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Stream cable via DLNA with HDHomeRun Prime

The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime is a three-tuner CableCard device that lets you stream and record content from Xboxes, iPads, and now PS3s.

Ty Pendlebury Editor
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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Ty Pendlebury

Newegg

The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime is essentially the CableCard version of the HDHomeRun Dual, which I reviewed in early 2012. However, the latest software update makes it potentially more powerful, by making it capable of streaming cable to a DLNA device like the PlayStation 3.

While the HDHomeRun Prime could already stream to a number of devices, why pay for a second cable box when you can now use a PS3? The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime is designed to work with Windows Media Center and extenders like the Xbox 360, but the newest update will please people (like myself) who haven't yet invested in Microsoft's gaming ecosystem. There is also an iPad app as well.

The device is about the size of your hand and takes a CableCard, Ethernet, and a coaxial cable. It features three tuners, unlike the Dual's two, and can be used as a DVR on a PC.

If the performance of the Prime is anything like the Dual then you'll need a fairly robust network to get it to work: this means either in a house with no competing Wi-Fi signals, or using Ethernet connections where possible.