With the problems that CableCARD ran into, CE company reticence to adopt the new tru2way standard is understandable. But CableLabs has gone a ways toward not repeating past mistakes in its updated tru2way licensing agreement. First and foremost, CE companies will be able to "self-certify" their products. This is great news for manufacturers and consumers alike, and could solve issues stemming from the previous requirement that all gear must be submitted to CableLabs for certification. Altogether, the changes show a "kinder, gentler" face of CableLabs, which seems to get the hint that more cooperation with companies that actually make goods for consumers is a good thing. For its efforts, Samsung has put its name on the dotted line of the new agreement. We like what we're seeing with tru2way, and hope to get more hands-on impressions at The Cable Show later this month. Who knows, maybe roll-your-own tru2way HTPCs could be around the corner!

The consumers electronics industry is full of scams, lies, and ripoffs; but this list from our friend Gary Merson is particularly interesting to HD fans. We got a kick out of every one of 'em, but really enjoyed hearing our own sentiments echoed about things like Deep Color, x.v Color, HDMI and fake HD channels. At the same time we're surprised to see that 120hz and CableCARD enabled TVs didn't make the list. So do yourself a favor if you're shopping for new HD gear or an HD provider, and click on the read link to avoid these scams.

The continuing saga of Digeo and its now you see it / now you don't DVRs at CES has taken another step, first by the company resolving a lawsuit with Gemstar-TV Guide. Courtesy of a multiyear licensing agreement, any problems with its "too similar" guide software should be in the past; a good thing since Light Reading noticed the Moxi HD DVD 3012, set to debut at next month's Cable Show with dual tuners, increased hard drive and CableCARD support. We'll keep an eye out for more details on the new hardware hidden among all that tru2way equipment.

[Via ZatznotFunny]

Earlier this year, we got word that switched digital support for CableCARD was still on track for Q2, and now we're feeling a tad more confident in said assertion thanks to a recent update from Motorola. According to the company's Mari Silbey, its own tuning resolver -- which is meant to allow any third-party CableCARD device to access channels delivered via SDV -- will officially be christened MTR700. Additionally, we're told that it'll likely look just like the DCT700 set-top-box (pictured), and that the unit has just passed through a CableLabs interop "with flying colors." Next, we're expecting the device to be submitted for CableLabs' Cert Wave 60, and best of all, Moto assures us that the STB will be on display (and "functional" enough for demos) at next month's Cable Show in New Orleans. Huzzah!

[Via Light Reading]

Switched Digital Video quickly became a bad word around here -- don't get us wrong, we want more HD as much as the next person, but not if it means we'll have to use our cable company's lackluster STB. Luckily TiVo owners will be getting a solution to their SDV woes soon, but our friend Gary Merson surveyed several HDTV manufacturersand none left him with the impression that there was any chance that the current crop of CableCARD enabled HDTVs would work with the new "tuning resolver." This most certainly blows a big one for those customers out there that are actually using this feature, and that will start to watch their HD channels fade away -- assuming they haven't already -- but many manufacturers abandoned the technology over a year ago. The dream of a set-top-boxless solution isn't lost though, as Samsung, LG and Panasonic all expect to have tru2way TVs available this year, and with any luck these won't be obsolete after only a few years.

Chalk one up for the little guys. After Bright House Cable ganked a number of HD channels from CableCARD users early last month in "preparation" for the SDV transformation, a chorus of complaints flooded in. Now, it seems as if the carrier has caved, and the channels that were removed (along with the networks added to non-CableCARD lineups) will be redelivered sometime this week. Granted, the jubilation will come to a screeching halt in August / September once SDV is actually implemented, but hopefully a workaround will be available by then to enable switched digital support for CableCARD. Be sure to chime in below once you see the stations come back online, and yeah, we're raising our glasses over here in celebration, too.

[Thanks, TiVo Community]

It seems The Man is still trying to hold CableCARD users down, as just a month after Bright House and Time Warner users in various locales were forced to either revert to a carrier-issued HD STB or lose out on a few HD channels, along comes Cablevision trying to do the same. This time, however, Cablevision / Optimum actually had the nerve to print up flyers and mail 'em out to CableCARD users informing them that they'll need to switch to the box they (likely) intentionally snubbed to begin with in order to catch the high-def action on the Voom HD family. Worse still, it tries to coax said users into ditching their card by offering an HD cable box gratis for a full year. Needless to say, SDV support for CableCARD can't come quickly enough.


[Thanks, Ramon]

Life is good if you got HD, but it's not all good. Sure, HD is great, but only if we can have it on our own terms, and unlike the analog sources before it, the powers that be are doing everything to keep us down. In the spirit of wanting things done right, our friend Justin writes in.

I'm a big DIY PC guy, and I've been looking into ways of recording HDTV on my PC for quite sometime now. The problem is, I want to record HD Streams from my local Cable Provider (Charter), or possibly switch to Dish Network's HD-only package and record those streams. Unfortunately, either of those requires either a CableCARD or proprietary tuner. I know DirecTV has one in the works (Release Date: Day and Date with Duke Nukem Forever, I hear), and that Niveus has a dual CableCARD USB 2.0 Tuner (At an ungodly $1500 price tag), but that's all I can find!

Believe us, we hear ya' Justin, but the options are slim. But while none are perfect there are a few ways to accomplish what your after.

Hi-def and DVRs go together like peanut butter and jelly, but even with all the great DVRs available today, none are perfect. TiVo offers the best overall user experience and features, but lacks a few fundamental features that most cable STBs have -- like VOD, for starters. Although this isn't TiVo's fault, when it comes down to figuring out what's right for your family, it really doesn't matter. During Tivo's earnings call yesterday, it was reaffirmed that TiVo is working one step closer to making the ultimate cable DVR by including two-way functionality using the latest CableLabs standard tru2way. For those who haven't been keeping track at home, tru2way has undergone an identity crisis, and if you go back long enough, you'll find that it was called CableCARD 2.0 -- by someone. The way this would work is that you'd have a way on a TiVo to access the cable company's UI, so good or bad, when you're accessing VOD content, you'd see the same thing as if you were using a Moto or SA Cisco box. What isn't known is if current HD TiVo owners, with the help of a tuning resolver and some software, would have access to the same features. We don't see why not, but this stuff is already way more complicated than it should be, and at this point we wouldn't put anything by CableLabs.

We've leered at Alienware's Hangar18:HD Media Server before, but with it finally available -- via custom installer channels only -- we can imagine it finding a place in our own media closet. Until thats the case, check out an unboxing of the unsurprisingly grey, sturdy beast, CableCard slots, hot swappable HDDs and Blu-ray drive splayed open for the world to see.

Uh oh, here we go again. Earlier this month, we heard a chorus of complaints from CableCARD Bright House customers that had four of their HD channels snatched out from under them, and now it looks like Time Warner Cable subscribers in Albany, New York will soon be dealing with the same. According to a recent note sent out to CableCARD users, the carrier plans to start delivering TBS HD, A&E HD and Universal HD via switched digital video (SDV) on March 18th. Considering that we're still waiting for support for SDV on CableCARD devices, TWC is advising these users to come on in and join the dark side -- er, pick up one of its own HD set-top-boxes that can handle two-way services (which SDV is). So, here's your options: concede and pick up a box (if only temporarily) from TWC, or stick with your CableCARD setup and go without this trio. Check the full letter after the jump. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Mark P.]

There's nothing easy about getting a CableCARD from your cable co' and if you're hoping to save a few bucks by using a multi-stream (aka M-Card) CableCARD in your TiVo HD -- does any other 3rd party host device even support M-Cards? -- then you have an even harder road ahead than most. Recently good 'ol S&V Mag braved the trail and came away semi-scathed. Lucky for us, they documented the journey and have written up a pretty comprehensive list of pitfalls to watch out for. Some are pretty obvious, like the need to be persistent when you meet the cable co's resistance to all things CableCARD, but it's a must read nonetheless. Oh, and one more thing, make sure the card actually says Multi-Stream on it before you even bother inserting it, as many cable co' employees think M-Card means Motorola card!

It's hard to believe the first quarter of '08 is almost half way over, but time can't pass fast enough when you're waiting on something. TiVo fans everywhere don't look like they'll have to wait too much longer for new HD channels -- that are already available to cable co' DVR users -- thanks to new testing equipment that CableLabs has received that is designed to allow 3rd party CableCARD devices to play nice with switched digital video. This new STB -- which is also known as a tunning resolver and is expected to look something the box pictured here -- will allow any 3rd party CableCARD device to access channels delivered using SDV -- assuming the device is compatible. At this point, this is all about TiVo owners, but many hope that Microsoft will get in on the action as well.

Hey, Bright House CableCARD customers -- remember those eight HD channels that popped online back in September? Turns out, you were only supposed to receive half of 'em, and reportedly, four have actually been pulled after five newcomers were added in late January. According to Arthur Orduna, the senior vice president of product for BHN, it had decided to "not to deliver those channels [HGTV HD, TBS HD, The History Channel HD and Food Network HD] to CableCard customers" as it prepared for switched digital video, and apparently, the cable company is now allowing these very subscribers to trade their beloved CableCARD in for a ho hum HD DVR. Supposedly, this stopgap will enable customers to view the entire HD lineup while they wait for an "external adapter" to be rolled out which will allow CableCARD-ready TiVos to play nice with SDV. Sounds like a pretty complicated mess from here -- anyone down in the Sunshine state dealing with this here dilemma?

[Thanks, Celly and David]

Life|ware has announced availability of the LMS-100 and LMS-150 Life|media servers, a pair of Windows Media Center PCs for home automation and digital media use. Both servers are powered by a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM, with a nVidia 8400 handling video duties. The LMS-150 includes two CableCARD adapters for recording onto a terabyte of disk space and retails for $3500, while dropping 500GB of drive and the CableCARD slots leaves you $1000 richer but still able to record over-the-air content.