HD Homerun vs. Popcorn Hour

[pcostanza]

I've been such a bad boy buying tuners, hard drives yada, yada all year long and have told myself to behave since the economy tanked but I want to try new things. So, since Christmas is coming, I thought I'd use some of my bonus money (if I can still manage it) and get either the Homerun or PH. I know there are differences such as HDMI connectivity etc. but my old eyes might not even notice.
I would be using this on a Vista U system with plenty of firepower. My worries are that it appears that QAM support in my area sucks but others swear it works for them with no hassles (and I hope it will stay around for a few more years).

[zed]

They're different animals, aren't they? The Homerun is a capture device and the PCH is a playback device, kind of a super MVP.

If you want an HD playback device, the PCH works very well. Great playback without all the farting about with codecs, renderers, etc., it's pretty much plug & play (after a little config).

I don't know much about the Homerun...

[ilovejedd]

As mentioned, the HDHomeRun is a digital-only TV tuner (ATSC/QAM) for the PC. It works very well as a TV tuner but that's about all it does.

The Popcorn Hour is a streaming media playback device with support for a variety of formats and codecs. Think AppleTV without all the restrictions. Or maybe a less flexible HTPC alternative.

Totally different uses don't you think?

[pcostanza]

I thought the newest version also captured but after looking at youtube videos, I'm not sure where I got that from. Perhaps I was thinking of the Hauppauge HD PVR????? Senility possible too.
So, while PH is awesome, I'm not ready for that yet. I'm looking for another option to get QAM......any info on HD PVR working with QAM? Guess I should spend more time researching this stuff before posting.
I appreciate the info.

[whurlston]

The HD PVR is an analog capture device, albeit one that captures component HD. There is no built in tuner so you would need an STB from which to capture.

[ilovejedd]

I thought the newest version also captured but after looking at youtube videos, I'm not sure where I got that from. Perhaps I was thinking of the Hauppauge HD PVR????? Senility possible too.
So, while PH is awesome, I'm not ready for that yet. I'm looking for another option to get QAM......any info on HD PVR working with QAM? Guess I should spend more time researching this stuff before posting.
I appreciate the info.

I believe there has been development into recording directly from the HDHomeRun to a Popcorn Hour (with internal hard drive installed). That might be where you got the idea from.

[pcostanza]

The HD PVR is an analog capture device, albeit one that captures component HD. There is no built in tuner so you would need an STB from which to capture.

Guess I'll look further into the HD Homerun. No rush on my end. Maybe they'll pop something newer or better soon. I may even try it and if QAM still won't work and I can't argue with my ISP anymore, I'll just send it back.

[stangdaman]

Sorry to just pop in here but is the Popcorn Hour just basically an HD Extender?

[ilovejedd]

The Popcorn Hour is a stand-alone networkable media player. It can work independently of GB-PVR. The ability to use it as an HD extender for GB-PVR is just a nice bonus thanks to mvallevand's add-on.