Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun swings and misses, abandons live TV streaming service

By
Silicon Dust All in One
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Well that didn’t last long. Only a few short months after SiliconDust announced the availability of a TV streaming package for its HDHomeRun customers — offering 45 channels for $35 per month — the company has said it will be killing the service within 30 days.

In an email to its customers acquired by CordCuttersNews, SiliconDust does not provide an explanation for the sudden demise of its HDHomeRun Premium TV service, but the likely culprit is a legal dispute between Omniverse, the company that provided the channel streams to HDHomeRun, and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a group that represents major broadcasters like AMC, CBS, HBO, NBCUniversal, Fox, and Disney. ACE has claimed that Omniverse does not have the rights to distribute the channels that they resell to companies like SiliconDust.

Recommended Videos

In February, that claim became a lawsuit, and while the result of this legal action is still pending, presumably SiliconDust has been advised that it should cut ties with Omniverse before it too becomes embroiled in a suit of its own.

Related

Unfortunately, this leaves HDHomeRun customers to seek out a new streaming TV provider if they want to continue to supplement their free, OTA HD broadcasts, which remains the primary reason to own an HDHomeRun OTA receiver.

The canceled service doesn’t affect any other aspect of the HDHomeRun product, or the cloud-based DVR option that some customers avail themselves of, and it won’t affect those who use an HDHomeRun receiver with a Plex Media Server for an augmented, free OTA experience. The cancellation could, however, reduce demand for SiliconDust’s two new DVR products, which it announced at CES. With up to 2TB of local DVR storage, they’re a good solution for those with access to lots of content — say, from a 45-channel live streaming service — but perhaps unnecessary for those with only a few OTA channels to choose from.

If you’re one of the affected HDHomeRun customers, there are other options for receiving live streaming TV channels, at similar prices to HDHomeRun Premium TV. Sling TV’s Blue package, for instance, offers 49 cable channels for $25 per month, though it notably lacks HDHomeRun Premium TV’s inclusion of ESPN, a major draw for sports fans.

This might not be the end of the road for HDHomeRun’s live streaming TV ambitions. With more and more legitimate live streaming products being launched all the time, SiliconDust might soon be able to offer its customers a new option.

We’ll let you know if and when that happens.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Apple discounts MLS Season Pass for the rest of the season
Lionel Messi on MLS Season Pass.

If you've been thinking about getting MLS Season Pass but didn't want to pay the (pretty reasonable) annual subscription fee, that argument just got a little weaker. Apple has dropped the price for the remainder of the season to $69, down from $99. And if you also subscribe to Apple TV+ (which is where Apple streams its exclusives, like Severance, Ted Lasso, and Foundation), you can get the rest of the season for just $59.

In addition to being the place to watch every MLS game without any blackouts, MLS Season Pass also gets you the MLS 360 live whiparound show -- in English and Spanish. You'll also get pre- and post-match coverage and analysis, highlights, player profiles, and you can follow your favorite clubs for more stats and standings. And you also can opt to listen to the matches with audio from the clubs' radio announcers.

Read more
The 10 most popular streaming services, ranked by subscriber count
The Netflix home screen.

Let's start this with a caveat or two: If you're going to compare streaming services merely by the number of subscribers they have, it's not exactly a fair fight. Not all services are available in the same places. Nor does the number of subscribers really address the "worth" of a streaming service. Or whether it's easy to use, or if the apps are any good. Or, for that matter, if a given streaming service has what you want to watch, which really is the only measure necessary.

Still, it's interesting to keep up with how things are doing from a global perspective, especially when you have relatively young upstarts like Apple TV+ gaining so many accolades in an industry dominated by Netflix.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy Buds deals: As low as $79 today
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and their charging case.

Music, movies, and all of your favorite content are made all the better with a good set of wireless headphones. Some of the most popular in-ear options are Samsung’s Galaxy Buds lineup. They’re made to compete with the likes of the Apple AirPods 3 and Apple AirPods Pro 2, but they come in at more affordable prices. And right now they’re coming in at even better prices, as there are some good Samsung Galaxy Buds deals to shop. We’ve put all of the best Samsung Galaxy Buds deals together below, so read onward for more details on how to save.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 -- $79, was $140

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 are more traditional wireless earbuds compared to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, with a comfortable design that lets you listen to your favorite playlists without any strain on your ears. They also offer active noise cancellation, alongside an Ambient Sound mode that will let you listen only to the sounds of your environment that you want to hear without having to take them out of your ears. With ANC deactivated, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 can last up to 7.5 hours on a single charge, and up to 29 hours with the juice from their charging case.

Read more