CableCARD certification rules out home-built boxes

[Cross673]

Check out what I found at the following link...

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060131-6081.html

[bnflaherty]

Let's put it this way...

Things change. That's yesturday's news -- anything can happen in the future -- we're still quite a ways from CableCard being Used at all...

[pdaughe]

Originally Posted by bnflaherty

Let's put it this way...

Things change. That's yesturday's news -- anything can happen in the future -- we're still quite a ways from CableCard being Used at all...

Good point, very good point. I've lived long enough and seen enough to appreciate that point.

By 2009, all over-the-air broadcasts will be digital.

OTA HDTV and Beyond TV simply ROCK!

Rebel, I say, let's go OTA!

Tell your neighbors and friends. OTA, OTA, OTA!

[tjstraz]

While OTA HD is a sweet feature, it does not help a lot of us in rural locations who can only receive 2 OTA HD signals.

I'm interested in the CableCard possiblities as well as any Firewire development that may occur. They are much more managable solutions for me to receive HD than OTA. My 2 cents.

[powelljf3]

Originally Posted by tjstraz

While OTA HD is a sweet feature, it does not help a lot of us in rural locations who can only receive 2 OTA HD signals.

At least you get 2. Here, if you don't use cable or Satelite, you get PBS and if you are lucky FOX (no HD on the carrier). OTA might be useful in the cities, but there are a lot of locations where it is totally useless.

[pdaughe]

Okay, you guys are absolutely correct -- OTA is much more applicable (today anyway) in the cities, I grant you that. I get thirteen digital stations in a Detroit suburb.

HOWEVER, having lived in a rural area my whole life, save for the last nine years, I would gladly trade the city and 13 digital stations for the rural life and NO digital stations. You would have to know what it's like to drive the infamous "Lodge" to downtown Detroit everyday. That's right, I have NOT been converted, not by a long shot! I'm a country boy stuck in the city -- thankfully Snapstream makes life more tolerable!

Why can't we have it all....

I replied because I was just thinking the other day how cool it would have been to have Beyond TV up north, where we didn't even have cable. The ability to so easily record shows is nice here, but even more valuable when you get only three or four analog stations!

Think of me the next time you're in your backyard watching the fire in the fire pit!

[tjstraz]

Agreed. OTA would be cool if we had more/any signals to pick up in rural locations.

What kills me is that we all pay the cable companies serious money to have their service in our homes, yet we can't enjoy the ability to easily capture the signal on our own without a USB-UIRT to change channels to capture digital channels or renting an HD PVR to record HD content. CableCard would be a great solution if it would be released to the growing market of DIY HTPC builders out there who have invested in great software packages like BTV! But I'm afraid that it will take over a year to trickle down to the regular folks who like to build their own machines.

I noticed this post earlier: Let's develop a firewire recording plugin! and think the poster is on to something. I wish I had the technical ability to help out. Firewire support would enable the home builder the ability to utilize the signal they are paying for and enjoy it. I hope that some talented people help this person out, as I could see it benefiting the community much better than CableCARD or even OTA support.