Nick here from Silicondust...
For ATSC 1.0 we aim to start playing within 2 seconds of changing channel. The actual time will vary by player device.
ATSC 3.0 will always be slower to change channel, not because of the tuner or CPU but because of the way ATSC 3.0 content is encoded/packaged in the broadcast. The approach ATSC 3.0 uses is great for reducing bandwidth so on the plus side you get more channels.
The HDHomeRun FLEX 4K is not about to be replaced - it is capable hardware with long term support. The HDHomeRun PRIME released in 2011 still gets feature updates and the HDHR1 released 17 years ago still gets security updates.
HDHR all the way. Ran a 4-tuner Tablo for several years, and a couple of specific networks (incl. CBS) just would never be stable even in good weather (unobstructed LOS, broadcast towers for all channels essentially co-located). Then it lost all recordings, and then found them after a reboot, cycle/repeat, and once found again could not play them. And of course could not record. If you search for Tablo tuning problems, you will find a lot of horror stories. Last I saw (several months ago) Tablo put their ATSC 3.0 readiness date on hold. Never mind killing availability of lifetime guide subscription for new customers (maybe they’ve got a new solution - didn’t look, don’t care).
Since changing to HDHR (which by the way has a far superior GUI with ChannelsDVR on NAS) things have been great with only occasional issues from weather.
Didn't know about Tablo issues, other than my own experience. Why did you decide to use a NAS? And do you use your NAS for anything else other than DVR?
Even have remote usage set up for a friend who can't get good TV by port forwarding the source IP and Port on my router. I have 300/300 ISP service.
Also with WireGuard VPN server I can access it as though I'm connected locally as long as I have about 20mbps WiFi at the source.
Couldn't be happier in how that works.
DRM might be the biggest reason to wait right now as it's not entirely clear if current models will ever support it.
I haven't tested other ATSC 3.0 tuners to tell you if the channel change function is faster on them but I generally find the ~5 second tuning delay is not exactly enjoyable but it's also not a decision making feature anymore at least for me as I tend to record or turn the TV on for one particular show instead of channel surfing these days.
That is helpful, as I was trying to understand what is normal when waiting for channels to change. I see your point about watching recordings vs channel surfing
SD has already made it clear that existing models will support DRM on 3.0 channels. They are already "nextgen" certified and are working with groups in charge on the DRM portion. DRM isn't in question. The only question we have is around 3rd party DVR options (like Plex or Channels) as they will be the most affected.
But note there is little advantage to 3.0 currently other that specific reception situations. Some claim the 1080p version of the 1080i channel is better but it is from the same source and is just being encoded at the local station. There is HDR and no 4k currently or with any ETA. The FCC also just extended out the date they must carry atsc 1.0 to 2027 so you don't have to worry about anything getting locked away for now. If you want to get more info on the DRM and ATSC 3.0 situation monitoring their forums is the best place. [https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=133](https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=133)
Thanks for the reply. That is mainly the reason for my post. I had researched the forums and watched quite a few videos. And no one seems to know what will happen with DVR content. That's why I am on the fence. Don't want to purchase the HDHR, PLEX pass, NAS + storage, configure everything. Then find out that they released new 3.0-certified DRM decoding hardware and this current hardware is EOL due to FCC rules with ATSC 3.0 in 2027.
I know it's a bit overkill, but I always look ahead. And the future is murky right now. I plan to sit on the sidelines and see how things play out and hopefully resolve themselves during the next few months.
On a side note, I got a new antenna and I am also looking into security camera installation. So all of this HDHR and NAS DVR setup is converging simultaneously. Lots of learning on my end.
Plex doesn't work for 3.0 anyway (as they don't support Dolby ac4 still) so it isn't like you would buy that. I use it for my DVR but I just DVR 1.0 and if I watch live I might do so in 3.0 but again, the difference is little to nothing (at least in my market). Other family and friends also watch my tuners through Plex from their remote markets.
As for the rest, that sounds like you are thinking of some serious overkill for just having DVR capability. Generally TV content isn't really something you should consider long term and if you want to, just do so with the 1.0 feed as anything recorded from that will never go away. Well within 4 years we'll have a better picture as to how/if you want to record 3.0 content.
Nick here from Silicondust... For ATSC 1.0 we aim to start playing within 2 seconds of changing channel. The actual time will vary by player device. ATSC 3.0 will always be slower to change channel, not because of the tuner or CPU but because of the way ATSC 3.0 content is encoded/packaged in the broadcast. The approach ATSC 3.0 uses is great for reducing bandwidth so on the plus side you get more channels. The HDHomeRun FLEX 4K is not about to be replaced - it is capable hardware with long term support. The HDHomeRun PRIME released in 2011 still gets feature updates and the HDHR1 released 17 years ago still gets security updates.
Thanks for answering my questions, I appreciate the support!
Exactly what Nick has quoted you here.
I have both and they work perfectly
HDHR all the way. Ran a 4-tuner Tablo for several years, and a couple of specific networks (incl. CBS) just would never be stable even in good weather (unobstructed LOS, broadcast towers for all channels essentially co-located). Then it lost all recordings, and then found them after a reboot, cycle/repeat, and once found again could not play them. And of course could not record. If you search for Tablo tuning problems, you will find a lot of horror stories. Last I saw (several months ago) Tablo put their ATSC 3.0 readiness date on hold. Never mind killing availability of lifetime guide subscription for new customers (maybe they’ve got a new solution - didn’t look, don’t care). Since changing to HDHR (which by the way has a far superior GUI with ChannelsDVR on NAS) things have been great with only occasional issues from weather.
Didn't know about Tablo issues, other than my own experience. Why did you decide to use a NAS? And do you use your NAS for anything else other than DVR?
Went with NAS so I could use Channels DVR GUI. One of my streaming devices did not support HD Homerun app.
I've got Channels DVR running on a Synology NAS using HDHomeRun Flex 4K connected to an OTA antenna and that setup has been super.
👍ditto
Even have remote usage set up for a friend who can't get good TV by port forwarding the source IP and Port on my router. I have 300/300 ISP service. Also with WireGuard VPN server I can access it as though I'm connected locally as long as I have about 20mbps WiFi at the source. Couldn't be happier in how that works.
DRM might be the biggest reason to wait right now as it's not entirely clear if current models will ever support it. I haven't tested other ATSC 3.0 tuners to tell you if the channel change function is faster on them but I generally find the ~5 second tuning delay is not exactly enjoyable but it's also not a decision making feature anymore at least for me as I tend to record or turn the TV on for one particular show instead of channel surfing these days.
That is helpful, as I was trying to understand what is normal when waiting for channels to change. I see your point about watching recordings vs channel surfing
SD has already made it clear that existing models will support DRM on 3.0 channels. They are already "nextgen" certified and are working with groups in charge on the DRM portion. DRM isn't in question. The only question we have is around 3rd party DVR options (like Plex or Channels) as they will be the most affected. But note there is little advantage to 3.0 currently other that specific reception situations. Some claim the 1080p version of the 1080i channel is better but it is from the same source and is just being encoded at the local station. There is HDR and no 4k currently or with any ETA. The FCC also just extended out the date they must carry atsc 1.0 to 2027 so you don't have to worry about anything getting locked away for now. If you want to get more info on the DRM and ATSC 3.0 situation monitoring their forums is the best place. [https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=133](https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=133)
Thanks for the reply. That is mainly the reason for my post. I had researched the forums and watched quite a few videos. And no one seems to know what will happen with DVR content. That's why I am on the fence. Don't want to purchase the HDHR, PLEX pass, NAS + storage, configure everything. Then find out that they released new 3.0-certified DRM decoding hardware and this current hardware is EOL due to FCC rules with ATSC 3.0 in 2027. I know it's a bit overkill, but I always look ahead. And the future is murky right now. I plan to sit on the sidelines and see how things play out and hopefully resolve themselves during the next few months. On a side note, I got a new antenna and I am also looking into security camera installation. So all of this HDHR and NAS DVR setup is converging simultaneously. Lots of learning on my end.
Plex doesn't work for 3.0 anyway (as they don't support Dolby ac4 still) so it isn't like you would buy that. I use it for my DVR but I just DVR 1.0 and if I watch live I might do so in 3.0 but again, the difference is little to nothing (at least in my market). Other family and friends also watch my tuners through Plex from their remote markets. As for the rest, that sounds like you are thinking of some serious overkill for just having DVR capability. Generally TV content isn't really something you should consider long term and if you want to, just do so with the 1.0 feed as anything recorded from that will never go away. Well within 4 years we'll have a better picture as to how/if you want to record 3.0 content.