In previous posts, I’ve written about Google Voice (GV) and all that it can do and about how to utilize GV in conjunction with Gizmo5 to make free calls.  However, that party slowed once Google bought Gizmo5 and stopped taking new signups, and then it was completely over when they shut it down completely earlier this year.   However, the party can continue now that GV has enabled the ability to utilize Google Chat to make/receive GV calls in custom applications.  Various companies are taking advantage of this ability and this is where Obihai’s OBi110 for $50 (or £50) and OBi100 for $44 really shine. 

So what exactly are these?

The Obihai OBi110 and OBi100 are essentially enhanced internet phone adapters (ATA/VOIP adapter) that allow you to use a normal land line phone to make/receive calls (using your internet connection) using various VoIP providers (phone service over the internet).  One of the main features that really makes Obihai’s devices stand out amongst other ATA adapters (such as the Linksys PAP2) is that they have the ability to directly utilize Google Voice as one of the phone service providers (without having to use any other 3rd party service or have a computer running). This means being able to utilize Google Voice’s features (free US/Canada calls, call forwarding, voice mail transcription, etc) directly from a traditional landline/home phone while at the same time having access to all the Obihai features such as call bridging, free obi-to-obi calls, and much more:

What does it look like:

The devices themselves are quite small, especially the OBi100.  On the left/top is the OBi100 and the right/bottom is the OBi110:

Even the power supply is small as well as dual voltage (100-240v 50/60hz), so it can be used world wide:

Why would you want one?

The main reason I bought one was simply to save on calls.  Google Voice allows free incoming/outgoing calls to the US and Canada, and very cheap UK calls (they recently lowered rates to UK mobiles – it’s now cheaper than any other VoIP provider that I use).  I work from home in the UK and deal with our US and UK offices all the time (and don’t get reimbursed for phone usage), so this saves me an incredible amount of money.  I didn’t want to sign up for an expensive UK land line calling plan, nor did I want to pay the price for a higher/unlimited cell plan, so being able to utilize the Obihai boxes for GV is perfect for me (especially since it’s a no hassle setup and doesn’t require a dedicated computer or similar to run it).

Prior to using an Obi, I set myself up a FreePBX system using the easy to install and use Incredible PBX.  Discussing IncrediblePBX would need a whole post (or more) by itself, but it’s basically an incredibly supercharged Obi100 that runs on a computer.  It has so many features, and works great – however, it does require a dedicated computer to run on (which would cost more than the Obi devices) and has a lot of features I would simply never use

So that’s one (big) reason, cost savings for calling from home, to get an OBi110/OBi100.  Here are some more reasons and sample scenarios in how you could/would want to use an OBi:

• Call internationally from your cell phone at cheap (or free) rates.  With the Obi devices, you can set it up so that when you call into it, you can have the option to then call back out from it using any of your configured VoIP providers.  For a specific example, I currently have a free Google Voice and free Sipgate UK VoIP account setup on my Obi110.  Sipgate UK allows free incoming calls and they even provide a free UK phone number.  So, from my cell phone in the UK, I dial my Sipgate UK number which gets picked up by the ObiAttendant (which is a built in automated operator which you can turn on and off for each configured phone service provider).  I then select the option to make an outgoing call and then proceed to dial a number from the US (which is routed through my GV account), and my call is connected.  I have just dialed an international number from my cell phone using my “regular” minute plan as opposed to dialing internationally directly from my mobile and paying £0.49/minute (yes, I know there are cheaper mobile providers). 
• Call directly through your Obi110/100 from your cell phone using your data connection.  Obihai has a mobile app, “OBiON”, for iOS and Android which will allow you to make calls directly from your Obi device using your phone’s data connection.   However, I’ve never had great success/quality when using OBiON (and by judging by the app reviews, it’s the same with many other people), so perhaps it’ll get better in the future, and in the mean time, you’ll probably want to stick with utilizing the ObiAttendant/call through feature mentioned above (if you’re wanting to use your Obi device with your cell phone)
• Save on cell minutes when at home.  This is basically my “cost savings” reason above, but when I was still living in the US, I did not have any land line service and relied entirely on my cell phone.  Seeing as how I didn’t want to pay the price for a huge minute plan (or unlimited), I could see running into issues if I ever needed to make multiple hour+ calls to support (either for fix the internet, get a computer warranty repair, etc).   However, having an Obi110/100 and GV would allow me to make as many calls to tech support as I’d want without paying anything (besides the initial cost of the Obi device of course). 

Is it easy to setup (with or without Google Voice)?

Most definitely, and it’s quick too – check out Obihai’s excellent step-by-step guide (and below is a very brief overview):

• 1.  Unbox the Obi110/100 and plug in the power supply, Ethernet cable, and your land line phone, and put it where you want (I mounted mine under my desk near the modem):
  
• 2.  Get your Google Voice account ready (it’s best to use a dedicated Google Voice account – one not associated with the email address you regularly use – so it doesn’t conflict with the GMail chat app when you have GMail open).   Turn off Call Screening, Enable calls to be forwarded to Google Chat, and turn off direct voicemail access.
• 3.  Go to http://www.obitalk.com and sign up for a new account.  Once registered, click on Add Device and follow the on screen instructions to add your device to your account (you basically dial a **5 number which has the Obi device connect to your Obitalk account automatically). 
• 4.  Then click “Setup google voice”, enter in your google voice email address and password, click Submit, let the device restart, and bam – you’re done!

How does the OBi100 differ from the OBi110?

Besides the obvious differences in size, the only way they differ is that the larger and slightly more expensive OBi110 offers an FXO (or “line”) port that the OBi100 does not:

An FXO port allows you to plug directly into your “actual” land line provider (assuming you have one) so that you can have both your land line connection and your Google Voice/VoIP connections all managed and accessible through the OBi110.   It’s also useful to have the OBi110 if you have a land line, even if you don’t have service, as you can (maybe) utilize it to make 9-1-1 calls if/when necessary (though you can also setup “E-911” service with various VoIP providers).   This way, all incoming calls from all your phone providers can be answered, and dialed from, a single home phone – very convenient!

FAQ/frequent questions I’ve seen:

Since the OBi110 and OBi100 have been released, there have been tons of deals and general information threads on various forums across the web and many people always ask the same questions – Here are a few of the more frequent ones:

• You can’t use this (with or without GV) outside of the US:  False.  I live in the UK and have no problems with either device and they even have the OBi110 for sale at amazon.co.uk now.  The only caveat is that if you want to use Google Voice outside the US, you must sign up from a US IP address as well as have access to a US phone number for the initial ‘activation’ (GV will call this US number to confirm your account). Once you have an account, you can use it anywhere.   Note that if you live in the UK, you may need to buy a BT-to-RJ11 plug adapter in order to get a UK phone to work with the OBi devices (they’re cheap!):
  I had an OLD cordless UK phone that worked fine, but then purchased a new one and it wouldn’t work with the same RJ11-to-RJ11 cable from the US that I was using, so I had to stick w/the RJ11 to BT cable the new phone came with and purchase an adapter to switch the BT end back to RJ11.  (For those interested, the UK uses a different standard phone plug [“BT” as it’s frequently called] and it appears that on the RJ11 end, the two outside wires are swapped when compared to the US style RJ11 plug, which is why a standard US RJ11-to-RJ11 plug won’t necessarily work)




• Related to the above, you do not need to have two OBi devices (one setup in the US and one setup in whatever country you are living in) in order to make calls (whether they be US/Canada calls or local to the country you live in) with GV if you are outside the US. 
• This is not the same thing as a Linksys/Vonage PAP2 ATA.  While it is very similar, the Obi110/Obi100 has MANY more features that the PAP2 does not, most notably again, being able to utilize GV directly (whereas the PAP2 cannot). 

What else these devices are not and cannot do:

• No answering machine built in.  If you want to have an answering machine, you’ll either need to get a physical answering machine plugged into the phone port, or let the VoIP provider(s) handle it (ie, GV). 
• You cannot connect a SIP/VoIP phone to it (directly).  This device is not like an Asterisk server where you can connect a SIP/IP/soft phone.  You can, however, setup the Obihai bridge (OBiAPP for PCs) on a computer and then connect a SIP/IP/VoIP phone via the bridge.  For example, say you wanted to use X-Lite (a softphone app which lets you make a call from your computer, similar to dialing from GMail) – you would need to have OBiAPP running on a computer and you would then connect to the OBiAPP which then connects your SIP/IP/soft phone to the OBi110/OBi100.  Again, this requires you to have the OBiAPP running on a computer anytime you want to make/receive a call from a sip/ip/soft phone. 

Some final thoughts:

There is SO much that you can accomplish with these devices and there are TONS of articles, reviews, guides, etc on how to use them and tips and tricks.  Most notable to me are the series of posts over at The Michigan Telephone Blog which goes through a very detailed review and how-to guides for setting up various things.  Obihai also has a good support system and very active user forum if you want any sort of question answered (or see if anyone else has the same question or issue). 

One thing to note is that yes, one of the major selling points for these are it’s simple integration with Google Voice. However, Google Voice has (so far) only stated that calls to the US/Canada will be free through 2011 with no mention as to what happens in 2012 (it may remain free, they may start charging – who knows).  However, no one knows if they’ll stop the free party, but even if they do, I wouldn’t expect it to be much (as there are other providers that offer unlimited US/Canada calls  for $3-4 a month, so I would think Google would meet, if not beat, those prices).  Plus, this works very nicely with any other VoIP provider out there (Sipgate US or UK, Call Centric, VoipFone, etc the list goes on ). 

It’s only available from Amazon for now, so head on over there and pick one up:

Have any questions about using the OBi110 or OBi100?  Have you picked one up and want to share your tips and tricks?  Sound off in the comments below!

The SoundGate M2 Mobile Mount is a universal docking solution for mounting your mobile electronics in your car.  On one hand, there are plenty of slightly cheaper universal mounts out there such as ones that clamp on either side of the device and then mount to the windshield or cup holder:

but these are usually quite bulky and not very aesthetically pleasing (at least in my opinion!).  On the other hand, you can always buy a vehicle and device specific solution such as mounts made from Brodit, and while these are very sleek looking and work great, they are quite expensive and don’t usually work if your device has a case. 

This is where the SoundGate M2 comes in – it’s cheaper than the specific device mounts (such as Brodit) yet sleeker than your everyday universal mounts while still relatively cheap.

Video Review:

How it looks:

It’s sleek, small, and unobtrusive – just what I want in this situation.  There are no bulky plastic cages to hold it in place, no long flexible necks to hold it down from the windshield, and it’s likely to be smaller than any device you end up mounting it with. 

The plastic discs that you have to stick on your device (discussed later) are also very small – just slightly larger than the size of a US penny:

And with your device mounted to it, it looks like it’s a natural part of the device and doesn’t take up much space:

(Here is a sample of how it looks in the car with my iPhone):

How it works:

Inside the package you’ll find the mount itself, mounting hardware, mounting discs, and a cleaning pad:

The mount attaches to your dashboard by way of a super sticky rubber pad – one side sticks to the dashboard and the other to the metal mounting plate which the mount is then screwed onto.

Once installed, you can adjust the mount by loosening the two allen bolts and swiveling the device until it’s at the right angle, then tightening again:

Then, you stick the mounting disc to your device.  Again, it’s great that’s it’s very thin and small, but you do indeed either have to stick it directly to your device, or (what I recommend) stick it to a hard case that you use with your device.  For example, I attached it to my iPhone hard case (the Incipio Feather case which I love):

Then you are good to mount it – just simply slide it into the mount at a 90* angle, rotate it (so the little nub on the disc locks it in), and you’re done!

Final thoughts:

Simply put, I would have no problems recommending it to someone looking for a small and sleek way to mount their mobile device in their car.

Pros:

• Cheap (currently $25 new on Amazon, cheaper on marketplace)
• Well built
• Once mounted, you can adjust it’s position
• Sleek and refined look

Cons:

• Requires you to adhere a flat disc to your device and the mount itself to your dashboard
• It would be nice if it included more than 2 mounting discs (but with two, you can almost think of it as being two mounts instead of just one)

With all the netbook hype these days, and the fact that I’ve always wanted to try one, I decided to check out the Redfly C8 “mobile companion”.  The Redfly C8 is a niche product designed primarily for the business traveler looking for crazy battery life and basic word processing, email, and web access to compliment their smartphone.  This was made to compliment “business uses” (email, word processing, etc), but that’s not all it can be used for.  Slightly smaller and lighter than the average netbook, this device is basically an extension to your smartphone – it gives your phone an 8” 800×480 screen, qwerty keyboard, and all with an amazing 8 hour battery life.  That being said, unless you are looking for extreme battery life and basic functionality, you will probably be better off buying a netbook (such as the Dell Mini 9 from the dell outlet, for around $200).  However, for the right person, this device really is neat (for lack of a better word) — keep reading to find out why:

Specs at a glance:

• 8 inch screen, 800×480
• QWERTY keyboard
• Charges smartphone via usb
• 1” x 6” x 9”
• 2 pounds
• 8 hour battery
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports (for keyboard, mouse, phone charging/connection, or flash drive)
• VGA port (for 800×600 output)
• Instant on
• USB or Bluetooth connection to your phone

Look and feel:

The C8 is a rather small device, as it’s only 2 pounds and is a tad bit smaller than your average 8.9” netbook.  It does have a rubbery texture all around (where ever it is red), it’s weight is evenly distributed, and has rounded edges all around. 

The keyboard, while small, is nice to type on (one you get used to the smaller keys).  There is no flex whatsoever, and are relatively quite when typed on.  The touch pad is honestly like any other touch pad except that it is short and wide, so you won’t be able to move the cursor as far vertically on the screen with one ‘swipe’ as you would be used to on a normal laptop. 

Screen:

The 8” 800×480 screen isn’t any thing special – it’s a ‘plain’ LCD screen, 8 levels of brightness (from rather dull, to overly bright), and has really good viewing angles (any angle I look at it, it looks fine). 

The screen opens to about 145 degrees, and there is absolutely no flex in the screen – I can’t even bend the lid unless is really put some force into it.

Features, functionality, and usage:

The Redfly is basically as feature packed as your smartphone is.  Other than video playback (which it can’t currently do, such as youtube or wmv/avi/etc playback), most software you can run on your phone, you can run on the redfly, just basically with a larger resolution.

Once the initial setup is done (basically installing the driver, then plugging it into the Redfly with a USB cable), connecting via bluetooth is a snap.  As long as bluetooth is enabled on your phone, you just need to pull out the Redfly, push the bluetooth button, and click connect:

• TomTom:  I’m not sure when or why you would want to use tomtom on your Redfly, seeing as how if you have it on your phone, you’ll probably have a dashboard mount for it, unlike for the Redfly.  Also, your phone is probably touch screen and the Redfly is not.  However, it still works pretty well:

• Opera:  Web browsing is one of the aspects that makes the Redfly shine. Combining opera mobile with redfly allows you to have a much better web browsing experience, even though (for example) if you are using a VGA device such as the AT&T Tilt.  Having the larger screen realestate (8” @ 800×480) and a closer to full size keyboard, it really helps the web experience:

• LogMeIn: One of the best ways to utilize the redfly, at least in my opinion, is through the use of LogMeIn (for those who don’t know, LogMeIn is basically a free version of GoToMyPC – a simple to use and setup remote desktop type software).  Using the Redfly allows better resolution reproduction of my laptop at home, which makes it a lot easier to use than on my small screen and keyboard on my AT&T Fuze:

• Using a flash drive:  This is one thing the Redfly enables you to do that you can’t otherwise do with your smartphone:  actually utilize a usb flash drive!  This has helped me out a few times when I needed to quickly email a file from my flash drive while I was on a trip – just connected the redfly to my phone, plugged in the drive, and emailed the document:

• External Monitor:  Surprisingly, the output to my 22” lcd looked pretty good.  When using my Tilt’s video output (RCA) on my 42” lcd, it looked pretty bad, so I sort of expected it to be the same result.  However, this is using a VGA connection (which I assume greatly helps) and it actually works out just fine.  That being said, I think that showing the display at the larger resolution of 800×600 is about maxing out the processing capabilities of the device, so any non-static screens (GPS, any kind of animation, etc) will not look too great on the external screen.  However, if you were to do a power point presentation, or just simply wanted an even larger screen for web browsing, it would be just fine:

Another feature is that you can connect your phone to the redfly via USB as well (which is how you have to initially set it up to work via bluetooth). With it’s great battery life, you can also charge you phone while being plugged into it, so this can also double as a battery charger for your phone.

Limitations:

Besides the fact that it doesn’t work without a smartphone [though, not really a limitation as it is just a smartphone terminal) — One of the major drawbacks to the C8 is that it cannot play back videos/movies, or many other ‘moving-graphics’ software (such as the HTC TouchFlo home screen).  The C8N sort of gets around this issue by having a video input (rca), which you could then utilize your phone’s video output to display youtube/videos/etc (such as the AT&T Fuze or iPhone). It is simply a known limitation and was never really intended to be used in this way, though it is something that Redfly may be trying to work into future firmware/software revisions:

Conclusion:

So who is this device made for?  A very niche market – if you are looking for crazy battery life, and just want to be able to have basic access to word processing, email, and web (and of course, have a smartphone), then this is for you.  If you want anything more, and can deal with the shorter battery life, I would highly recommend getting a netbook as they are quite easily found in the $200-$250 range these days.  In short – it comes down to the battery life – in my opinion – and whether or not you already have a smartphone! 

Pros:

• ~8 Hour battery life (and can charge the phone)
• Extends your smartphone screen to 8”, 800×480
• Small (1x6x9) and Lightweight (2lbs)

Cons:

• Cannot playback video (yet?), thought the newer C8N has video input
• Short touch pad
• Price is close/same as a similar sized netbook (Dell Vostro A90 for example)

I just got an HDHomeRun (product home page) for Christmas and this is one of the greatest things since the internet! — now if only there were more HD (high definition) channels broadcast in clear QAM (cable) or OTA (over the air / antenna)!  I’ve been using it for about a week now, and love it — I’m able to watch live HD on all my networked (wired) computers, while only paying for standard cable!  Just make sure you have good cable signal (or antenna reception)!

What is HDHomeRun?

HDHR (HDHomeRun) is a dual HD tuner that you plug into your home network and then any of your computers can connect to it and watch HD (or any digital broadcast) stations!  What makes this especially great is that it is able to play back clear (unencrypted) QAM, as well as OTA, programming — what exactly is a QAM tuner you ask?

A QAM tuner is a device present in some digital televisions and similar devices which enables direct reception of digital cable channels without the use of a set-top box…

An integrated QAM tuner allows the free reception of unscrambled digital programming sent “in the clear” by cable providers, usually local broadcast stations; however most digital channels are scrambled because the providers consider them to be extra-cost options and not part of the “basic cable” package.

[Read more about QAM from Wikipedia]

What that means is that if you subscribe to cable TV and they offer HD programming (free or pay), any broadcast station (one that you should get via an antenna, such as ABC, NBC, FOX, WSB, etc…) must also be sent over the cable line “in the clear”, meaning that you do not need to have a cable box to receive it.  Also, depending on your physical location compared to the local TV station antennas, you can get HD and digital programming from your basic TV antenna as well (free!). 

My TV already has a QAM tuner, what makes this so different?

Your TV may already have a QAM tuner (as mine does) — however, your TV’s QAM tuner can’t stream to any computer in your network, nor does it allow for connection to a HTPC for DVR (ie: TiVo) capabilities like the HDHR can!  Paired with a computer with good DVR software, this can act as two tuner sources for you to record tv.  HDHR plays nicely with Windows Media Center, Vista Premium(s), BeyondTV (what I use),  SageTV, and MythTV. 

Re-worded, having a HDHR and a computer with DVR software, it is like an HD Tivo or a cable company’s DVR, without having to pay any extra monthly fee’s for HD or DVR service!  Though, granted, you have to pay for the HDHR (which is about $170), a relatively powerful computer, and possibly DVR software depending on which you want to use – software titles such as BeyondTV ($50) and MythTV (free) are better than even Tivo, at least in my opinion. 

How I have my HDHR system setup:

The computer I am using is an old P4 system placed in a Dell Dimension 2400 case (to try to keep it quiet) — the computer alone (not including the HDHR or TV) cost around $300, with individual (used) prices. I paid, in red (for reference):

• Pentium 4 2.66GHz (note this is below HDHR’s recommended specs) – $20
• PC Chips M963GV Motherboard – $30
• 1gb (2x512mb) DDR 400 memory – $30
• 2x200gb western digital ATA133 hard drives – $45
• ATi 9600XT VGA 256mb, 128-bit AGP video card (with dvi to hdmi connection) running @ 1280×720 resolution – $30
• Windows XP Pro w/sp2 (no security/anti-virus, or any other software other than beyond tv) – $70
• Beyond TV 4.7.1 DVR software – $40
• Dell Dimension 2400 Case w/Power Supply – $20
• 1 HDHomeRun box (2 digital tuners)
• 1 XFX Nvidia NVTV tuner (PCI standard definition tuner) – $10
• Syntax Olevia 42″ 720p LCD HDTV
• DVI to HDMI cable – $10

Now this computer is RIGHT at the verge of being too slow to effectively watch+record HD, and I would almost say it is too slow — when doing any guide updates, cpu utilization is at 100%, and browsing any of the Beyond TV menus (guide, recorded shows, etc), it’s VERY choppy.  However, even when the computer is fully bogged down (100% CPU), recordings and playback still work fine — it’s just that navigating through the guide and/or menus can get annoyingly slow/choppy.  In other words, get a system faster than what I have if you decide to go spring for an HDHR system! :).  Now, everything in the system should be fast enough, but it’s the processor that I believe is the issue here.  I used to have a HD HTPC setup using an AMD 64 3200+, only then I using an ATi HD Wonder PCI card, using OTA HD, and it worked GREAT — everything else was basically the same, and I was even using an inferior video card — an ATi 9600se. 

The network and HDHR is setup so that the HDHR is plugged directly into the ethernet port on the computer — this way, I don’t have to worry about network traffic slowing down the streaming to the HTPC.  Now, doing it this way means I am not able to stream the HDHR to other computers in my apartment.  The reason I did it this way, as opposed to plugging the HDHR into the router, is because I was trying to get the fastest data transfer as possible seeing as how my computer wasn’t quite up to snuff.  (Ideally, you would have a faster computer, and then would just plug the HDHR into the router).   I also have a cable amplifier going into the HDHR, and I’ll speak more about that in the review below. 

I then have the computer hooked up to the LCD TV using a DVI to HDMI cable, and then have the 6 channel audio (Front L/R, Rear L/R, Center & Sub) using three 3.5mm audio to Stereo RCA cables hooked to my Onkyo stereo.   See the mess of cables and electronic goodness:

Review:

Other than having a slow computer, setting up and watching HD with the HDHR works GREAT.  It’s very simple to setup — simply plug your cable line(s) into each of the two jacks on the back of the HDHR, plug the ethernet into the HDHR and your router, plug in the power, and you are done!  Then you simply download their “HDHR Manager” software, which will automatically detect the HDHR whether it is plugged into the router or directly into your computer.   After running through some setup and channel detection steps, you use VLC (a free, powerful media player) to watch the streaming HD and digital cable!  That’s it!

Using HDHR though the computer on my TV actually looked a little bit clearer than using my comcast Motorola DCTxxxx cable box — The HD content was a little bit sharper and better contrast (though that’s not necessarily due to the HDHR — it’s probably has to do with the computer), but it’s great knowing I don’t have to pay for DVR service anymore!

When I had the HDHR plugged directly into my router,  I tried viewing HD on two of my computers (dell m1210 and dell vostro 200), and it worked great — both computers played back perfectly, no hickups, GREAT picture, and all by simply using the HDHR manager software and VLC!  (the m1210 is a core2duo 2.0ghz w/geforce 7400 video, and the vostro is a core2duo 2.2ghz w/integrated video).

Now, of course, there are some downsides.  Not that it should be any surprise, but the signal quality coming into your house is very important.  Within the HDHR manager software, there is a signal quality, signal strength, and another meter that I can’t remember right now, and it is recommended that the signal strength be at least 90%.  Unfortunately, the wiring in my apartment complex is HORRENDOUS (splitter after splitter after splitter — and that’s BEFORE it even reaches the inside of my apartment!) and I was only getting around 70% signal strength.   Video playback through the HDHR kept dropping out, or skipping, and it took me 2 days to figure out the reason was due to the signal strength!  What I had to do was go to radioshack and get a cable-tv amplifier for $45 — I wasn’t happy having to spend another $45 on top of the HDHR (and video card..haha), but once I got it, everything worked great and I no longer cared! 

Also, keep in mind that the HDHR will not get you all the channels that you get via plain cable tv — this is only for the broadcast stations (stations that you can normally get over an antenna), just in much better (digital and/or HD) quality.  To get standard cable stations, you are going to need an extra internal tuner for your computer (ie:  the NVTV that I have).   Another detail — you really don’t want to try using the HDHR over a wireless connection.  While watching the Non-HD content (just plain digital broadcast) should be doable, wireless speeds/quality just can’t really handle the streaming of HD content (okay, maybe if you have some crazy wireless setup, but not with most). 

So would I recommend this to anyone that simply wants HD?  No.  If you just want to be able to watch some HD on your living room TV, your best bet would be to get a TV that has a QAM tuner itself, or simply pay the monthly fee for HD programming for your digital cable box.  However, if you don’t want to pay the monthly fee for basic HD, would like to be able to watch live HD or digital broadcast on any of your wired computers, and even be able to record basic HD with a HTPC (computer based DVR), then the HDHR is the way to go!  Especially if you have an old (but again, relatively powerful) computer sitting around, HDHR is a great way to put it to use!

Pros:

• Two built in QAM / OTA tuners (watch/record two things at once)
• Built in ethernet port for networked viewing/streaming
• VERY easy to setup and install
• Small, lightweight, good online based support forums

Cons:

• Expensive ($170)
• Only can do QAM (cannot view non-broadcast such as TNT HD, Discovery HD, ESPN HD, etc — for these, you need a cable box or a cable card)
• You need a good signal coming into your house, or expect to buy a cable amplifier
• For a TiVo like replacement, you need a relatively powerful / expensive computer