DS video vs HDHomeRun
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DS video
Stream your video collection from your Synology NAS to your mobile device. Automatically retrieves movie information and organizes content into libraries. Record and manage TV programs remotely if you have compatible HDHomeRun devices connected to your NAS.
- Stream video collection from Synology NAS
- Automatic movie information retrieval
- Organized video libraries
- Record and manage TV programs
- Remote TV schedule management
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**You must own a Synology NAS to run this app, and be running the latest Video Station 2.3.0 to get the complete set of features** Use DS video to stream your video collection on your DiskStation from your iOS mobile device. Browsing is made easy as your videos are sorted in different libraries, and each movies has its information retrieved online automatically. And if you have connected HDHomeRun devices with DVB-T standard to the same local area network as your Synology NAS, you will also be able to record TV programs, as well as view the TV program to manage the recording schedule even when on the move. Find all detailed features about the app on our website: www.synology.com > NAS > DSM 7.1 > Apps > Mobile Apps > Software Specs https://www.synology.com/dsm/software_spec/mobile#DSvideo
HDHomeRun
Stream live, over-the-air, and cable TV channels directly to your iOS device. Pause, rewind, and fast-forward live broadcasts. Access program guides with images and logos for an enhanced viewing experience.
- Live TV streaming (OTA & Cable)
- Pause, FF, RW live TV
- HD channel support
- Program guide with images
- Fast channel changes
- Intuitive UI controls
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Enjoy free over-the-air TV throughout your home on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac with HDHomeRun and a TV antenna. Simply connect your HDHomeRun to your TV antenna and home network to enjoy a modern TV experience throughout your home. Discover shows, explore a beautiful guide, see what's on now and next, and start watching with fast channel changes and an intuitive interface. Add a USB hard drive to your HDHomeRun for DVR across your home. Pause and rewind live TV, record your favorite shows, and watch your recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) where available with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K. Features: • Watch free over-the-air TV from your TV antenna on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Discover shows with a beautiful guide • Pause and rewind live TV • Fast channel changes • Record your favorite shows with HDHomeRun DVR • Schedule series and movie recordings • Watch your HDHomeRun DVR recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K where available Requirements: • HDHomeRun connected to your TV antenna and home network • Wi-Fi or wired home network • Internet connection for guide data
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DS video at 2.8 against HDHomeRun's 2.6. DS video also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
DS video holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 258 and 476 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 27% and 27% positive.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DS video | HDHomeRun |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (258 ratings) — better | 2.6 (476 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 26.7% of reviews | 26.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 258 | 476 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Synology Inc. | SiliconDust USA, Inc. |
Customer experience
DS video
HDHomeRun
User reviews
DS video
From 258 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Simple and fast
- ⭐ Excellent ability to stream to Chromecast
- ⭐ Automatically fetches metadata
- ⭐ Allows sharing with family/friends
- ⭐ Works flawlessly with Synology NAS
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unstable, crashes frequently
- 🐛 Playback issues, video doesn't start or stops unexpectedly
- 🐛 Doesn't support common video formats like MKV, HEVC, DTS
- 🐛 Transcoding/download issues, videos don't play properly
- 🐛 Buggy on newer iOS/tvOS versions
HDHomeRun
From 476 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fastest TV app
- 📺 Great picture quality
- 🔍 Picks up more channels than TV tuner
- 🔌 Works reliably
- 🔨 Decent hardware
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔍 Unreliable channel detection
- 🤖 Clunky and unintuitive UI
- 🔇 No independent volume control
- 🔒 Lacks DRM support
Bugs and requests
DS video
Reported bugs
4 issues- Playback controls not working on Apple TV
- Subtitle display issues
- Inability to play videos over encrypted connections
- Synology NAS integration problems
Requested features
6 requests- Add support for more video formats
- Improve playback controls (skip forward/backward, resume, etc.)
- Implement auto-play next episode for TV shows
- Add Picture-in-Picture support on iPad
- Improve Chromecast and AirPlay support
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- Enhance parental controls and content filtering
HDHomeRun
Reported bugs
6 issues- Fails to detect tuner device
- Channels not loading
- Playback issues after updates
- Crashes on channel change
- Compatibility problems with iOS 15+
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- Lip-sync issues
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Channel favorites and filtering
- Improved DVR functionality
- Manual IP address entry
- Native Apple TV app
In-app purchases
DS video
No in-app purchases
HDHomeRun
No in-app purchases
