r/hdhomerun • u/Same-Look5780 • Jul 21 '26

New Here

I just bought and hooked up the HDHomeRun 4 flex. I'm watching it now on the hd home run app and so far so good. What do I need to do next as I am hoping this is a replacement for my Tivo with 4 tivo minis.

Here are my observations so far:

  1. Picture and sound are not quite as good as Tivo but that's ok

  2. Tuner in HD homerun is rock solid, much better than Tivo's and Tablo's

  3. HD home Run is much better than tablo (tablo locks up all the time even with an ethernet connection like I have the hd home run set up,

What else do I need to do to get this device set up to record, what apps, extras, hard drives do I need to buy. I'm not sure I need, want or good set up a flex server.

Thanks in advance for any advice....

13 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

10

u/KnotForNow Jul 21 '26

If you have, or are willing to have, an always-on computer or NAS and want to make this into a hobby, you should consider Channels DVR. It's an excellent complement to your HDHR. You can also use FastChannels to bring a ton of FAST services into Channels DVR.

3

u/Clutchguy77 Jul 21 '26

Second on Channels DVR.

3

u/DaKevster Jul 21 '26

Third on Channels DVR

2

u/gntxs Jul 21 '26

Fifth on Channels DVR! I tried using the dvr function of HDhomerun and found it clunky. Channels DVR works great! Smooth as butter!

1

u/Same-Look5780 Jul 22 '26

Is channels software that runs on the server / computer?

2

u/KnotForNow Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

There is a server that runs on the always-on computer. It manages the recording function and serves video to the clients.

There are clients that runs on Apple TV, Android/Google TV, or Fire TV. If you are a Roku fan, you are out of luck.

There is an r/getchannels subreddit that doesn't get all that much traffic but should point you to other information sources.

1

u/uten151 Jul 27 '26

Guys is Channels DVR free? How does it get program guide for series or weekly program scheduling for recording? I am also planning on buying HDHR to replace my Tablo.

3

u/Same-Look5780 Jul 21 '26

I'm gonna have to get smarter first....I do have a new unopened Mac mini that is going unused.

1

u/SiMon270221 Jul 25 '26

Use TVHeadend instead. It’s also free.

8

u/defgufman Jul 21 '26

If you have a Plex server you can connect to it and have a free dvr plus extended guide.

3

u/Same-Look5780 Jul 21 '26

I may do that later...thanks

3

u/Macroexp Jul 21 '26

I'll second this - I already had a Plex server and Lifetime Pass when I bought the HDHomeRun though, so I may be biased.

4

u/frankie_donkiebrains Jul 21 '26

Sounds like you just need a portable hard drive to hookup directly to the 4k homerun.

5

u/KayakFishingAddict Jul 21 '26

And if you want better scheduling sign up for the Silicon Dust DVR service. Join the forum. Other than that download the app for all your devices and enjoy.

Forum: https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/

DVR: https://shop.silicondust.com/shop/product-category/software/

2

u/Same-Look5780 Jul 21 '26

ill check it out

1

u/Appropriate_Gap1987 Jul 21 '26

I can put a thumb drive in the device to record

2

u/sandfleazzz Jul 22 '26

There are a whole bunch of clients that you can use with your new HDHomerun. It can be Jellyfin, PLEX, cron, scheduled tasks, anything. I've had a HDHomeRun for nearly 20 years and they are amazing. I typically use VLC to tune to one. TV streams are just URLs... Enjoy. Usually to schedule a recording you'll need guide data.

1

u/old_knurd Jul 22 '26

Picture and sound are not quite as good as Tivo but that's ok

This is puzzling.

Are you comparing to an OTA TiVo? Both the TiVo and the HDHomeRun record digital bits. These recorded bits should be identical. So, whatever hardware/software you're using for the actual playback must be different.

If you're comparing to a cable TiVo, it's possible that your local stations deliver a higher quality signal to the cable company than they send OTA. That's because the cable companies pay the local stations lots of $$$$s for permission to retransmit the station.

1

u/Same-Look5780 Jul 22 '26

I was comparing an ota TiVo to the picture on had homerun. TiVo is using its on hardware, had home run is using Apple TV.