 |
|
 |
| This week on TechHive: A look at HDHomeRun Premium TV |
|
 |
| SiliconDust, the company behind the HDHomeRun line of networked TV tuners, has solved one of live TV streaming services’ biggest problems with its new Premium TV offering.
For $35 per month, HDHomeRun Premium TV offers 45 live cable channels, including ESPN, HGTV, FX, AMC, and all three major cable news networks. While the package doesn’t include any local broadcast channels, you can add those yourself by connecting an antenna to an HDHomeRun tuner, which itself is required to access the service.
What sets Premium TV apart from other live streaming services is its DVR support, which lets you record over-the-air and cable programming onto a desktop PC or NAS box for an extra $35 per year. Unlike the cloud-based DVRs offered by other streaming services, HDHomeRun’s DVR doesn’t prevent you from skipping ads, block you from recording certain channels, or set limits on how long it’ll keep your recordings. You can even load your video files onto a Plex server or move them to your phone for offline viewing. The DVR is limited only by the size of your hard drive.
I often hear from potential cord-cutters who are put off by cloud DVR’s restrictions. HDHomeRun Premium TV could be the answer—if you can put up with some unique annoyances. Read the full column on TechHive. |
|
| Weekly rewind |
| Signs of life for PlayStation Vue: This week, Sony added 200 local broadcast stations its PlayStation Vue live TV service, bringing the total to 450 stations throughout the United States. (You can see the new additions here, though the bad news is you’re not allowed to DVR them.) Vue also added ESPN College Sports Extra to its $50 per month Core tier and higher.
The additions come shortly after Vue lost a chunk of local coverage in a falling out with mega-broadcaster Sinclair, and after raising prices (alongside several of its competitors). Vue’s subscriber base also appears to have stagnated, and Sony’s leadership has even raised questions about the service’s future despite high customer satisfaction ratings. Hopefully this is the start of a rejuvenation.
Free Amazon video rumors are back: A report by The Information claims that Amazon has tasked its IMDB subsidiary with building a new ad-supported video service for Fire TV devices, possibly called “Free Dive.” Amazon is reportedly talking to TV studios about licensing older shows, though it’s unclear when the service might launch or what, specifically, it might offer.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard a rumor like this, but if the report is accurate, the strategy sounds similar to that of Roku, which offers ad-supported videos through The Roku Channel and recently started highlighting free videos on the home screen of Roku devices. As cord-cutters resist paying for an increasing number of subscription-based services, there’s probably a big untapped opportunity for ad-supported alternatives. |
|
|
|
|
| Save more money |
 |
| It’s only fitting to point out that SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun tuners are on sale this week. Get the dual-tuner model for $80 (a $20 discount), the functionally-identical older model for just $59, or the quad-tuner version for $120 (a $30 discount). Best Buy is also bundling the dual-tuner and quad-tuner models with a Fire TV stick for $100 and $150, respectively. |
|
| Thanks for reading! |
| For those of who you expressed interest in a personalized cord-cutting plan last week, I’m gradually working my way through the list of respondents and will get back to you soon if I haven’t yet. Thank you! (If you might be willing to pay for this consulting service, and haven’t filled out the interest form, you’ll find it here.)
As always, feel free to send me your cord-cutting questions and feedback, and have a lovely Labor Day weekend. |
| Until next week,
Jared |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
