Fascinating!
Iād love to commit to channels, but itās hard to do that when it is so dependent on this one piece of hardware/manufacturer that is totally out of its control (who in turn appears to have no control over its suppliers either). What if SD just shut down tomorrow? Where does that leave channels? What if the chipset manufacturer for the Connect gets shut down? TVE isnāt as compelling/dependable as full OTA or cable signals. Has Channels considered expanding the selection of hardware it can support, if nothing else as a hedge against SDās flakiness?
Valid question. Having a Prime 3 myself, I wonder too.
Does the Prime need to authenticate/communicate somehow with SiliconDust in order to keep working?
I would assume so, since it uses a Cable Card, but am not sure.
I'd assume the OTA models would continue working, except for channel changes/repack that I "think" need to talk to SD to get updated?
Cable boxes that use cable cards don't need to -- in fact, many have no uplink capability at all. So I would be surprised if HDHomeRun needs to phone home.
If you've already got a Prime 3, why have a fear of commitment? I could possibly understand someone being concerned with buying hardware just to use Channels, but if you already have the hardware, what's the worry?
I have no fear of commitment. I'm using a Prime 3 and Channels DVR.
Just said it was a valid point and a good question, We can assume all day, but does anyone really know?
No. And Cable card configuration has nothing to do with Silicon Dust. That's through your cable company.
Only if you're using the HD Software would anything like that matter. If you're using Channels, it doesn't even know about SD.
The only caveat to that is the firmware, but Channels doesn't have control over that anyhow.
It's like when you buy a computer, there are firmware updates to a certain point to improve performance and fix bugs. But at some point they stop, and you're stuck with the device in whatever final state it's in.
I know that. Was asking if Silicon Dust bit the dust, would the Prime continue working.
Appears you answered that by stating the Prime doesn't need to communicate with them to continue receiving cable programming.
Could swear I saw somewhere on the SD Support site it needed to periodically authenticate/communicate with SD Servers. Perhaps that was just for DRM Channels with their software.
I can't find what I'm looking for on their forum, either my search fu is lacking on their site or it fell off the 90 day thread activity cliff into that black hole.
Glad to hear SD hardware will keep fuctioning until they expire and doesn't depend on phone home to SD Servers.
SiliconDust devices do regularly "phone home", but their inability to do so has no bearing if you do not use their software. The only important thing that happens when a devices contacts SiliconDust's servers is obtain an authentication token that is used for receiving guide updates.
For over a year I successfully used 3 Primes with no internet access whatsoever in conjunction with Tvheadend.
SiliconDust designs their software to require regular contact their servers. Other software providers are not reliant upon this need. Also, their hardware does not need their software in order to function.
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Thank You!
So I know that using Channels DVR, it gets it's own EPG (Guide Data) from gracenote and doesn't rely on SD's guide data.
Nothing to worry about then.
Sorta. SiliconDust (and therefore the HDHR apps) and Channels both get their guide data from Gracenote. They both receive their guide data from the same source.
(They both will often ask what you see on Zap2It, which is an online guide provider that is a subsidiary of Gracenote, to make sure that updates are propogataed ...)
Confused about Sorta?
I know about zap2it and gracenote.
I used TiVo's for years while they used gracenote, until RoVi bought them.
The question is, if SD went belly-up, bit the dust, kicked the bucket, bought the farm, went out of business tomorrow...
Does Channels DVR in any way rely on SD lineups and or SD EPG data to work?
Could you still scan your HDHR Prime and get a lineup and have Channels DVR provide the guide data to do it's job?
Channels' connection to Gracenote's data is totally unrelated to SiliconDust.
Secondly, channel scanning and CableCARD pairing are reliant upon your device's firmware, and therefore unrelated to SiliconDust, too.
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Will let the SME's reply @tmm1 and answer @timdanger question.
Was a nice discourse and learned some things.
Rightāagreed that if youāve already got the hardware itās not as big of a deal. But I donāt currently have the hardware. I want to use channels and am in my 30 day trial using TVE and my everyday laptopās external hard drive as a DVR. I have been waiting on the prime 6, but now that itās (even more of) a big question mark, I donāt really love the idea of committing to buying a couple of used prime 3s and a NAS to support a longer term set up, versus just going with a competitor product (or skipping altogether and just going with one of the live tv streaming services).
My point is, channels is my first choiceāthe software has been great to useābut I just worry about the hardware side again based on SDās flakiness, so just wondering whether alternatives are being considered.
I feel like Iām coming off as sensationalist, but the point Iām trying to make is that Iāve spent a lot of time thinking options, and if the best I can do is rely on used equipment (which wonāt last forever), and the new equipment isnāt coming out, where will I be in 5 years when this equipment dies?
The hardware pays for itself in a matter of months. And you'll save thousands in 5 years, but the hardware may last much longer. Seems like a no brainer. Buy a backup Prime 3 if you're really worried and put it in storage.
right, I get that and agree that I could stockpile used equipment like a doomsday prepper, but the question is just more general about the continuing viability of channels without SD continuing to make the only products that channels works with. The lack of any available retail product (current or foreseeable future) that supports cable subscribers just makes me wonder, does channels have a plan B? Or are they just going to stick with OTA?
There are no other options similar to the HDHomeRun Prime that support cable via cable cards. It's that or nothing. Or going OTA.
This is a real shame because if you read postings from today about the Prime 6 over on the SD forum, they're basically saying the Prime 6 will not be released unless they're able to deliver recording of DRM protected content because it doesn't make business sense. Given that it's taken them 4.5 years and they're still unable to deliver DRM recording, I don't think it's ever going to happen. There's simply no way for them to completely lock down the Windows and Android environments. They don't own them and control them.
If recording of protected content ever comes to fruition, it will have to be via a box similar to Scribe but supporting cable cards (either via Prime 6 or directly).
I think SD has tried (and obviously failed) to lock down recordings in the Windows and other environments. It's simply not possible when you don't control the hardware/software. The only way to accomplish that is to have a hardware solution that you totally own and control and can completely lock down.
Of course, this wouldn't work with Channels.
Random follow-up question about the choice to scale back the Ethernet port on the Prime 6 to only 100mbit, when the previous generation already had a gigabit Ethernet port. Doesnāt that seem like a really strange choice? The company wants to double the number of tuners, but cut in half the available bandwidth at the network port?
Assuming all 6 tuners would be in use, and maybe pushing 15mbps for each feed, plus network overhead, thatās already going to be real close to maxing out the available bandwidth on an old school 100mbit port, I would think.
Who puts out a new product with only 100mbit Ethernet ports anyway? I canāt see the cost difference being that significant. Just seems like a really odd choice.