Question 1

Is it possible to record the stream this puts on the network from your computer?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely.  The primary way I use this is to record over the air digital TV instead of watching live TV.  I use VideoLAN VLC (you can download it free) to watch and/or record.  I have tested it on Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Ubuntu Linux and it seems to work well everywhere.  I suggest you have Google VideoLAN VLC and consult the Silicondust site for the hdhomerun plus.  They have great forum support.  I should also tell you that this device works  using Windows Media Center which can also be used as a viewer and/or recorder.  I really like my HDHR4-2US, it is as good as any digital over the air tuner I have. It boots fairly quick, the DLNA it supports makes it easy to "find", it tunes and changes channels as quick as anything I have.  *I have a Hauppage 950Q and also a bunch of different digital TVs and converters.

Question 2

i want to record videos from a web site and make dvds from the recordings . will this be the item to buy to get that done?

Accepted Answer

I am sorry, but I cannot answer the question.  This item was on a "wish list" from a family relative for a Christmas present.  He is a computer IT guy who also does a lot of TV streaming.  I purchased it for him, but I never used it myself.  From what I understand, he was very pleased with it and had no issues using the device for its intended purpose.  Whether or not it was intended to perform the functions asked about in the question, I do not know.  Sorry I cannot be of more help.

Question 3

If I were to buy an Ethernet to HDMI adapter so that I plug the HDMI into a TV, would that allow video and audio to stream to the TV?

Accepted Answer

No !!
The Ethernet to hdmi adapter is used to extend  the reliable distance to send hdmi signals. The makeup of the hdmi signal is totally different from the makeup of Ethernet

Question 4

Will it compatible with Dish or Direct TV?

Accepted Answer

No, it will not.  This thing is a tuner in and of itself -- much like your Dish or DirecTV boxes.  However, this tuner is designed to only pick up signals from over the air broadcasts... via a rooftop or attic antenna... and NOT a satellite signal.  Hope this helps.

Question 5

Can this be  used with a  dish receiver?

Accepted Answer

I don't have a dish, but it is very unlikely to work with dish signals, which are at very high frequencies.  It is intended to receive ATSC signals from over-the-air (OTA) TV stations.  My HDHR4-2US picks up local TV stations very well via a cheap indoor antenna located in my attic.  The station antennas are all about 20 miles away.  I record OTA TV programs (2 at a time) using Windows Media Center,  convert them to MP4, and then play through a Roku STB via the Plex media server.  Converted quality is not full HD, but looks at least as good as non-HD cable or OTA.

Question 6

Can more than one person connect via ethernet and view a stream from this device at a time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is a 2 tuner unit, so there may be 2 simultaneous streams.

The two streams could be going to two different devices, or both going to the same device if you’re recording one program and watching another.  If both tuners are in use, Windows Media Center for example, responds with “Tuner Not Available:  Tuners are currently in use by another application”

Question 7

Is this tuner cable card compliant. I.E. I get one of the cards from Verizon and can get the encrypted channels?

Accepted Answer

The HDHR4-2US is not cable card compliant.  To use a cable card you will need to purchase one of the HDHomerun Prime units.  The HDHR4-2US is compatible with cable Clear-QAM channels but I would not recommend using it for that purpose.  For one, cable companies are moving toward scrambling all channels they carry.  Charter has done so in my area.  Second, this unit and it's associated software does a very poor job of picking up and identifying Clear-QAM channels.  You end up having to manually input a lot of information that is very, very difficult to find.

This unit does however work quite well with standard over the air digital broadcast television which is what I bought it for.

Question 8

Does this come with a remote control?   If not, how do I select a channel?

Accepted Answer

No remote for this media player. It works by using a viewing device which can be your computer or a DLNA device like a Sony Blu Ray player.  The viewing device manages the channel selection. For the computer they supply software that you load onto your computer. For a DLNA device you have to look at your owner's manual to see how that works (you select the device from the screen that shows the DLNA connected hardware).

Question 9

Can this be used to record shows from Websites such as HGTV or other channels usually associated with Cable packages. Some channels like HGTV have full episodes available from their websites to watch. Was just wondering since it's connected to my network if you could record shows. If this does not do this, is there a way to watch/record shows from Channels Like HGTV ?

Accepted Answer

This device only records 'over-the-air' local broadcasts via a regular TV antenna.  It is connected to your router so your PC can write the signal to your hard drive via Windows Media Center.  Unfortunately, you then have to convert the WMC file (.wtv) to mp4 or play it on the TV.  There are alternatives to WMC, but I haven't tried them.  To record cable shows you can use apps such as PlayOn which access shows from most cable networks and write them to your hard drive in mp4.

Question 10

I am having trouble finding PC tuners for VHF ATSC signals. In Orlando we have one station (WESH TV-2-NBC) that broadcasts on digital channel 11. Digital 11 is in the VHF band. All the other major stations are up in the UHF band. Currently I can watch TV-2 on my Samsung TV, and the pc tuners see channel 2 with a strong 4 out of 5 bars, but the tuners won't process the VHF signal, so I can watch, but not record/time-shift. Very few reviews address whether the PC ATSC tuners process both VHF and UHF signals.  Does this unit? Or even the Hauppauge 2250? Thanks, Tom

Accepted Answer

The inherent design of the ATSC tuners make them capable of receiving VHF and UHF.  It's what they are designed to do.  Antennae are the biggest factors in what you can receive.  Sheilding would also be a factor with cards installed inside a PC, but the manufacturers normally do a pretty good job of shielding the electronics on the card. Multipath interference is also a concern, particularly with older generation tuners and omnidirectional antennae.  Basically what multipath interference is, the signal from the TV station bouncing off of various structures and causing the tuner to seeing the same signal arriving at different times.  If you have a strong signal but no video/audio decode, you could be suffering from multipath interference.
I just bought one of these units.  It has the latest ATSC tuner generation.  I built my own antenna to feed it and get 2 VHF channels and 4 UHF channels with it.  I am only missing one of the UHF stations in my market.  It actually does better than the tuner in my Sony Bravia.

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