HDHomeRun 4K is Nextgen TV Certified

[spencer777]

Freecast is using HDHomeRun tuners for local channels.

It is being polished. Announcements in the works.

Freecast? Very disappointed.

shouldnt it be called chargecast? whats free about it?

I guess the basic channels are free. It's $4.99 for the extras. I was more talking about their agenda.

[que2]

I'd never heard of Freecast until reading about it here and decided to install it for myself.

I certainly hope the exposure allows Silicondust to sell more of their tuners but IMHO, the Freecast app is step backwards from the Silicondust HDHomeRun app. Navigation is quirky and less responsive than HDHR app. For some reason they chose to present the end user with separate EPG for OTA and online streamed channels instead of single integrated guide. There are plenty of options for online free content, Pluto, Samsung TV, Amazon, etc so I see no purpose or compelling reason to use Freecast. The ability to integrate Netflix or other content into their app as an aggregator just isn't appealing. I guess their software might improve with time but I see nothing new here or advantageous over the native HDHomeRun app. Its a solution for a problem that doesn't really exist.

[rkkeller]

OK thanks. I ordered one from Amazon and will try it out.




Rich

[rkkeller]

Go here: https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atsc3
Find your city
Look for channels that are highlighted and with the padlock: you will NOT be able to view those channels with the Flex 4K currently.

Portland, OR for example: I can view and record 5 of the 7 ATSC 3.0 channels currently.

Darn, I missed seeing this and ordered one, now I see I will not get almost all the channels here. Might have to just return it now as will not do more than my current setup. Trying to replace a ***** Quad as I wanted ATSC 3 channels.



Rich

[rkkeller]

I'd never heard of Freecast until reading about it here and decided to install it for myself.

There are plenty of options for online free content, Pluto, Samsung TV, Amazon, etc so I see no purpose or compelling reason to use Freecast. The ability to integrate Netflix or other content into their app as an aggregator just isn't appealing. I guess their software might improve with time but I see nothing new here or advantageous over the native HDHomeRun app. Its a solution for a problem that doesn't really exist.

Quick edit:

It does what some other apps do and some like things like this. I just signed up for the free part and looks interesting, but doubt I would pay.

[rkkeller]

From their Facebook page:

FreeCast is the streaming home of everything

We are excited to FINALLY announce our partnership with HD HomeRun to grant the ability to combine our service with your favorite local channels!
Anyone who has the HD HomeRun box with FreeCast has access to our 700 free streaming channels and more than 500,000 on-demand movies and TV shows as well as the ability to switch over to any local over-the-air tv available! We are happy to strides towards giving our users a seamless streaming experience. Making watching TV that much more enjoyable.
Read more below! https://corp.freecast.com/.../freecast-pairs-its-apps...

https://www.freecast.com/partners/hdhomerun

[que2]

As I said, solution to a problem that doesn't exist. If you want to watch HDHomeRun, click the app. If I want to watch online streaming channels, launch Pluto TV app. If you want to watch Netflix, launch Netflix app. Why would you want or pay for an intermediary app? For the <100 users that want a unified experience Plex already exists. If you want to combine local OTA content from your HDHomeRun with streaming channels from multiple sources in a customizable SINGLE EPG, you can already do that with Channels DVR app.

What might be appealing is for the HDHomerun app to add online streaming channels into it's guide. [removed by moderator]

[nickk]

As I said, solution to a problem that doesn't exist. If you want to watch HDHomeRun, click the app. If I want to watch online streaming channels, launch Pluto TV app. If you want to watch Netflix, launch Netflix app. Why would you want or pay for an intermediary app?

Freecast is free. It is a way to find shows across all major services and they provide a number of licensed FAST channels for free. They also provide paid FAST channels if you want them.

https://www.freecast.com/partners/hdhomerun

[bitemydust]

They also provide paid FAST channels if you want them.

[removed by moderator]

As long as you let us continue to use the HDhomerun app, then I don't care about all of this. However if we are forced to use the Freecast app, I'll be really peeved cuz that's not what I purchased.

[darcilicious]

As long as you let us continue to use the HDhomerun app, then I don't care about all of this. However if we are forced to use the Freecast app, I'll be really peeved cuz that's not what I purchased.

The hardware is pretty app agnostic -- I use my HDHR devices with Plex and Channels so I think you have nothing to worry about.

[nickk]

As long as you let us continue to use the HDhomerun app, then I don't care about all of this. However if we are forced to use the Freecast app, I'll be really peeved cuz that's not what I purchased.

Absolutely - we provide our HDHomeRun apps and DVR solution - that isn't changing. Freecast is another app option. More app options is a good thing.

[bitemydust]

As long as you let us continue to use the HDhomerun app, then I don't care about all of this. However if we are forced to use the Freecast app, I'll be really peeved cuz that's not what I purchased.

The hardware is pretty app agnostic -- I use my HDHR devices with Plex and Channels so I think you have nothing to worry about.

Not necessarily when it comes to ATSC 3.0 DRM. [removed by moderator - see forum rules]. Could be that only the Freecast app will do DRM cuz they already have it (and may be the reason for the merge of the two) but haven't heard anything certain that HDhomerun app will do it, just promises. We will see.

[ThomasPerdue]

found on Pluto TV.

My Sony X85K TV allows me to integrate Pluto and Xumo live channels into the TV's channel guide and I can access those channels alongside the OTA channels.

[rkkeller]

I posted about Freecast in one of my cord cutting groups and people seem interested just no one is sure how to get it on their HDHR as most are not really technical.

I can't help as my HDHR is not coming until tomorrow. So anyone know how to link this with the HDHR so the local channels also show?

[decaym]

I posted about Freecast in one of my cord cutting groups and people seem interested just no one is sure how to get it on their HDHR as most are not really technical.

I can't help as my HDHR is not coming until tomorrow. So anyone know how to link this with the HDHR so the local channels also show?

I believe you have the concept backward. It isn't that you will access Freecast from the HDHR, it is that the Freecast app will be able to show video coming in from the HDHR.

This really doesn't have much of anything to do with NextGen TV and should probably be on a separate thread (outside of this forum) somewhere. It was just unfortunate that the initial press about the integration conflated NextGen TV and DRM issues into what was really a simple integration that has previously been done by other products such as Plex.