AT&T Tech Support 360January 20, 2005 4:00 AM PST
FAQ: CableCard? What's that?
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Momentum for the technology has been building almost imperceptibly since late 2003, when the Federal Communications Commission first ordered cable companies to support it. Now CableCard is gaining visibility, thanks to new devices promising to give consumers more control over their TVs while keeping everything simple enough for average folks to use.
If you're shopping for a new TV or personal video recorder (PVR) this year, you should know something about CableCard. At this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, TiVo, Hewlett-Packard and others unveiled new products incorporating the technology. Most new digital television models including HDTVs now include CableCard hook-ups.
What's new:
CableCard is a new technology for digital television that lets users connect to cable TV without a set-top box.
Bottom line:
It will simplify your entertainment system and possibly save you money. But if CableCard signals the beginning of the end for the basic set-top box, the switch will probably take several years to play out.
So what is CableCard? And why haven't we heard much about it until now? The following CNET News.com FAQ explains the ins and outs, the pros and cons and the whys and wherefores.
What is it?
CableCard is an interface for digital TV that lets you plug your cable line directly into your TV set without the need for a set-top box. It's about the size of a thick credit card, and fits into a special slot built into digital TVs and a growing number of peripheral devices, such as a newly announced version of TiVo and HP's media "hub."
What does it do?
CableCard's first function--and arguably its most important--is to prevent people from stealing cable TV. Like a set-top box, it stores subscriber information and codes for unlocking and viewing scrambled digital-cable signals.
CableCard is meant to replace set-top boxes. But it does not yet replicate all set-top box functions. Notably, you can't yet use CableCard for services that require two-way interactivity, such as accessing your cable company's interactive programming guide or purchasing pay-per-view programs. Also, equipment that was made before the CableCard specification was created won't work with CableCard. That includes all current TiVo models.
Why should I get one?
The main reasons for now are cost and convenience. It's cheaper for cable companies to produce and distribute CableCards than set-top boxes, and consumers are expected to pocket at least some of
CableCard is expected to let you choose from a variety of digital-TV services and devices, rather than those dictated by your cable provider. Updated specifications are also in the works that will enable interactive features, although it is unclear when they will be available.
How can I get one and how much will it cost?
You can only rent one for about $2 a month from your cable provider. That compares to about $7 a month currently for a set-top box.
Can I install it myself?
Ideally, the cable company sends over a card, you plug it in to your TV and voila! But that day is still a way off. Since CableCards are still in
See more CNET content tagged:
CableCard,
set-top box,
digital television,
set-top,
cable television
What's going to happen is that the cable companies will require a CC for each device capable of recieving their signal, and likely still charge most customers for a box anyway, whether it be a cable DVR or STB for an older set.
So TV's containing the more advanced tuners are more expensive to build.
DVR set top boxes and pay-per-view are also good reasons not go take the carblecard TV plunge.
A cablecard TiVo on the other hand..
In other words, after years of trying, and failing, to legally-overturn the Supreme Court's "Beta-Max decision" (which established many of the basic-rights held by consumers for the last twenty-years), a few powerful-interests are quite obviously attempting to mis-use the FCC's-authority to finally accomplish their ultimate goal of eliminating any pretense of consumer- 'rights', choice', or 'control'.
So far this can't be done with digital cable because the channels still must be selected at the box.
My question: will future D-VHS (if VHS survives), DVRs and DVD recorders be compatible with CableCard?
One can hope.
Want something useful? Ask your cable supplier why VCRs have had channel-switch timers for over twenty years but cable boxes (unless you add the cable companies' integrated TiVo or whatever) don't. Or when can we use picture-in-picture (another costly but useless-with-cable feature) or watch-A-while-record-B multichannel?
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by billsen
February 7, 2007 9:28 AM PST
- Is anyone aware of conflict concerning MOTOROLA
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