HD Homerun Prime - $89.99

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
Who said that? It is still in the win 10 preview builds.

Last I read it was essentially the same WMC from windows 7 that was put into windows 8, with no (or very minor) updates, put into windows 10. As with windows 8, users will no longer get it automatically with windows, you'll have to pay for it separately -- a complete ripoff IMO, and one of the things that really soured me on win 8.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
Last I read it was essentially the same WMC from windows 7 that was put into windows 8, with no (or very minor) updates, put into windows 10. As with windows 8, users will no longer get it automatically with windows, you'll have to pay for it separately -- a complete ripoff IMO, and one of the things that really soured me on win 8.
No idea if it is a new version or not, I was just saying it still is there.
As for paying for it separately, I think that has always been the case, unless you got the "premium" version of win 7, so, nothing has changed there.
Win 8 had it free for the first few months as well.

Who knows if they will do that again or not.
 

SimMike2

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2000
2,577
1
81
Windows Media Center was included with Windows 7 Home Premium, Pro and Ultimate. Those accounted for probably 99% of all Windows 7 copies. So, yes, WMC was free with Windows 7.
 

Raincity

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2000
4,477
12
81
Now that Silicon Dust has finally released a plugin for Kodi https://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=18949. We all have more options if WMC goes bye bye in Windows 10. WMC Sever. Argus, Next PVR will work on the backend with Kodi. The copy once flag is less than an issue now that HBO, Showtime, Cinemax stream their original programming the next day over the internet.
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
33,661
17,256
136

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
It is rather sad that ms still hasn't said anything official about status of WMC 10.
 

sep

Platinum Member
Aug 1, 2001
2,553
0
76
Now that Silicon Dust has finally released a plugin for Kodi https://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=18949. We all have more options if WMC goes bye bye in Windows 10. WMC Sever. Argus, Next PVR will work on the backend with Kodi. The copy once flag is less than an issue now that HBO, Showtime, Cinemax stream their original programming the next day over the internet.

Well I feel a lot better now :thumbsup:
 

SimMike2

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2000
2,577
1
81
How do you use Kodi? Is it Windows software? Does it let you record and watch protected content like HBO?
 

ivwshane

Lifer
May 15, 2000
33,661
17,256
136
How do you use Kodi? Is it Windows software? Does it let you record and watch protected content like HBO?

You can run it as a windows program, as a program for Linux and apple, or even as a standalone OS using openelec.

Unfortunately it does not record (or watch as far as I'm aware), protected content, except in windows media center.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
As for paying for it separately, I think that has always been the case, unless you got the "premium" version of win 7, so, nothing has changed there.

Huh? It was (I believe) included with every version of win 7 other than the "basic" stripped down version intended for sale in "developing countries". That means it was freely available to 99% of windows 7 users without requiring additional purchase.

Win 8 had it free for the first few months as well.

Yep, I made use of that offer. I wish they would have kept it free.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
Now that Silicon Dust has finally released a plugin for Kodi https://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=18949. We all have more options if WMC goes bye bye in Windows 10. WMC Sever. Argus, Next PVR will work on the backend with Kodi. The copy once flag is less than an issue now that HBO, Showtime, Cinemax stream their original programming the next day over the internet.

Ok, that's huge!

Unless I'm just completely missing out on some aspect, it really doesn't change anything. There have been plenty of plugins and other options to allow you to use the HDHR outside of windows media center. I've been using it with Kodi for a while now (even back to xbmc), including the pvr.

You don't need WMC to use the hdhr prime at all. However, the problem is that without windows media center, you can't use the HRHR prime to watch anything that is drm protected. HBO and stuff like that obviously is, but ISP's have the option of flagging pretty much anything as protected. Where I live, every channel other than the local OTA stations are restricted, so unless you use WMC, the hdhr prime is pretty much worthless with the cable card.

With MS appearing to lose interest in WMC as part of their product, I don't see much of a future for cable card or the HD Homerun (and other products like it). I guess with the future of tv moving over to the internet and streaming anyway, it's probably a moot point.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
Is there any method to hook up the hd homerun prime to a tv ?

Basically, the HDHR just takes the cable signal, decodes it and streams it over a local network (wired or wireless). In order to use it with a tv, you need to have a device that can grab that stream from the hd homerun and decrypt it and display it on the tv. (so you need an htpc or something similar).
 

SimMike2

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2000
2,577
1
81
Installed Kodi and it works good for what it does, which is only live TV, no recording DVRcapability. Still, it is a good start. If MS pulls the plug on WMC, it is a good step.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
Don't know if people knew this about the Prime or not, but, you don't actually need ANY software to record.
What you do is http://<ip addr of prime>:5004/auto/v2?duration=3600
auto= any tuner (tuner0 or tuner 1 or tuner2 instead of auto to pick that specific tuner), v2 is the virtual channel, and duration is in secs, so 3600 = 1hour.
 

SimMike2

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2000
2,577
1
81
Tried the NextPVR and it didn't seem to work for me. But I admit I didn't read up too much on how to set it up. It is just that setting up Kodi was so easy.

The manual record function listed above is nice, but it certainly isn't a full functioning DVR like WMC.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
Tried the NextPVR and it didn't seem to work for me. But I admit I didn't read up too much on how to set it up. It is just that setting up Kodi was so easy.

The manual record function listed above is nice, but it certainly isn't a full functioning DVR like WMC.

Yeah, setting up the kodi plugin for hdhr is certainly light-years easier than npvr and plugins etc, and it works well.... but only for those channels not drm protected. If you're lucky and your ISP doesn't flag all the channels as protected, that's great. If not (like me), then you're kind of stuck to wmc at this point :(
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
101
Don't know if people knew this about the Prime or not, but, you don't actually need ANY software to record.
What you do is http://<ip addr of prime>:5004/auto/v2?duration=3600
auto= any tuner (tuner0 or tuner 1 or tuner2 instead of auto to pick that specific tuner), v2 is the virtual channel, and duration is in secs, so 3600 = 1hour.

Interesting, I hadn't seen this before. What does that do exactly, does it save the stream for one hour from that tuner to a local drive or something?
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,675
146
106
www.neftastic.com
Don't know if people knew this about the Prime or not, but, you don't actually need ANY software to record.
What you do is http://<ip addr of prime>:5004/auto/v2?duration=3600
auto= any tuner (tuner0 or tuner 1 or tuner2 instead of auto to pick that specific tuner), v2 is the virtual channel, and duration is in secs, so 3600 = 1hour.

Keep in mind that this is an MPEG2 stream, so it'll be BIG.
 

Medikit

Senior member
Feb 15, 2006
338
0
76
Don't know if people knew this about the Prime or not, but, you don't actually need ANY software to record.
What you do is http://<ip addr of prime>:5004/auto/v2?duration=3600
auto= any tuner (tuner0 or tuner 1 or tuner2 instead of auto to pick that specific tuner), v2 is the virtual channel, and duration is in secs, so 3600 = 1hour.

Where does it save?
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
Size depends on the broadcasters. I've seen between 3.3 and 8.5 for a single hour recording.
 

Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,371
762
126
Size depends on the broadcasters. I've seen between 3.3 and 8.5 for a single hour recording.

Oh, that is true as well, the example I gave was for 1920x1080 content.
If it is 720p then fie sizes go down to 3GB and 480 is ~1.5GB.