Multistream CableCARDs expected "within the next few months"
Overall CableCARDs have been a disapointment, but the FCC isn't letting them give up. One of the reasons more consumer electronics companies like TiVo haven't released stand alone CableCARD devices is because of the lack of multi-stream support. If TiVo wants to allow you to record two shows at once like your Cable Companies DVR lets you do then you need either 2 CableCARDs or multi-stream support. If a TV manufacturer wants to enable Picture-In-Picture it would also need multi-stream support. That looks like it may change soon as both Scientific Atlantic and now Motorola have had their multi-stream CableCARDs approved by CableLabs. With any luck we should see them "within the next few months".
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Mishoe @ Jul 20th 2006 3:07PM
I thought the idea behind cable cards was that your TV would contain everything that your cable box or DVR normally does, except the CC would provide the decryption.
If that's the case, then what's the purpose of a cable card slot on your cable box/DVR?
Ben Drawbaugh @ Jul 20th 2006 3:11PM
Ben,
It is so you can bring your own Cablebox or DVR. Lets say you hate that DVR supplied to you (Like me) and you want to buy a TiVo. You should be able to buy your TiVo put ONE cable card in it and enjoy recording two HD channels at once.
Even if you don't want a TiVo, but your a big PQ nut, you might buy a differnt cable box that has extreamly nice components or some special feature. Maybe a high end scaller with a CableCARD slot.
The point is choice like we had for years with NTSC, but still a balance that allows the content providers protections.
peyote @ Jul 20th 2006 3:29PM
possibilities are endless once ccard 2.0 comes when you can have HTpc's that are quiet enough for the room & you want the option to stream shows throughout the home over ethernet or wifi or any combination.
SA & cox promised this multi-room broadcast with one dvr & multiple dummy boxes 2yrs ago & it still is not here. i for one am anxious & mad that cable companies have stalled the cablecard progress as long as they have. must be hard for them to get rid of these cashcow boxes, i guess. progress in technology does not go far w/o competition.
Mark A @ Jul 20th 2006 3:34PM
So this still does not resolve the 2 way communication issue with cable card?
Aaron Rodriguez @ Jul 20th 2006 3:37PM
Media center with vista should be pretty close to the "whole house" solution with cablecard. I read the chat transcript from the media center beta a few weeks ago and cc 2.0 was brought up and it was more or less said the ocur devices right now were only going to be c 1.0 compatable.
Personally I want to see microsoft add a ocur capable server (vista server with 4 or 5 cablecard slots or 2 or 3 cc 2.0 slots) with media center extender support where you can get a server and 4 or 5 extenders at your tv's and have your tv streamed out like that.
It really wouldnt be that much work (most of the functionality is already there)
Kevin @ Jul 20th 2006 3:42PM
I have been trying to get a CableCARD from Comcast (Philadelphia suburbs) for almost a month. They keep telling me they aren't in stock. I'm sure the reason they aren't "in stock" is because Comcast doesn't want their customers to have a CableCARD. With a CableCARD, I don't have a cable box and they lose revenue on their precious pay-per-view and other digital tv features. I want a CableCARD because I want my lcd tv mounted on the wall with no cables or cablebox showing.
Hopefully Comcast will get with the program, but I doubt it. Comcast has been screwing Philadelphia area residents for years now...but that is a whole other story in itself.
Dracula Jones @ Jul 20th 2006 6:07PM
Wondering the same thing as #4. I'd love to ditch my cable box altogether, but I loves me some On Demand.
Finn123 @ Jul 20th 2006 9:42PM
I've been using a CableCard for about a year now. Relaibility has been an issue but I'm still too cheap to buy/rent a cable box for $7/month when I can get a CC for $2/month.
Will the new CCs still work with older Cable Card slots like mine?
Big Sam @ Jul 20th 2006 10:37PM
I doubt I can even use a cable card because I'm in a part of Dallas that Comcast refuses to upgrade from the old A-B system. We can't even get the better DVR boxes here. I'm stuck with the horrible single-tuner one. (Go two blocks north of me and you are in an upgraded area)
Erik Hanson @ Jul 20th 2006 11:46PM
Sam, I used to rent an apartment near downtown Dallas, and I remember the A/B switches they gave out! Classic high technology. Too bad they are still using those, although at least you have the option now of getting satellite if you so choose, and mounting the dish outside on your railing or elsewhere. So it's slightly better than when I lived there years back, although still not as good as living in Highland Park *cough*
Reid @ Jul 21st 2006 10:29AM
The multistream cable card should allow On Demand, PPV, and program guide, allowing you to get rid of your cable box. The cable comopanies didn't adopt cable card 1 very broadly because they'd lose on the revenue from PPV with no set top boxes. With CC 2.0 (multistream), this should be less of an issue.
Ben Drawbaugh @ Jul 21st 2006 11:44AM
Reid,
The article doesn't say anything about CC 2.0. Although CC 2.0 supports Multi-stream it is not required.
My understanding is that this is a Multi-stream CC 1.0 device. If you understand otherwise please elaborate.
Ben
Eric @ Jul 21st 2006 11:54AM
#3 Cash cow boxes? You've got to be f-ing kidding me. Do you think we pick those things up from Moto for, like, 20-30 bucks? Try nearly $500 for a DCT-6412. At $7.95 per month for a rental do you think we ever get our money back on that? It's either broken or obsolete long before then. A CableCARD, on the other hand, costs us about $50 bucks. Sure we lose VOD revenue on that sub, but if they chose to go with a cableCARD VOD probably isn't important to them and they weren't going to purchase much anyway.
As far as your assertion that MSO's are responsible for the "delay" in advancing CableCARD technology and deployment, you are sorely mistaken. The industry has been hampered by ridiculous "chicken & egg" squabbling for years. CE manufacturers "said we'll produce the host devices when you get cableCARDs out to the market". Moto/SA said, "We’ll get cableCARDs out to market as soon as you produce the hosts. Then you've got dozens of other issues ranging from CableLabs certifications to manufacturing problems. Aside from the fact that Asian CE manufactures aren't exactly thrilled with having to deal with the increased cost of implementing cableCARDs, (solely for the US market) into there sets when margins on those sets are ever dwindling, AND when only a fraction of consumers actually use it.
#6, it's not a conspiracy. There is a pretty big CableCARD shortage; we were about 2 months out for a while. I know that in our system we somewhat underestimated the popularity of a one-way card. I think Moto did as well when they came up with their production numbers.
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Jerry @ Jul 21st 2006 5:38PM
Please read the article before posting.
THIS IS NOT A 2 WAY DEVICE. Thus you will NOT be able to use VOD, PPV, interactive programming guides are any other service that requires your TV to send information back to cable provider.
This is exactly the same as current cablecards w/ 1 exception. It can access multiple channels at once. The advantages are for media servers, Tivo like boxes, and even PIP on HDTV.
My TV has PIP but only one source can be the cablecard. So I could but CNN in PIP box w/ DVD playing or put xbox360 side by side with MTV but I can't put MTV & CNN up at same time. Why? Because the cablecard can only process only channel at a time.
These new cards will aloow multiple channel access. Bidirectional (2way) CC are a long way off. Currently there isn't even a draft proposal. It is more like a concept idea right now. I would expect no 2way CC before 2008 or more likely early 2009.
This is the downside of being on cutting edge. People who buy a HDTV for first time in say 2010 will likely have 1080P sets with 3+ HDMI inputs, 2wayCC, firewire, improved PQ, improved scalers, imrpoved lamp life, etc. They will also pay less than entry level set today. However I like having HDTV today so I pay the price.
GhostDoggy @ Jul 22nd 2006 6:26AM
With cable providers begining their march to scaling existing network capacity (bandwidth) by implementing IPTV, CableCard's days will probably be numbered. This is too bad, because Windows Vista is suppose to support the card, all be it doubtful for multithreading.