Is the PRIME 6 soon to be released?

[jbhall]

Just noticed that the PRIME 6 web page no longer has the "watch this page" notice any more. https://www.silicondust.com/product/hdhomerun-prime-6/

Could that mean that the long awaited device is just around the corner?

One can hope.

[Beerman]

Or it could mean it's dead in the water. Sorry, I'm not a positive person thanks to 2020 sucking!

[VistaVick]

How ironic if it comes out now when cable companies are free to stop offering cable cards at all.

There was a window of time where this could have been a successful product but most have moved on to other solutions in the long past windows media center era. And the latest news from the FCC pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin.

[jasondeanny]

viewtopic.php?p=362130#p362130

Apparently a browser issue... but the FCC announcement certainly changes things.

[NedS]

We are still working on the PRIME6, but it is not close to being released at the moment.

[Beerman]

We are still working on the PRIME6, but it is not close to being released at the moment.

I appreciate the update but that's pretty sad really. Just one man's opinion but I'm now thinking this won't happen. I lost track of time but I think the next ice age will come first.

[topdavis]

It does seem like this product will never be released. There are some of us who have not cut the cord because it gets to the point you will be close to cable pricing when you add up all the streaming services you will need. Thank goodness Netflix is included with my T-Mobile bill and I have always had Amazon Prime, but I still have to pay for HBO Max and Disney+. Now almost every channel has a streaming app, but will charge you for their premium content, you might as well keep cable. The savings comes in mostly with cable box rental. The MI Android TV Box can use the old HD Homerun Prime for live channels and works great and costs 49 bucks at Walmart. I was looking forward to the Prime 6 so I could get rid of my DVR (Servio replaces this) and cable boxes (Mi Boxes replace these now but need more tuners).

[mcewinter]

It does seem like this product will never be released. There are some of us who have not cut the cord because it gets to the point you will be close to cable pricing when you add up all the streaming services you will need. Thank goodness Netflix is included with my T-Mobile bill and I have always had Amazon Prime, but I still have to pay for HBO Max and Disney+. Now almost every channel has a streaming app, but will charge you for their premium content, you might as well keep cable. The savings comes in mostly with cable box rental. The MI Android TV Box can use the old HD Homerun Prime for live channels and works great and costs 49 bucks at Walmart. I was looking forward to the Prime 6 so I could get rid of my DVR (Servio replaces this) and cable boxes (Mi Boxes replace these now but need more tuners).

Maybe I'm wrong and maybe this is speculation that will get deleted but nothing about the Prime 6 seems to have any sort of priority. The product has had multiple timelines and new products have come to light since a 6 tuner device was deemed to be forthcoming. I am no longer reserving a spot for the Prime 6. If my 3 tuner dies on me, I'm going to have to abandon SD as a solution at this point in time.

[Beerman]

I totally get unforeseen problems that pop up like hardware production and Covid and who knows what else but I am very curious about exactly what is holding it up. Can Silicon say specifically what is challenging them on getting this moving?

[Aveamantium]

At this point, given the recent news of cablecards, I'd prefer that SiliconDust work to provide a streaming service that can integrate directly into the current infrastructure (i.e., DVR recordings locally instead of the cloud). I'm sure it is just a matter of time before Comcast finds a way to force people back into using their STBs.

Not that SiliconDust was asking...

[OptimussPrime]

Do any of you expect SD to give us a real answer? The prime 6 was "coming soon" years ago, and now the status post hasn't been updated in over a year and a half. There is no long term future for CableCard without the mandate. There have been countless posts deleted and marked as FUD over the years, and many of them were just realistic predictions that have been proven true.

Here is one simple question for Nick or Ned... Have there been discussions of scrapping the Prime 6 now that the CableCard mandate is over?

[rpcameron]

Here is one simple question for Nick or Ned... Have there been discussions of scrapping the Prime 6 now that the CableCard mandate is over?

A better question: has the Prime6 even been submitted to CableLabs for certification. Back in July it was disclosed that certification had yet to even begin. The certification is the biggest hurdle for getting a CableCARD product to market, not the manufacturing.

[NedS]

You guys have no idea how much it's killing us that we can't tell all of you the whole story. As long as there's any chance of the PRIME 6 still being released, we're going to play it safe and not say anything publicly that might hurt those chances.

[Beerman]

So it does appear the chances are slim. I can deal with it if its not going to happen but I do appreciate you telling us this much. I wish we had been given regular updates. I've no doubt Silicon would love to have had this done 2 years ago and made some money but I fear by the time it 'can' get released, the train will have left. Sadly, my train is scheduled to leave soon. I do wish you luck.

[Jeeshman]

Article about the end of CableCARD includes this:

Nick Kelsey, the CTO of SiliconDust, told me via email that while the company will still support CableCARD customers, it’s now investing heavily in ATSC 3.0 hardware, both for cable and over-the-air TV. (Pressed about whether the company will keep making CableCARD products, Kelsey said it’s “still being discussed internally.”)