Would HDHomeRun Dual from the US work in NZ?

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sidefx

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#112091 26-Nov-2012 11:38

I'm looking for a TV Tuner and the HDHomeRun Dual on amazon is currently $70USD and it looks like they will ship it to NZ. Will it work here though? I initially assumed NOT since the model ends with -US but then in the amazon specs it lists DVB-T as supportted (along with ATSC)

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sidefx

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#722960 26-Nov-2012 11:42

Note to self: Use search before posting you numpty:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=84&topicid=83364

Bah to Amazon getting my hopes up. Wouldn't mind confirmation of this though. That price is just so much cheaper than they are here ($225 by the looks of it) Any technical reason why ATSC version would be so much cheaper than DVB-T version?

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Electric Kiwi | Sharesies
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mm1352000

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#723065 26-Nov-2012 13:54

sidefx: Wouldn't mind confirmation of this though.

The US HDHomeRun tuners support ATSC and clear QAM (US unencrypted cable TV).
The EU version supports DVB-T and DVB-C.

ATSC is effectively the US equivalent of DVB-T. Likewise for clear QAM and DVB-C.
...but these standards are not compatible. A US HDHomeRun would be useless here.

An EU HDHomeRun gets you Freeview HD (terrestrial) and possibly Telstra Clear cable (if you could find a way to decrypt it with a card reader or something).

That price is just so much cheaper than they are here ($225 by the looks of it) Any technical reason why ATSC version would be so much cheaper than DVB-T version?

No inherent technical reason that I know of, but possibly support and other factors like tax and distribution costs.
Silicondust are based in the US. It is trickier for them to support the EU model.

sidefx

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#723081 26-Nov-2012 14:13

Aye, that's what I figured, thanks for the confirmation.

I thought silicondust was an NZ company; yeah, headquartered in the US by the looks of it though. That price difference is quite a leap, even taking distribution and support into account. I have no problem paying a bit extra to buy locally but even comparing the NZ price to their non-discounted US price, it looks like a 40%+ difference. If only it was a bit closer to the price for a hauppage dual tuner card.

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mm1352000

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#723091 26-Nov-2012 14:40

sidefx: If only it was a bit closer to the price for a hauppage dual tuner card.

Well, comparison to the HVR-2200/2210... I presume that is the card you are referring to... is not strictly an apples to apples comparison.
The Hauppauge doesn't do DVB-C like the HDHomeRun. Possibly worthless to you, but not necessarily.
The HDHomeRun doesn't do analog TV or FM like the Hauppauge. Again, depends what you're looking for as to whether that matters.
A more fair comparison to the HDHomeRun (but still not totally fair) would be something like the TBS6280:
http://www.buydvb.net/tbs6280-pcie-dvbt2t-dual-tuner-card_p38.html
That does DVB-T2 (so it can receive Igloo... but not able to decrypt) but lacks the analog support like the HDHomeRun.

The AVerMedia Twinstar is another option. No analog TV or FM support as far as I can tell (could be wrong), but slightly cheaper.

There are other options as well, including quad tuner options...
http://digitalnow.com.au/dvbtcards.html
http://shop.blackgold.tv/epages/BT3159.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT3159/Categories/%22Retail%20Products%22/PCIe_Tuner_Products

Take your pick. :)

mm1352000

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#723095 26-Nov-2012 14:47

And just one other thought...

AVerMedia HomeFree Duet:
http://www.avermedia.com/product/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=524
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?e=752425

By the looks it is a dual DVB-T networked tuner like the HDHomeRun, minus the DVB-C support.
Significantly cheaper than the HDHomeRun.
No idea how it performs though.

I note that in my limited interactions with Silicondust and AVerMedia I found the Silicondust software and support to be fantastic. AVerMedia not so much. Not that their products are bad. They just seem to take a different attitude to community support and open source software.

mm1352000

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#723182 26-Nov-2012 17:14

I happened to find this info as well:
http://www.kaiserbaas.com/tv-radio-category/network-tv-tuner

Seems like the HDHomeRun is resold under a different brand, which I wasn't aware of until today.