Ask Engadget HD: Best CableCARD-equipped HTPC?
"I am looking to purchase a HTPC with CableCARD and bitstreaming audio via HDMI. Normally I would build my own computer, but since you can't get a CableCARD device after the fact (actually, you can), I am stuck buying one already made. I am looking for one in a home theater case that can sit in my rack, not a tower. Any suggestions?"
For those of you who've splurged on a pre-fabricated media PC with CableCARD capabilities, how do you like yours? Any major gripes? Thumbs up / down? Make sure Jordan doesn't start 2009 off with a sour purchase, alright?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
honkimon @ Dec 31st 2008 12:12PM
Cable card is pointless on a PC until SDV is supported.
Godfail @ Dec 31st 2008 1:00PM
If by pointless you mean capable of recording HD video on subscription based cable channels...sure.
Hyperbole is so annoying.
honkimon @ Dec 31st 2008 2:17PM
Pointless meaning that the selection will be very limited seeing that cable companies expansion of HD channels comes through Switched Digital Video, which Vista does not support.
Casey @ Dec 31st 2008 1:05PM
Shameless plug:
Check out the Niveus Media Pro Series rackmount servers combined with the Niveus Digital Cable Receiver. You pay a premium for a Niveus solution but the proprietary features like Movie Library, Niveus Companion as well as world class support more than make up for it.
My own experience with CableCard was good and bad. It was awesome from a hardware and software perspective, little to no problems with comcast or pairing. My disappointment came fro mthe picture quality from my cable provider. At the time I was a DirecTV subscriber and had Comcast HD cable simultaneously to test. I found the picture quality on Bay Area Comcast to be subpar. On picture quality, your mileage may vary.
Overall I LOVE the TV experience in Vista Media Center and pray for a DirecTV solution in the future, or severe improvement in picture quality from Comcast.
Nate @ Dec 31st 2008 1:12PM
I have an HP d5000t with CableCARD tuner and there are a lot of issues that the Dell 420 crowd and myself have had with the cheaper solutions. HP and Dell don't know how to support these systems. Do not discount the value of good support for these things. VMC is very buggy when it comes to DRM and CableCARD.
Jordan @ Dec 31st 2008 1:09PM
Darren,
Thank you for posting my question. It is my understanding that even if you do purchase a CableCard tuner, you have to have a OEM computer with a specific BIOS to use it, as others commented in the Cannon PC post. Is that not true?
Nate @ Dec 31st 2008 1:14PM
This is correct. CableCARD tuners will only work when coupled with a Cablelabs licensed OEM system - HP (9400/5100 series) and Dell (420 series) are the lower end of these OEMs in terms of price/features.
Morphy @ Dec 31st 2008 1:43PM
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isnt this like evaluating which brand of leaded gasoline is best? Cablecard was obsolete the day that cable companies started having their arm twisted to hand them out. They are already working on the next standard to screw over all but the super-rich, so just hold on for tru2way or whatever.
demon @ Jan 1st 2009 1:41PM
Tru2way will actually be using CableCARDs for authorization, so it's not like CableCARD is going anywhere. The differences are in the CableCARD host device - and until deployment of tru2way spans out beyond the two current locations (Denver and Chicago, IIRC), it's not like there's going to be a lot of hardware supporting it. Even then, I think it'll be awhile.
Jordan @ Dec 31st 2008 2:11PM
What about HDMI audio? I'd like to bitstream if possible to my receiver, but it seems like there is a lack of HDMI audio options
Silvio @ Dec 31st 2008 3:51PM
I've had an HP m9000t CableCard system for a year now and besides the initial setup, it's been great. I bought it direct from HP and was lucky to find a coupon which ended up setting the price to about $850 with a single external CableCard tuner. I then bought a second tuner from Sony. It uses a MicroATX board so I'm planning to relocate it into an HTPC case.
I'm on Comcast in northern VA and have not hit any issues with SDV channels. All of the compatibility issues I had initially were fixed with ATI's firmware update from earlier this year. Comcast is unfortunately the weakest link. They insist on sending a tech out to "install" the cable cards and they have no idea what to do (at least a year ago). I definitely recommend having them pair one tuner at a time, because they kept screwing me up by pairing the wrong tuner with the wrong card so it was like whack-a-mole troubleshooting it. Since then, it's been running no problems minus some Vista bugs that Microsoft patched.
Personally, I wouldn't go overboard spending too much money on a CableCard Vista MCE system. It's a little scary being unsure if it will become obsolete, unsupported (by cable or Microsoft), or just incompatible.
Jordan @ Dec 31st 2008 5:19PM
Thanks Silvio for the info. Are you able to bitstream the audio? How does it handle it handle TrueHD/DTS-HD?
Silvio @ Dec 31st 2008 3:52PM
Sorry, forgot to add: yes, HDMI audio works fine. The CableCard PCs must come with an HDMI video card. My GeForce 8500GT that came with my HP is plugged directly into my TV and works wonderfully streaming audio and video.
okby @ Jan 1st 2009 11:00AM
完全是多此一举。
那么大的体积。
谁买？
David @ Jan 1st 2009 12:24PM
Gotta love the haters.
I have a Velocity Micro CableCard setup. It is FAR better than the 3 Tivo Series 3 units I had before - mainly due to the ability to have extenders around the house.
CableCards are not the devil. They allow me to record all my HD and premium channels within my subscription block - about 60 HD channels and 80 paid premium. A total of 300+ channels are available for me to record.
I'm as happy as I could be with my setup. I'm now looking to upgrade to a Niveus system - for the advanced Movie Library functionality and Blu-Ray.
BTW, this is all coming from a Mac fanboy.
diginic @ Jan 1st 2009 12:30PM
I just picked up a Velocity Micro Theater System
I'm told they offer great support throughout the life of the product. And to echo a previous comment, this is exactly why I wouldn't buy from a company such asHP or Dell, they are simply not experts on the product. A company such as VM specializes in cablecard hardware/setup. This was very important in my decision. I've read about all the nightmares people have experience with the cheaper systems.
In addition, I liked the opportunity to get Vista with the Media TV Pack, and they also use internal tuners for their cablecard slots.
I do wish there was a quality HDMI 1.3 audio/video card available. My hope is that something will present itself in time for the Windows 7 release.
Steve Sanchez @ Jan 2nd 2009 11:55PM
Niveus has nice stuff if you like to pay 3x market value for a system with a very sexy case.
HDGiants will work with anyone who wants to subscribe...I'd Look to some of the other guys out there like S1 Digital, Inteset and Ace Computers, who threw the gauntlet down this week with a $999 Cablecard equipped media center box (See Darren's posting today).
All of these firms have been doing it for several years and have numerous credentials with the custom electronics channel, who insist on quality and know how in these specific arenas.
I think Ace warrants the most attention, since they seem like they are being very realistic about the cablecard issue while many MCE specialists seem to think the cable card issue is an excuse to charge up the ying-yang for cablecard access.
The big OrigenAE case with motorized display used by Cannon, Vidabox and others is just that - very expensive and the "cool factor" disappears after about a week. Why spend so much on a case?
One other good thing about Ace is that they have been around for 25 years and as we have just seen with PC Alchemy going out of business and shutting down as of yesterday, Ace's VP told me today that this arena is under 10% of their business and they are committed to making it successful. With this tough economy, I would like to have a 25 year old company backing it up and one that doesn't depend on media center revenue to keep the lights on.
Steve
PS: I don't own an Ace yet but expect to order the $999 box at CES...