I finally got my hands on an HD Home Run Flex 4K. It’s a box that pulls in over-the-air TV broadcasts – think antenna TV – and streams them around your house on your network.
It’s got four tuners, two of which support ATSC 3, which is the new-ish digital TV standard. ATSC 3, or “NextGen TV,” is kinda weird. It’s supposed to be the future, but honestly, it feels like it might fizzle out. It’s 2024, and nobody really knows if it’s gonna stick around. It’s got potential for better picture quality and interactive stuff, but the adoption rate is… slow.
Setting it up isn’t rocket science, but it’s a bit involved. You need an antenna, a preamp (to boost the signal), a power supply, and a splitter. Seriously, a splitter. Then you plug the whole thing into your network via Ethernet – no Wi-Fi here, folks. Ethernet is key; it’s just more reliable.
The cool thing is, once it’s connected, it just works. It shows up on your network automatically, no account creation needed. You can manage channels, block stuff you don’t want to see, and check signal strength through a web browser or the HD Home Run app. It’s pretty slick.
Speaking of apps… that’s where things get a little messy. The iOS app is actually really good – feature-rich and responsive. The LG TV app? Not so much. It’s slow, like molasses slow, probably because my TV is getting up there in age. And the Roku app? Don’t even bother. It’s buggy, missing features, and constantly interrupting playback. Roku’s developer environment is just… rough.
Honestly, a lot of people are using a third-party app called “Channels” instead. It’s paid on most platforms, but free on iOS. It’s way better than the official HD Home Run apps, but it doesn’t have a Roku app, which is a major bummer if you’re a Roku user like me.
A lot of people are also integrating this thing with Plex. I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but I’m planning to. Apparently, Plex makes it a lot easier to manage your recordings and stream them to different devices. It’s a popular route, so I figured I’d give it a shot.
Oh, and one last thing: some channels are encrypted. They have a “DRM” designation, which means you can’t watch them. Digital rights management, the bane of everyone’s existence. It’s a reminder that even with free over-the-air TV, there are still restrictions.
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