Amazon’s Hearth TV companion DVR, the Hearth TV Recast, is out there at present to the general public, after beforehand having been solely supplied for pre-order. The brand new system presents a method for Hearth TV house owners to simply entry free, over-the-air broadcast tv immediately from the Hearth TV’s software program. Beginning at $229, this twine cutters’ DVR is one thing of a modern-day TiVo, because it combines entry to dwell TV, recordings and on-demand programming multi functional interface. However whereas the Hearth TV Recast works as marketed, channel reception in your space can hinder your expertise.
The Hearth TV Recast was certainly one of many merchandise Amazon launched at its over-stuffed Alexa occasion this September.
The system is designed to work together with your present Hearth TV Version tv, Hearth TV or Hearth TV Stick and a digital antenna, permitting you to observe dwell tv immediately within the Hearth TV interface, in addition to report applications.
Notably, the DVR recordings and dwell TV streams are additionally out there through cellular, while you’re away from your property Wi-Fi community, even in case you’re solely on mobile.
This characteristic is out there at no additional cost, similar to the remainder of what Recast presents — together with its Reside TV channel information, DVR storage (both 500GB or 1TB with the choice to increase via its USB port coming quickly) and the companion cellular app.
When you’re already a Hearth TV proprietor — or are getting ready to turn into one — it is smart to contemplate the Recast over a competing answer like TiVo or a Plex DVR setup due to the way it integrates together with your present Hearth TV. Which means you’re utilizing the identical software program you’re already conversant in, however enhanced with additional options like an “On Now” row that shows what’s presently airing and a “DVR” part to entry your recordings.
From a software program design standpoint, these additions really feel pure, simple to find and straightforward to make use of.
However when it comes to being a usable, real-world answer, the Hearth TV Recast is finally hit-or-miss, just because it depends upon an antenna.
Antennas aren’t for everybody
The Recast is an HDTV antenna-dependant answer. Antennas aren’t one of the best ways to observe TV, they’re simply the most affordable. That may attraction to some customers, however flip off others.
Channel reception is very variable primarily based on quite a lot of components, together with your location, environment, terrain, distance to TV broadcast towers and channel availability in your space.
Earlier than spending a pair hundred dollars-plus on Amazon’s new DVR, you’ll wish to first try Amazon’s Buy Assistant to see what’s supplied in your space, in addition to the FCC’s reception maps. You might additionally simply purchase the digital antenna first to check reception at your property earlier than plunking down the massive cash for the DVR.
I wasn’t favored with good reception, sadly. Irrespective of the place my antenna was mounted — partitions, home windows, the second story, and so forth. — a number of the channels had been nonetheless garbled and glitchy. This is actually a “your mileage could differ” answer — I’m many miles from some broadcast towers. The higher your reception, the extra you’ll benefit from the Hearth TV Recast.
One other issue to contemplate is that whereas including a digital antenna to your twine reducing combine is cheaper than, say, a 12 months of Hulu, you’re not getting high-quality content material. Whereas the FCC has accredited a brand new broadcast commonplace (ATSC three.zero) that can help 4K UHD image high quality, there aren’t any 4K over-the-air TV broadcasts out there at present — and that received’t probably change for a while.
Which means while you’re switching forwards and backwards from 4K programming in your Hearth TV Stick 4K to this lower-quality, over-the-air content material, you’re actually going to note the distinction.
That being stated, there are issues folks need an antenna for — like dwell sports activities, native information and programming, and different dwell occasions, like awards exhibits. Whereas a few of this content material is transferring to streaming, it’s not usually streaming at no cost.
Getting began with Recast
The setup was very simple.
The antenna connects to the Hearth TV Recast, and will be positioned anyplace in your house. That’s truly the very best half, as a result of irrespective of the place you mount a digital antenna, it’s not precisely a factor of magnificence. In reality, it just about junks up the room, aesthetically talking.
Significantly, the very best half is that utilizing an antenna doesn’t need to smash your front room anymore
The newly up to date Hearth TV app walks you thru a sequence of setup screens that helpfully provide tips about antenna placement, and helps you get the Recast related to your Wi-Fi community. (It’s the identical course of as connecting an Amazon Echo, and solely takes a minute.)
When full, the Recast scans for out there channels.
My app crashed as soon as throughout this scanning course of, but it surely’s a beta construct. This will or could not nonetheless be a bug when the general public launch arrives.
When completed, you may watch TV or recordings proper within the Hearth TV app, along with Hearth TV itself. Quickly, you’ll be capable of report future applications from the app, as a substitute of simply presently airing ones, Amazon says.
A number of folks can stream from a Recast on the identical time, however streaming to a number of iOS gadgets is rolling out shortly after launch, Amazon additionally famous.
Utilizing the Recast with Hearth TV
So far as looking the Recast, the whole lot is properly organized in your Hearth TV interface.
Scroll down on the House display, and a row of dwell TV exhibits is mixed proper in together with your different choices, like Amazon’s Prime programming or your Amazon Channels subscriptions.
The “DVR” menu on the prime permits you to rapidly get to your recorded applications, so you may watch or delete them, as desired.
And the Reside TV channel information permits you to search forward as much as two weeks of programming to seek out issues to report.
None of this feels tacked on on the final minute, and navigation isn’t complicated. All of it matches in seamlessly with Hearth TV’s different content material and its person interface. There’s zero studying curve.
In my expertise, the TV applications loaded pretty rapidly, if slower than launching a present on Netflix, for comparability’s sake. I personally felt that watching on cellular was a greater expertise than viewing exhibits on the massive display, since you don’t discover the poor image high quality as a lot when on cellular.
The opposite key characteristic is voice management.
You don’t want a Hearth TV Recast as a way to voice management a TV, to be clear. That’s a Hearth TV characteristic, too.
However Alexa has been up to date to work with the Recast, so you may say issues like “Alexa, open Channel Information,” “Alex tune to NBC” or “Alexa, present my recordings,” amongst different issues. You may even report exhibits, cancel recordings and delete recordings by voice instructions, in addition to rewind and fast-forward by a time frame.
For giggles, I suppose, you may as well stream dwell TV and watch recordings on an Echo Present, Amazon’s screen-based Alexa speaker. You may pair your Bluetooth headphones with an Echo Present and have an ideal desk accent for the workplace, I suppose, or make amends for exhibits whereas cooking dinner in your kitchen.
I’m in all probability by no means going to observe TV on an Echo Present. However hey, have enjoyable with that in case you do.
A great addition, in case you’re pleased with antennas
When you’re available in the market for a related DVR and are a Hearth TV proprietor, the Hearth TV Recast is usually a good addition to your setup — in case you get reception and don’t have already got one other technique to watch the TV you need — like via Hulu or Sling TV, as an example.
When you’re a Roku or Apple TV proprietor, nevertheless, it will not be value abandoning your present platform only for the Recast, until you’re actually in want of cheaper entry to dwell TV, or on-the-go entry to dwell TV and recordings.
For individuals who match that description, it’s simple to advocate the Hearth TV Recast over rivals for its well-designed software program, ease of setup, cellular streaming and the power to cover the ugly antenna in one other room.
Relying on how a lot TV you wish to report, there are two Recast fashions to select from: the $229.99 50GB Recast presents 2 tuners and as much as 75 hours of HD storage, whereas the $279.99 1TB Recast presents four tuners and as much as 150 hours of HD storage.
Amazon can also be promoting an tools bundle with the Recast, Hearth TV Stick 4K and 35-mile HDTV antenna for $249.97, which is an efficient deal in case you’re able to commit.
Tech Specs
Measurement: 7.1″ x 7.1″ x 2.9″ (180 mm x 180 mm x 73 mm)
Weight: 2.four lbs (1066 g)
ASTC Tuners: 2 or four
Storage: 500GB or 1TB
Reminiscence: 2GB
Wi-Fi: 2.four G WiFi 2×2 Wi-Fi b/g/n and 5 G Wi-Fi 2×2 Wi-Fi a/n/c
Ports: 1 x Sort A USB three.zero (storage help within the works); TV antenna enter; Gigabit Ethernet, Energy
Regional Assist: U.S. solely
Accessibility Options: VoiceView display reader; Closed captioning, the place out there
Included within the field: Hearth TV Recast, 50W Energy Provide, Fast Begin Information