We tried cutting the cord at my house, but the wife-acceptance factor wasn’t very high, so we resubscribed to pay TV.
Luckily for me, I get to keep up with the latest cord-cutting gear anyway.
I’ve been really impressed with the HDHomeRun Connect Duo from SiliconDust.
The Connect Duo ($99, www.silicondust.com) is an over-the-air TV tuner that takes the broadcast signals from local TV stations and makes them available on your home network.
Think about that for a minute.
The “normal” way to watch over-the-air channels is to connect an antenna to your TV and scan for channels to watch on that one set.
The Connect Duo turns that workflow on its ear.
You connect your antenna to the Connect Duo, which connects to your home’s internet network via Ethernet cable.
The key here is to place your antenna in the right spot for bringing in all the local channels, but you also have to be close enough to your internet router to be able to connect an Ethernet cable.
The Connect Duo has two tuners, so two people can stream at once. SiliconDust also sells the Connect Quatro ($149.99) with four tuners.
• Getting set up:
Remember that the Connect Duo isn’t connected to your TV.
Once you have the Connect Duo in place and on the network, you’ll open a browser to complete the setup.
You’ll go to my.hdhomerun.com and your computer should automatically find the Connect Duo.
You’ll be taken to a link to download the HDHomeRun app for your Mac, Windows PC, iOS or Android device.
The installer will take you through the steps. You’ll input your ZIP code, and the Connect will scan for channels.
Once everything is set up, your over-the-air channels are available for you to watch on almost every device or set-top box.
• Watching:
You can watch the stream from the Connect Duo to many platforms.
There are HDHomeRun apps for Windows PCs and Macintosh and Linux computers.
You can also watch on iOS and Android phones and tablets and TVs that run the Android operating system. Watching with the HDHomeRun app is limited to devices inside your home network.
You can watch directly on your TV if you have an Amazon Fire TV device.
SiliconDust is working on an Apple TV app, but for now, users can watch on Apple TV with a third-party app called Channels ($24.99) or through the Plex app if you are also running a Plex server.
I have been running the Plex app on my Apple TV for several months, and it’s working nicely.
Roku users can also use the Plex app to watch HD Homerun content.
• Recording:
SiliconDust has introduced DVR service recently. To add recording capability, you’ll need to purchase an annual subscription for $35 and add appropriate networked storage. The annual subscription allows the downloading of 14 days’ worth of guide data.
If you are using the Connect Duo as a tuner for a Plex server, there is also a DVR option if you are a PlexPass subscriber.
The Connect Duo can record two shows at once. The Connect Quatro can record four shows at once.
• In use:
I’ve been very happy with my implementation of the HDHomeRun Connect Duo. I’m using it through my Plex server, and I am using the Plex DVR.
One of the benefits of using Plex is the ability to watch the live and recorded content outside my home network. I can use my iPhone, iPad or computer to watch from anywhere I have a connection to the internet. I took the train to work a few times in the last few weeks, and I was able to watch live TV while commuting.
As long as you have a strong internet connection, the picture quality is very good. I was shopping with my wife recently, and while I was waiting for her to try on some clothes, I sat outside the dressing room in a comfy chair (thanks, Dillard’s), happily streaming the NFL playoffs.
I can shop for a long time with a nice chair and streaming TV.
