CableCard is here...

[cmcquistion]

I saw on MissingRemote that Velocity Micro is now selling Vista Media Center PC's with AMD/ATI CableCard built in.

Here is the page about it at ATI:

http://ati.amd.com/products/tvwonderdigital/index.html

I really, really, really want CableCard support. I Snapstream doesn't support it, soon, I may have to jump ship to some other solution.

*EDIT* Here is another link with some interesting information about this card:

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=344

*EDIT* Here is a third article that delivers a bit of disapointing news. It appears that this product may not come down the retail channels, any time soon. It will probably only be sold through major PC manufacturers.

http://techreport.com/onearticle.x/11564

[cfaslave]

I wouldn't hold your breath. I don't see anyone supporting cablecard except for Microsoft - read Microsoft VISTA and only VISTA extenders (not the MCE extenders that those sorry souls already purchased-they won't even work with vista). I hope I'm surprised, but I really really doubt it....

Even if SS did, it would require you to give up BTV Link and your current PC so that you could be an "approved" pre-configured PC that was blessed by cablelabs.

[mlomker]

Originally Posted by cmcquistion

I Snapstream doesn't support it, soon, I may have to jump ship to some other solution.

Windows Vista MCE is the only PVR that will work with cablecard...at least I've never heard of anything else being an option.

[ClamsTheCat]

I'm not going to buy a new PC just to get an ATI Ocur. If a baby seal had one however, I would club it into unconsciousness and rip the Ocur from its kung-fu grip. I would disappear into the night with my new prize, and install Vista so that I could watch Discovery HD!

EDIT
The seal assault would definitely look similar to this artist's depiction:

[cfaslave]

Originally Posted by ClamsTheCat

I'm not going to buy a new PC just to get an ATI Ocur. If a baby seal had one however, I would club it into unconsciousness and rip the Ocur from its kung-fu grip. I would disappear into the night with my new prize, and install Vista so that I could watch Discovery HD!

I'm not sure I'm following Clam's baby seal analogy, but I'm assuming one could some day extract the cablecard from a pre-configured vista PC and install it on your own PC. Or possibly these could be found oem eventually. Either way, I still don't see how non-Vista PVR companies can compete. It is plain and simple a monopoly designed by the media companies and MS kissed their collective a$$es to get it on their operating system.

[mlomker]

Originally Posted by cfaslave

Or possibly these could be found oem eventually.

ATI's website says that they want to sell them at retail (obviously $$) but are working to get Cablelabs to agree to it. It's not just a matter of the card, though, their site says it requires HDCP, a fast CPU, and a motherboard with an encryption key in it (BIOS update?).

I assume these are single-tuner devices as well...

[cfaslave]

Originally Posted by mlomker

ATI's website says that they want to sell them at retail (obviously $$) but are working to get Cablelabs to agree to it. It's not just a matter of the card, though, their site says it requires HDCP, a fast CPU, and a motherboard with an encryption key in it (BIOS update?).

I assume these are single-tuner devices as well...

Well maybe I've just been hearing rumours (there have been lots of those for sure), but I had thought Cablelabs wouldn't license the card to be sold individually - that it had to be a "built-in" piece of a PC.

[ClamsTheCat]

Originally Posted by cfaslave

I'm not sure I'm following Clam's baby seal analogy

Come on!!! Didn't you see the picture I added to my post?!?! You can get in on that action! I can get the artist (me) to show us both bludgeoning the seal, would that help? We are talking about CableCard here! Take no prisoners, show no mercy!

[merrypig]

I am 99% positive that you will need a motherboard with TPM 1.2 platform support - which means a new mobo with the TPM chipset down , BIOS support and a buy in from cablecard to support the keying/signature for the box.

I would doubt you could take the card from a working vista pc and do anything with it since you'd not be able to extract the tpm keys from your vista box.

[Note: This isn't derived from explicit knowledge of the cablecard implementation, but I've been working with TPM and a mobo design and would be what I'd _expect_ to be done. I'd be interested to find out otherwise btw]

[cfaslave]

Originally Posted by ClamsTheCat

Come on!!! Didn't you see the picture I added to my post?!?! You can get in on that action! I can get the artist (me) to show us both bludgeoning the seal, would that help? We are talking about CableCard here! Take no prisoners, show no mercy!

You're too funny. Love the photo.

[cmcquistion]

I've got a relatively new Asus motherboard with Intel chipset and I'm fairly certain that it has TPM. I also have a fairly fast CPU and memory. All I would need is an HDCP-compliant video card, and you can get low-end HDCP video cards for under $100.

[mlomker]

Originally Posted by cfaslave

it had to be a "built-in" piece of a PC.

That is currently the case, but read the second link in post #1.

Originally Posted by cmcquistion

you can get low-end HDCP video cards for under $100.

Yup. I have two 7600GS' and they do it.

[cfaslave]

Another story with info on cablecard at Chris Lanier's Blog

1. PC OEM’s don’t have to pay a bunch of fees to Cable Labs. Licensing fees and other stuff was taken care of by AMD/ATI for their tuner.
2. You can’t build your own CableCARD system.
3. Have to sign an agreement with Microsoft and then send a compliance letter to Cable Labs.
4. Going to have to have special Vista COA's that have keys for digital cable.
5. BIOS has to be modified to identify the PC as a digital cable ready system
6. Customer's system will dial into CableLabs servers to authenticate that the key from Microsoft is in an acceptable range and will tell them which manufacturer it came from (every 90 days to verify that it's authorized)
7. CableLabs, two tuners is the limit.
8. If you buy a system that is “Digital Cable Ready” and compliant, if you can get your hands on a TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - it SHOULD work just fine. You just have to find someone that actually is going to sell the tuner itself.

These are the types of things I've heard in the past.

For the entire post on Chris's blog, go here:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/archi...01/534857.aspx

[myktek]

interesting but it is only suppose to work with Vista Media Center and you have to be CableLabs Certified. It's an OEM only product from what I heard.

[ClamsTheCat]

They will sell them retail eventually, and people will find a way to get them. Just a matter of software support. These huge media association conglomerates like Cable Labs/MPAA/RIAA are really starting to get on my nerves. Why they haven't been slapped with Anti-Trust suits yet or legislation is beyond me.