Late final month, SiliconDust took a leap of religion and began taking orders for a brand new HDHomeRun TV tuner on Kickstarter.
If all goes to plan, the HDHomeRun Quatro 4K would be the first exterior ATSC 3.0 tuner for customers when it launches in September. Like different HDHomeRun tuners, the Quatro 4K will seize over-the-air broadcasts from any antenna and stream the video to telephones, computer systems, and linked TV gadgets round the home. But in markets the place ATSC 3.0 is out there, the tuner will assist broadcasts in as much as 4K decision with as much as 7.1.4 encompass sound, whereas additionally bettering reception and permitting for brand spanking new options reminiscent of on-demand video.
I have to admit that that is occurring ahead of I anticipated. When I last covered the state of ATSC 3.0 gear in January, the one dialogue of exterior tuners got here from distributors promoting costly {hardware} for business testing. While some TV producers are integrating ATSC 3.0 with their high-end units, no consumer-grade tuners appeared to be forthcoming. (ATSC 3.0 isn’t backwards suitable, so it would require both a brand new TV or an exterior tuner to look at any stations that use the brand new commonplace.)
Only six U.S. stations are broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 right now, and whereas 60 markets are anticipated to deploy the usual this 12 months, particulars are murky on particular channels or content material assist. I used to be curious to know why SiliconDust was leaping in early, so I interviewed CTO Nick Kelsey and buyer liaison Nathan Betzen to search out out.
Why now?
Kelsey stated the Quatro 4K got here from a need to maneuver broadcast TV ahead. While a lot of firms are creating software program and middleware for ATSC 3.0, the present {hardware} for receiving the brand new commonplace is price prohibitive. At least for now, SiliconDust sees the Quatro 4K as primarily for engineers and different folks within the business, together with some early adopters.
“There’s obviously a pretty big adoption chicken-and-egg problem,” Kelsey stated. “We figured the only way to help the situation was to come out with product availability.”
Getting the worth down
Kelsey stated the Quatro 4K is worthwhile at its $200 Kickstarter worth, and he doesn’t count on that worth to rise in September, when SiliconDust plans to launch the tuner extra broadly. If something, the worth might go down.
That’s stunning on condition that business tuners can price as much as $1,000, and that the prevailing Connect Quatro tuner sells for $150. While Kelsey stated the modulators required by ATSC 3.0 are extra complicated and costly, price financial savings comes from the truth that SiliconDust is mass-producing {hardware}, which no different exterior tuner distributors are doing but.
The HDHomeRun Quatro 4K can have 4 tuners, two of which can assist ATSC 3.0.
Even the truth that the Quatro has two ATSC 3.0 tuners inside—permitting it to stream or document two channels directly—helps deliver down prices. (Two of the Quatro 4K’s tuners will solely assist ATSC 1.0 channels.)
“We are inherently higher-volume than a single-tuner device,” Kelsey stated.
Why Kickstarter?
The HDHomeRun Quatro 4K launched on the crowdfunding web site Kickstarter with a modest funding aim of $50,000, which it met with ease. (As of this writing, supporters have pledged almost $400,000.)
Seeing as SiliconDust sells merchandise straight by way of its personal web site and thru main retailers reminiscent of Amazon and Best Buy, it most likely didn’t want a Kickstarter marketing campaign. Still, Kelsey and Betzen say crowdfunding was a solution to gauge early demand and curb expectations, particularly with ATSC 3.0 solely on air in a half-dozen U.S. cities. As with many different Kickstarter initiatives, anybody who buys the Quatro 4K ought to understand they’re a guinea pig.
“If you put that product on the shelves of Best Buy in July, things go downhill really fast,” Betzen stated.
DVR considerations
One of the large unknowns for ATSC 3.0 is the way it may have an effect on over-the-air DVR. Because the brand new commonplace permits broadcasters to encrypt their reside broadcasts and use digital rights administration on their streams, DVR purposes might face new limits in comparison with the present ATSC 1.0.
I first coated this matter back in November 2017, however I don’t assume we’re a lot nearer to a solution now.
Kelsey stated there are a number of methods DRM might pan out with ATSC 3.0. Encrypted recordings might require playback to be delayed till they obtain the mandatory authorization, as an example over the web, however the draw back to that strategy is that content material suppliers might revoke entry after a sure time frame.
Alternatively, a program might get the mandatory authorization in the intervening time it’s recorded, with totally different DRM know-how reminiscent of Widevine to guard towards additional copying throughout playback. This appears like a greater strategy, however SiliconDust remains to be working to see whether or not it’s potential.
In any case, the mere inclusion of encryption and DRM might arrange a complete new set of complications that don’t apply to right now’s unencrypted over-the-air broadcasts. While it’s potential that content material suppliers gained’t trouble with DRM within the first place, that’s one other factor we don’t but know for certain.
“There’s certainly a risk that there will be content that’s DRM encrypted,” Kelsey stated.
Third-party assist
Assuming DVR nonetheless works below ATSC 3.0, SiliconDust hopes to assist third-party choices, reminiscent of Plex DVR and Channels DVR. While it does provide its own apps and DVR service, SiliconDust has at all times been a small firm that appears joyful focusing totally on {hardware}.
“If people like another app better, then awesome, we want to support that,” Kelsey stated. “Our DVR shouldn’t be perfect for everyone.”
The makers of Channels DVR are hoping to assist the Quatro 4K and ATSC 3.0 channels.
Device limitations
Read carefully the Quatro 4K Kickstarter web page, and also you’ll discover a small caveat: “Some popular client platforms such as Roku and Apple TV are not able to support all ATSC 3.0 features.”
Asked for extra specifics, Kelsey stated neither platform helps ATSC 3.0’s interactive options, reminiscent of the power to look at broadcast content material on-demand. That content material comes by way of a mix of HTML and Javascript—a webpage, basically—supplied by the station, however Apple doesn’t permit HTML in tvOS apps. (Instead, it gives its own framework for utilizing net applied sciences.) Roku, in the meantime, doesn’t assist any form of browser-like performance in any respect.
Where’s the HDHomeRun Prime 6?
When SiliconDust introduced the Quatro 4K, its Twitter mentions had been rapidly stuffed with prospects questioning what turned of the HDHomeRun Prime 6, which the corporate introduced again in 2019. Like earlier Prime fashions, the Prime 6 was alleged to seize cable channels utilizing a CableCARD leased from the TV supplier, successfully permitting customers to construct their very own whole-home DVRs setups.
Kelsey stated the product remains to be in improvement, however wouldn’t give a timeline for when it would launch. He described challenges associated to the copy safety on cable channels, common engineering points, and the time it takes for CableCARD gadgets to be licensed. SiliconDust confronted those self same points whereas creating the earlier, three-tuner model of the Prime.
“Six-tuner is heading through a similar process,” he stated. “It’s neither fast nor cheap.”
While the Prime’s improvement points might not concern cord-cutters straight, it might come in useful for SiliconDust if ATSC 3.0 turns into saddled with its personal recording restrictions.
“On the plus side,” Kelsey stated, “we do know the DRM side inside and out, unfortunately.”
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