and tidies things up on my desk.

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#11

Post by STC » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:36 pm

HTPCwatcher wrote:Now I find that 4 tuners is perfect. Turns out that 3 tuners would not have been enough on many occasions. Live and learn.
Just to think I used to get by with ONE tuner and thought that was okay....lol.
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#12

Post by JTScribe » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:38 pm

stonethecrows wrote:
HTPCwatcher wrote:Now I find that 4 tuners is perfect. Turns out that 3 tuners would not have been enough on many occasions. Live and learn.
Just to think I used to get by with ONE tuner and thought that was okay....lol.
Heh, I have 8 now and I'm hoping THAT's enough. There were times last year where my wife's shows got recorded in SD because we were recording four other HD shows at the same time.

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#13

Post by HTPCwatcher » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:40 pm

JTScribe wrote:
stonethecrows wrote:
HTPCwatcher wrote:Now I find that 4 tuners is perfect. Turns out that 3 tuners would not have been enough on many occasions. Live and learn.
Just to think I used to get by with ONE tuner and thought that was okay....lol.
Heh, I have 8 now and I'm hoping THAT's enough. There were times last year where my wife's shows got recorded in SD because we were recording four other HD shows at the same time.
You must have heavy "recorded TV guilt" with all those unwatched shows building up in the Recorded TV folder. :D

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#14

Post by JTScribe » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:52 pm

We get caught up in the summer, but yeah. I have 30 episodes of Chuck, 22 of House, and 13 of Lie to Me. Been remodeling my house since April so I'm even more behind than usual.

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#15

Post by blueiedgod » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:02 pm

Let's say your household has 4 TV's.

To get multiple TV's connected to SD HDPrime you need to have an HTPC at each of the TV's ($300-$400).
Cost: 4 x $350 HTPC = $1400 + cost of SD HD Prime

With Ceton, you only need 1 HTPC ($300-$400) and Media Center Extenders (under $$50-$100 on ebay)
Cost: 1 x $350 HTPC + 3x $75 Extenders = $575 + cost of the tuner.

Ceton solution is more cost effective

Centralized location of your DRM protected files is just another benefit.

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EmirOfGroofunkistan

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#16

Post by EmirOfGroofunkistan » Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:58 pm

Why can't you use the exact same setup with the SD HDHomerun Prime - 1 HTPC and the rest on extenders?

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#17

Post by Tracer » Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:34 pm

EmirOfGroofunkistan wrote:Why can't you use the exact same setup with the SD HDHomerun Prime - 1 HTPC and the rest on extenders?
You are correct, with an extender setup it shouldn't matter what tuner you have connected to your main HTPC.

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#18

Post by ssterb1 » Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:28 am

If your cable company uses SDV, then you need a TA. The HDHR prime has a usb port to connect the TA directly to it (2 for the six tuner version), so not only is the tuner in the other room or closet, but the TA is too. With the Ceton card, don't you have to use one of the usb ports on the pc? If so, that's another box you have to have in your cabinet or next to your HDTV, which defeats one of the purposes of an all in one system, less clutter. This is one of my current delimas.

Another is I don't know if Cox in Baton Rouge DRM's everything. If so, I'll be forced to use extenders when I'd prefer to use multiple PC's, but that's a whole other thread.

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