HDHomeRun Flex 4K ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV: 2/4 Tuners HDFX-4K

This is kind of lengthy... Previously, for the past 6 years, our household used a “Tablo” as our in-home OTA DVR solution. For that purpose, it worked fairly well. I won’t go into any of the downsides, but the final deal killer was the inability to access it remotely using Roku devices. No matter how many router tweaks and settings such as port forwarding I tried, Roku just couldn’t access it. The only thing that worked was using a smartphone. All we wanted was the ability to access our local news broadcasts and sporting events when out of town. We thought we had found a solution by subscribing to “YouTube TV” which provides local channels as part of the package. Imagine our disappointment when on our first trip out of town, we could not get any of our hometown stations but instead those of where we were at the time. Upon our return, I resolved to finally replace the “Tablo” with a SiliconDust “HDHomeRun Flex 4K”. Operationally, much like the “Tablo”, you connect an OTA antenna to the unit, connect to your home network and then power it up. One of the nice things about the “Tablo” is that you can connect to your home network wirelessly. The “HDHomeRun” requires a wired ethernet connection. This meant we would have to run ethernet cable from our router to where the unit would reside. Fortunately for us this was something we did last year for different reasons but in the process, the “Tablo” was connected directly as well which greatly improved its responsiveness and stability. Unboxing the “HDHomeRun” and connecting it in place of the “Tablo” took only a few minutes. I used the “HDHomeRun” app on my android phone while connected to the same network to finish up firmware upgrades and channel scans. The “HDHomeRun”, when connected to our attic antenna, picked up 52 local ATSC 1.0 channels and 4 ATSC 3.0 stations. Now, the main reason we selected the “HDHomeRun” was its ability to integrate with our “Plex Media Server” which we have had operating for years. Within just minutes, the “HDHomeRun” was setup within Plex which, as part of our lifetime pass, provides a guide for all of the channels the “HDHomeRun” found. Plex also provides native DVR support so no additional storage devices or fees to SiliconDust for their DVR functionality. What Plex won’t do is decode AC-4 audio (blame FFmpeg) which is what the ATSC 3.0 broadcasts come with. Not a huge problem since all of the ATSC 1.0 audio channels work just fine. We anticipate that Plex/FFmpeg will provide the AC-4 decoder eventually as ATSC 3.0 adoption picks up, but the main thing is, since Plex is a server, we can access it remotely which means all of our local channels are available remotely as well. “HDHomeRun” also has a Windows 10 app which was downloaded to test. That worked great and after downloading a couple of drivers it said it needed, including a 99 cent one from Microsoft, I was able to play the ATSC 3.0 channels with audio as well. Some users have complained about channel changes taking a long time. For us this is 2-3 seconds. I challenge anyone to go from one YouTube or Roku channel to another much faster. All in all, to date, this change over has worked out well. It picks up all of the local free channels we could ever need. Subjectively, we also think the image quality is great. If I had a wish list, it would be that the “HDHomeRun” apps provided more native info and/or metadata about each channel such as the kind of audio track being listened to and the video resolution. Kind of like YouTube providing “Stats for Nerds” on each of its videos. We’re not sure if we are future proofed on the ATSC 3.0 roll-out but that was not the only or even main part of the reason for our purchase decision. What we wanted is what we got, and it works very, very well.

I set this up with an outdoor antenna, and its working great. It has a USB port to install a hard drive for storage to use its DVR features. I'm using it with third-party DVR software that stores recordings on my network, so I didn't connect a USB drive. Its compatible with Plex, and other third-party streaming programs. Installation is simple, plug it into the home network, plug in the antenna, and plug in the power... done! I purchased the Flex 4k that includes 4 tuners, so up to 4 different channels can stream simultaneously for viewing or recording at any time. Local broadcast channels stream with built-in DVR features for free with the simplicity of a streaming service.

I purchased theSiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4K ATSC 3.0 to replace two HDHomeRun Connect Duos. My Connect Duos still performed but I decided to purchase a 4 tuner model to free up an internet outlet. Performance: The tuner pulled in available channels for my area. I used it with a roof antenna at a house and with some indoor antennas at an apartment. The indoor antennas drive me crazy because they are so sensitive but my HDHomeRun tuners still pick up whatever they bring in. Channels look the same from HDHomeRun as they do with the native Samsung tuner. I love the updated guide design in Live view. DVR Service: I began using the HDHomeRun Connects years ago with Windows Media Center on a Windows PC as my DVR (miss you WMC). I purchased one Duo then later purchased another one a year or 2 later. Once WMC was retired, I switched to the HDHomeRun DVR service for $35 per year. With the service, we are basically paying for the guide data, not the DVR service. It works okay and I like that it now shows upcoming tasks. I also have a Plex media server on my pc. I tried the Plex DVR but quality was inconsistent. I only have to go into the DVR part to schedule on demand recordings. I like that it allows you to schedule single episodes and the guide even includes the Season and episode number in the Discover section when you select airings to record if you do not want the whole season. How I Watch: I still have an antenna connection to my main living room Samsung TV so I watch Live TV from their native tuner. I use the HDHomeRun app or the Channels app to watch live on my AppleTV in my bedroom. The rest of my TVs use either the HDHomeRun app or the Plex app to watch Live TV. This has been working for me. I also tried Kodi as my front end and it did work okay finding the HDHomeRun tuners but I since moved to Plex for my media server. Replacement heads up: I disconnected one Connect Duo then connected the Flex 4K and set it up. I confirmed my channels and DVR was still good. Next, I disconnected the 2nd Connect Duo. At that point, my schedule DVR tasks disappeared and I had to set them back up again. Some of my shows do not have airings right now so I will need to wait to set them back up. I noticed it did not record its tasks the first two nights. When I troubleshooted, I found the app no longer showed me as an active DVR subscriber. You must go the the Account Details and log back into to your account and add your DVR activation key. I wish that was clear somewhere! Upcoming Tasks: I like this window is available on the Tasks tab to see your upcoming scheduled recordings. I don't know how new that is or if I missed it all these years. This will help me manage my computer's CPU resources with a resource intensive program I run on the same PC I run my HDHomeRun DVR software on. I can pause the other program if needed while recordings are in process. ATSC 3.0: I am okay with this feature not working yet. This is not SiliconDust's fault and I personally have signed several petitions to keep broadcast tv free and available and with ATSC 3.0 available for all since the airways belong to the public. Though I don't use it, I like these newer models have the ability to just connect a hard drive to it to record without a computer. It is a shame our TVs have this capability but it is not available in the US. Overall, I recommend HDHomeRun devices and I am glad they allowed me to easily cut the cord years ago. I conducted a 2 month review prior to cutting the cord and found most of the tv shows I watch are on the major broadcast networks and I like I did not need a device for every tv as some other tuner companies required back then. If you are struggling with the DVR aspect of it, perhaps try a different front end like Channels but it costs a bit more.