

baineschile

2600 ways to live

Premium Member

join:2008-05-10

Sterling Heights, MI baineschile Premium Member Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons Yeah, the higher ups are to blame. But I think the main reason they havent been adopted is because they dont appeal to most people.



Most tv co's give away a few set top boxes with their packages now, and with the all room dvrs, on screen gudes, and ondemand services, STBs are a clear choice over cable cards.



Now....the real question is to whether to let people buy their own STBs....



pnh102

Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty

Premium Member

join:2002-05-02

Mount Airy, MD pnh102 Premium Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by baineschile: Now....the real question is to whether to let people buy their own STBs....



I don't think these things are really worth owning. Funny you mention this. These STBs seem to be the flimsiest things in the universe. Mine died over the weekend and is in the process of being replaced. I'm kinda glad I am renting it as without any box my old tunerless HDTV monitor is not usable.I don't think these things are really worth owning.

Joe12345678

join:2003-07-22

Des Plaines, IL Joe12345678 Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons owning them will cut down on the over reuse of them.



Owning seems to work in Canada and they don't hit you with $6-$7+ outlet or mirroring fees per box.



pnh102

Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty

Premium Member

join:2002-05-02

Mount Airy, MD pnh102 Premium Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by Joe12345678: owning them will cut down on the over reuse of them. said by Joe12345678: Owning seems to work in Canada and they don't hit you with $6-$7+ outlet or mirroring fees per box.

How? I don't see how owning a box that is a piece of junk that has to be replaced is better than renting one. Over time, if I had to pay out of pocket to replace all the boxes I've had die on me, I would have spent way more in equipment costs than I have paid in rental fees.I've never been charged any such fees. I don't think they are linked to box rentals.



PGHammer

join:2003-06-09

Accokeek, MD PGHammer to pnh102

Member to pnh102

Flimsy? Here with Comcast, we have had a grand total of two STBs die, ever, and both were refurbs, and that is since 2000. (Also, one was employee-installed, and the other was shipped under the STB Self-Install program that Comcast has offered in the Beltway Region for nearly two years.) Neither was HD - both were, in fact, SD. (The only HD STB we've ever had - a Pace RNG110 - which replaced the shipped-dead refurb - was also shipped, and has worked just fine since it arrived.) I'm anxiously awaiting the self-install CableCARD as I still have the house's only CC-ready HDTV - my 42" Philips plasma that I bought new in 2005 and is mounted on my bedroom wall. It's nice to know that I have less than a month to wait!



pnh102

Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty

Premium Member

join:2002-05-02

Mount Airy, MD pnh102 Premium Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons The one that will replace this box will be our 5th or 6th. I forget.



I sincerely hope we get a Motorola box this time around. The past few boxes have been these crappy Scientific Atlanta or Cisco boxes that just keep dying on me.



But like I said, I don't really mind too much, I'd rather pay to rent the thing thing and get a replacement when they break rather than poop out $300 or more a pop for these things.

Cogdis

join:2007-03-26

Floral Park, NY Cogdis Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by pnh102: I'd rather pay to rent the thing thing and get a replacement when they break rather than poop out $300 or more a pop for these things.





Last year I grabbed myself a Ceton InfiniTV Quad-Tuner that I use with a PC and an extender to replace 2 more DVR's. I'm already in the green for that. I got my first 2 Tivos in 2007 and they're both still working great. Over 4 years at ~$20 per DVR they've saved me about $2000 in rental fees. They've paid for themselves multiple times already, so if I ever have to replace a hard drive for $50 it's no biggie.Last year I grabbed myself a Ceton InfiniTV Quad-Tuner that I use with a PC and an extender to replace 2 more DVR's. I'm already in the green for that.



fifty nine

join:2002-09-25

Sussex, NJ fifty nine to baineschile

Member to baineschile

said by baineschile: Yeah, the higher ups are to blame. But I think the main reason they havent been adopted is because they dont appeal to most people.



Most tv co's give away a few set top boxes with their packages now, and with the all room dvrs, on screen gudes, and ondemand services, STBs are a clear choice over cable cards.



Now....the real question is to whether to let people buy their own STBs....





Rather, the reason that CableCARD has floundered is because the cable companies simply can't get it to work right. It's more of a hassle than it's worth. Also most people don't know you can get a TiVo or alternative DVR. They figure the only option is the cableco provided box. Most cable companies DO NOT give away HD DVRs with cable subscriptions. They may give a few months free rental but the DVR rental and DVR service fee is a huge cash cow now.Rather, the reason that CableCARD has floundered is because the cable companies simply can't get it to work right. It's more of a hassle than it's worth. Also most people don't know you can get a TiVo or alternative DVR. They figure the only option is the cableco provided box.

cramer

Premium Member

join:2007-04-10

Raleigh, NC Westell 6100

Cisco PIX 501

cramer Premium Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons Rather, the reason that CableCARD has floundered is because the cable companies simply can't get it to work right.



The experience sucks because they make it suck. (a) they don't advertise cabecards. (b) they charge extra for cablecards, even on packages that include a STB in the base price (ala TWC DiGiPic.) (c) they charge huge installation fees, which is mostly just calling a op center and reading a set of numbers. (d) through bugs or malice, non-integrated cablecards get screwed up often. (e) rollout of SDV takes large numbers of channels away from CC systems. (f) the USB attached tuning adapter (TA) just adds one more thing to fail (and it does) and one more thing for them to screw up.



Their own STBs never suffer from any of this crap. There are two things to note about *their* boxes... (1) they are not Cable Labs certified in any way. (2) they are two-way devices. Incorrect. Their own STBs use cablecards too. And those boxes never malfunction like ala cart cablecards. It has long been speculated they were intentionally fucking with those accounts to make the CC experience horrible, which would support the lie told to the FCC. CCs work perfectly fine if they're setup properly and left alone. The cable co's don't want CCs because it erodes their STB revenues. TWC invented a system to make sure your 3rd party STB+CC wouldn't work at all -- SDV. And they're still doing it... have you see the 1000 channel map the TA feeds your Tivo? It takes about 3mins to load over the slow USB link. (the map from the CC loads almost instantly, but it doesn't enumerate 900 non-existent channels.)The experience sucks. (a) they don't advertise cabecards. (b) they charge extra for cablecards, even on packages that include a STB in the base price (ala TWC DiGiPic.) (c) they charge huge installation fees, which is mostly just calling a op center and reading a set of numbers. (d) through bugs or malice, non-integrated cablecards get screwed up often. (e) rollout of SDV takes large numbers of channels away from CC systems. (f) the USB attached tuning adapter (TA) just adds one more thing to fail (and it does) and one more thing for them to screw up.Their own STBs never suffer from any of this crap. There are two things to note about *their* boxes... (1) they are not Cable Labs certified in any way. (2) they are two-way devices.

Kearnstd

Space Elf

Premium Member

join:2002-01-22

Mullica Hill, NJ Kearnstd to baineschile

Premium Member to baineschile

Why not make a standard first and then allow customer owned boxes.



by a standard I mean something like DOCSIS but for CATV boxes. my Moto 5120 can be used on any CATV internet service in the US(unless someone does not use DOCSIS). and while its my modem I cannot get any more service than the provider bootfile allows for.



So why not make something like DOCSIS for cable boxes where I can buy a box from a big box electronics store from any number of vendors. call up the cable company and they provision the cable box. Especially as the lines between TV and Data get more and more blurred this will be even easier with SDV.



Now of course it wont happen because owned boxes are not a profit engine.



skuv

@rr.com skuv Anon Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by Kearnstd: Why not make a standard first and then allow customer owned boxes.



by a standard I mean something like DOCSIS but for CATV boxes. my Moto 5120 can be used on any CATV internet service in the US(unless someone does not use DOCSIS). and while its my modem I cannot get any more service than the provider bootfile allows for.



So why not make something like DOCSIS for cable boxes where I can buy a box from a big box electronics store from any number of vendors. call up the cable company and they provision the cable box. Especially as the lines between TV and Data get more and more blurred this will be even easier with SDV.



Now of course it wont happen because owned boxes are not a profit engine.





It's called ADSG, Advanced DOCSIS Settop Gateway.



In fact, newer cable boxes being deployed today already have the ADSG capability in them, it just needs to be activated when the headend is ready to use it. There is DOCSIS for Cable boxes and is coming for Tru2way features.It's called ADSG, Advanced DOCSIS Settop Gateway.In fact, newer cable boxes being deployed today already have the ADSG capability in them, it just needs to be activated when the headend is ready to use it.

45612019 (banned)

join:2004-02-05

New York, NY 45612019 (banned) to baineschile

Member to baineschile

Yeah right. Every cable company-provided set-top box I have ever used is some horribly designed, power-sucking, massive heat generating pile of shit. Most cable providers seem to have an interface straight out of the 1990's suck on their cable boxes. It is pathetic the number of providers who still have completely 4:3 standard definition set-top box interfaces.



Combine that with ancient hard drives with decade-old capacities (I have never seen a cable STB with a capacity higher than 500GB; most are stuck at 160-320 GB which is utterly pathetic), a limit of two recordings at once, and an interface that moves at a snail's pace, the CableCARD + infinitely expandable PC has become the clear winner in every category.



skuv

@rr.com skuv Anon Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by 45612019: Combine that with ancient hard drives with decade-old capacities (I have never seen a cable STB with a capacity higher than 500GB; most are stuck at 160-320 GB which is utterly pathetic), a limit of two recordings at once, and an interface that moves at a snail's pace, the CableCARD + infinitely expandable PC has become the clear winner in every category.





Also, TiVo has JUST introduced a DVR capable of recording 4 shows at once, and they're pretty much the leader in DVR technology. So I don't see why being only able to record 2 shows at once is a complaint, since there isn't a standalone box that you can buy today that can do it. The newest Cisco STB's have 500GB drives and can be "multi-room" so that you can setup recordings on one DVR and have one of the 2 or more DVR's in your house record the shows.Also, TiVo has JUST introduced a DVR capable of recording 4 shows at once, and they're pretty much the leader in DVR technology. So I don't see why being only able to record 2 shows at once is a complaint, since there isn't a standalone box that you can buy today that can do it.

45612019 (banned)

join:2004-02-05

New York, NY 45612019 (banned) Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons said by skuv : said by 45612019: Combine that with ancient hard drives with decade-old capacities (I have never seen a cable STB with a capacity higher than 500GB; most are stuck at 160-320 GB which is utterly pathetic), a limit of two recordings at once, and an interface that moves at a snail's pace, the CableCARD + infinitely expandable PC has become the clear winner in every category.





Also, TiVo has JUST introduced a DVR capable of recording 4 shows at once, and they're pretty much the leader in DVR technology. So I don't see why being only able to record 2 shows at once is a complaint, since there isn't a standalone box that you can buy today that can do it.

The newest Cisco STB's have 500GB drives and can be "multi-room" so that you can setup recordings on one DVR and have one of the 2 or more DVR's in your house record the shows.Also, TiVo has JUST introduced a DVR capable of recording 4 shows at once, and they're pretty much the leader in DVR technology. So I don't see why being only able to record 2 shows at once is a complaint, since there isn't a standalone box that you can buy today that can do it.



The It's a valid complaint. M-cards can support up to 6 channels at once. It's pathetic that it has taken this long for devices to finally start to get pushed out that have more than 2 tuners. And 500 GB is still far too small a hard drive.The Ceton InfiniTV 4 has been out for a year now and can record four channels at once just fine.

wkm001

join:2009-12-14 wkm001 Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons The Ceton card works like gang busters too! I love mine.



skuv

@rr.com skuv to 45612019

Anon to 45612019

said by 45612019: The Ceton InfiniTV 4 has been out for a year now and can record four channels at once just fine.





Standalone DVRs and cable box DVRs cannot cost as much as a PC, so they must build them to technology that is available cost effectively for the time. TiVo is just now getting 4 shows at once because processing power has become cheap enough to record 4 MPEG2/MPEG4 streams at once. So again, not a valid criticism at this point, when you're comparing it to a PC add on card.



And I don't want to tell you how or when you should view the TV you record. But if you are actually watching what you are recording, 500GB is plenty, and if its multiroom DVR, then you have 1TB anyway. A DVR wasn't meant to be an archive box. If you want that, get your 4 stream at once PC tuner card and a PC with tons of hard drive space and forget about standalone DVRs. They will NEVER be what you want them to be. That is not a standalone DVR. That is an add on card for a PC that you can make as powerful as you want, so yes, it can record 4 shows at once because of the processor in the PC you put it in.Standalone DVRs and cable box DVRs cannot cost as much as a PC, so they must build them to technology that is available cost effectively for the time. TiVo is just now getting 4 shows at once because processing power has become cheap enough to record 4 MPEG2/MPEG4 streams at once. So again, not a valid criticism at this point, when you're comparing it to a PC add on card.And I don't want to tell you how or when you should view the TV you record. But if you are actually watching what you are recording, 500GB is plenty, and if its multiroom DVR, then you have 1TB anyway. A DVR wasn't meant to be an archive box. If you want that, get your 4 stream at once PC tuner card and a PC with tons of hard drive space and forget about standalone DVRs. They will NEVER be what you want them to be.

cramer

Premium Member

join:2007-04-10

Raleigh, NC Westell 6100

Cisco PIX 501

cramer Premium Member Re: Struggled to see adoption for a number of reasons Recording a digital TV signal is a mater of copying data -- at a rather low rate at that. When it comes to Tivo's, it's not a matter of speed -- they've had significantly faster tech available for a long time -- but a matter of cost. 4 tuners adds quite a bit more hardware. CableLabs certification requires an analog NTSC tuner and MPEG encoder for each of it's tuners. (if there were no NTSC requirement, a 6 tuner Tivo would be trivial.)



The Window Media Center powered DVRs require massive PCs because a) it's windows, b) it re-encodes the stuff it records, and c) playback is done partially or entirely in software.



Suit Up

join:2003-07-21

Los Angeles, CA Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X

Netgear WNDR3800

Suit Up to skuv

Member to skuv

The problem is, at least with TimeWarner, in order to get the 500 GB DVR, you must sign up for the multi-room service, which costs and additional $30/month and you must also get a HD box to receive the multi-room service for $10/month. That's $40/month extra just to go from a 160 GB DVR to 500 GB DVR. Even if you only have 1 TV and don't care about the multiroom service.



But even if you are interested in the multiroom service, I can buy a new Moxi 2Room Bundle (which gives me a 500 GB DVR plus HD box for a 2nd TV) every 20 months and just throw out the old one and have broken even. If miracles of all miracles it lasts longer than 20 months well that's just gravy.

BiggA

Premium Member

join:2005-11-23

Central CT BiggA to baineschile

Premium Member to baineschile

Yup nobody wants to pay up front or be responsible for the gear. There is an appeal to the average dumb person in this country to be able to call 1-800-Comcast whenever anything breaks, as much as they don't like the cable company.



dvd536

as Mr. Pink as they come

Premium Member

join:2001-04-27

Phoenix, AZ dvd536 to baineschile

Premium Member to baineschile

said by baineschile: Now....the real question is to whether to let people buy their own STBs. Kill their cash cow? I DON'T THINK SO!



obeythelaw

Premium Member

join:2003-04-16

Warren, NJ obeythelaw Premium Member a non issue for me When I got my Tivo Premier, I walked into my local cable store and they gave me a cablecard with a one page sheet to install it. I did have to call into tech support when I got home to have it activated, but it was easy and simple and no where along the way did the cable company ever say anything about the cable card or discourage me from using it.

Os

join:2011-01-26

US Os Member Blame Big Cable It is a technology that is only going to be in demand for those who are high-end/knowledgeable users, but I don't know where these mythical providers are who provide free STB's in any package.



They have done all they can to undermine it to protect box revenues.



You can buy STB's in Canada, there's no reason we shouldn't have the same options here.

Joe12345678

join:2003-07-22

Des Plaines, IL Joe12345678 Member Re: Blame Big Cable There have been a few lawsuit over being forced to rent the box and I think some are still working though the courts. the phone company used to force you to rent each phone and they where forced to stop doing that. Also the cable guard, protection plans, and other stuff need to be looked at as well if you are renting a box and it fails there should be no truck, no shipping, no activation, no tech fees to get it a working one.



not only that they want the like full price of a new box when it's in a fire, flood, or other disasters even when the box is 2-3+ years old and that not even looking that bulk pricing the cable co gets as well.



Some should get a cable box pay the unturned fee and use the law of first sale / other laws to say I own the box in full and I force you to trun it on or I have the right to sell it and no one can say it's stolen now there may be court cases that can worked by going down that road.



I say go beyond Canada and have no boxed locked to one cable co some of them seem to good prices and some others have very over priced cable boxes.



The real price of a cable box seems to be hard to find.



joetaxpayer

I'M Here Till Thursday

join:2001-09-07

Sudbury, MA joetaxpayer Member Re: Blame Big Cable said by Joe12345678: Some should get a cable box pay the unturned fee and use the law of first sale / other laws to say I own the box in full and I force you to trun it on or I have the right to sell it and no one can say it's stolen now there may be court cases that can worked by going down that road.

But - they are not legal to own. I'm pretty sure the payment of the lost box fee is not a transfer of ownership, it's a penalty for loss. If the original person that paid the fee finds the box, they would be entitled to a refund, but they never actually owned it. I don't say I agree with this, it's just how I read the rules.

brad152

join:2006-07-27

Chicago, IL ·AT&T U-Verse

·WOW Internet and..

brad152 Member Re: Blame Big Cable Cable boxes are completely legal to own, you're thinking of the old "black boxes" that existed with Analog cable, but now since i dont think anyone even has scrambled channels on Analog anymore, it's not really an issue since Digital cable is a lot more secure as far as content is concerned.



I'm totally down for the "BYOB" model since i've had nothing but TiVo since '03 and i my original Series 2 is still going like a champ in the bedroom, along with my Series 3, Tivo HD and Premiere



It's amazing what you can get when you buy a good piece of hardware (unlike those SA/Cisco crap boxes)



The only Cable Co owned boxes i've ever been able to stand are the Motorola STB's because while those things are huge they rarely if ever break, unlike the junk Cisco/SA throw out.



joetaxpayer

I'M Here Till Thursday

join:2001-09-07

Sudbury, MA joetaxpayer Member Re: Blame Big Cable said by brad152: Cable boxes are completely legal to own, you're thinking of the old "black boxes" that existed with Analog cable, but now since i dont think anyone even has scrambled channels on Analog anymore, it's not really an issue since Digital cable is a lot more secure as far as content is concerned.

I was thinking of the Motorola box you mentioned, not for sale to the individual, and Comcast won't activate a box someone "owns", not that I've ever heard.

brad152

join:2006-07-27

Chicago, IL ·AT&T U-Verse

·WOW Internet and..

brad152 Member Re: Blame Big Cable It's not that they're illegal to own, it's just that the Cable Co's dont want customer's to "Own" their own equipment since that would take away from their revenue.



They only reason why TiVo is allowed is because the FCC mandated Cable Cards and SDV Adaptors for them



joetaxpayer

I'M Here Till Thursday

join:2001-09-07

Sudbury, MA joetaxpayer Member Re: Blame Big Cable said by brad152: It's not that they're illegal to own, it's just that the Cable Co's dont want customer's to "Own" their own equipment since that would take away from their revenue.

In the Comcast situation - Motorola doesn't sell the boxes to consumers. And Comcast doesn't either. So how would you find yourself owning a box legally? (I'm a TiVo guy, so no dog in this hunt)

brad152

join:2006-07-27

Chicago, IL ·AT&T U-Verse

·WOW Internet and..

brad152 Member Re: Blame Big Cable Yet again, it's because cable co's have agreements with mfgr's to not sell to end users



there is no law stating you cannot own a converter box, or else you wouldnt be able to own your tivo, the law just states you cannot decrypt the signal without first having the right too (eg pay for it)



skuv

@rr.com skuv to Joe12345678

Anon to Joe12345678

said by Joe12345678: the phone company used to force you to rent each phone and they where forced to stop doing that.





Many try to argue that cable is their only choice, and they're usually being dramatic or lying.



Cable companies are private companies that did not have their cable plants built out by federal government money. Yes, they've been giving priority in rights of ways because of franchise agreements they signed, but they're usually paying for those franchise rights. AT&T did no such thing, they got their lines laid for "free" and then charged for them.



I believe Dish and DirecTV have gone to only leasing their boxes now, and Verizon and AT&T certainly don't let you buy a box off the shelf at some store. And none of the boxes, even if you could buy them, can be used between any of the 5 providers. The reason that happened is because the one and only phone company, AT&T, was majority built on tax payer funds at the time, and was a true monopoly. So there was no choice.Many try to argue that cable is their only choice, and they're usually being dramatic or lying.Cable companies are private companies that did not have their cable plants built out by federal government money. Yes, they've been giving priority in rights of ways because of franchise agreements they signed, but they're usually paying for those franchise rights. AT&T did no such thing, they got their lines laid for "free" and then charged for them.I believe Dish and DirecTV have gone to only leasing their boxes now, and Verizon and AT&T certainly don't let you buy a box off the shelf at some store. And none of the boxes, even if you could buy them, can be used between any of the 5 providers.



FFH5

Premium Member

join:2002-03-03

Tavistock NJ FFH5 Premium Member Other than TIVO, very few offer devices that use Cablecard Cart/horse or horse/cart? In any case, after an initial interest by some manufacturers to supply cable card ready devices(TVs, DVRs, PC adapters), that pretty much dried up over the 1st couple years. Now it seems TIVO is the only 1 left with any interest in using cable cards. And with all the 2 way tech coming online and cable companies moving to virtual DVRs, TIVO is fighting a losing battle.



fifty nine

join:2002-09-25

Sussex, NJ fifty nine Member Re: Other than TIVO, very few offer devices that use Cablecard Not true.



There are at least two PC based tuners being sold today - Ceton InfiniTV and HDHomeRun prime. Paired with Windows media center they can make an excellent whole home DVR solution.



Moxi (Arris) also has a DVR that uses CableCARDs.



So it's not really just TiVo.



TV manufacturers used to have CableCARD slots before the cable companies rendered them obsolete with SDV.



Why you don't see more devices may have to do with licensing. The cost to license a device is $100,000 payable to cablelabs. Cablelabs also has some asinine DRM requirements that do nothing but add to the cost.



skuv

@rr.com skuv Anon Re: Other than TIVO, very few offer devices that use Cablecard said by fifty nine: Cablelabs also has some asinine DRM requirements that do nothing but add to the cost.





Again, you people are blaming the WRONG people.



It's the MPAA and TV studios that are requiring this DRM in order to continue broadcasting their content to the cable providers.



Do you think that DirecTV/Dish/Verizon/AT&T boxes are without DRM? You really think that those DRM requirements are CableLabs' requirements?Again, you people are blaming the WRONG people.It's the MPAA and TV studios that are requiring this DRM in order to continue broadcasting their content to the cable providers.Do you think that DirecTV/Dish/Verizon/AT&T boxes are without DRM?

amungus

Premium Member

join:2004-11-26

America amungus Premium Member still have to rent them... My concern is that they must still be rented.



I fail to understand why I cannot simply own the technology which permits access to services which are subscribed to. This is a step in a better direction, but it's a very small one.



I've held off on pre-ordering an HDHomerun Prime, or getting a quad-tuner for this very reason.



My media center pc is mine. My TV is mine. With analog, the tuner was "cable ready" for years... Digital services should be no different, with the exception of the evolved technology involved to translate a signal into a usable form.



By August, I'll be closer to moving to an area without cable anyway, so I'll have "cut the TV cord" by the time this has any bearing on my situation anyway.



Damn shame. Always wanted to give it a try - having my own DVR that gets all the HD channels I'm entitled to without an extra monthly fee. Especially since my provider (Cox) advertises so heavily (with oodles of fine print) that "HD is free!" ...yeah, locals are free, but anything else requires a box...



With rental fees, "digital access fees" (or whatever they call them), the overall charge becomes so close to the price of renting a standard STB that it's almost not worth it. The only thing that is worth it, is the fact that I'd not be required to use a cable company box - it could be a media center, a Tivo, or a Moxi.



Despite my complaints, avoiding yet another onerous charge - the "installation" fee - is indeed a welcome step in the right direction.

themagicone

join:2003-08-13

Osseo, MN themagicone Member Got my refund last month! Comcast started refunding the amounts for me on my last bill. I've been yelling at them about this for years. Saves me about $10/month.



NOCTech75

Premium Member

join:2009-06-29

Marietta, GA NOCTech75 Premium Member Basic cablecard questions What will this card do for me assuming I upgrade my Tivo? I have an OLD Tivo that may get upgraded later this year or early next year.. do these cards take the place of the cable box?



obeythelaw

Premium Member

join:2003-04-16

Warren, NJ obeythelaw Premium Member Re: Basic cablecard questions said by NOCTech75: What will this card do for me assuming I upgrade my Tivo? I have an OLD Tivo that may get upgraded later this year or early next year.. do these cards take the place of the cable box?

Yes. No more cable company box.

m8trix

join:2003-12-24

Chandler, AZ m8trix Member Re: Basic cablecard questions personally IMO i dont see cable cards fully taking off till tru2way is the standard and in full swing as my understanding it will have the exact capability as a STB including using ondemand and not having to use a tivo adapter

45612019 (banned)

join:2004-02-05

New York, NY 45612019 (banned) Member Break free of the crappy cable company DVR for just $129



I'd like to take this time to remind you all that Windows Media Center has an amazing interface compared to those crappy cable company STBs. It is native to whatever resolution your PC uses; so if you want a 1080p guide, you get a native high definition guide. A BIG improvement over most crappy 4:3 standard definition cable company box guides.



If your cable company charges you $15 a month to rent a DVR from them, switching over to this tuner will allow you to break even within a year; and afterwards start saving money.



A PC equipped with a CableCARD tuner can use any amount of storage you want to put in it. Have 8 SATA ports on your motherboard? Want to put eight 3TB hard drives in there? Have fun with your new 24 terabyte capacity DVR! Take that, pathetic 160 GB cable company DVRs! That's 150 times as much storage space as a cable company box.



Other devices currently on the market include the Ceton InfiniTV 4 card (four channels of recording capacity at once), and the HDHomeRun Prime (three or six channels of recording capacity). Both these devices cost $250+ however. Hauppage is now selling a CableCARD-ready 2-tuner card for just $129. This is equivalent to most cable company DVRs' recording capabilities. They are due to start shipping next week.I'd like to take this time to remind you all that Windows Media Center has an amazing interface compared to those crappy cable company STBs. It is native to whatever resolution your PC uses; so if you want a 1080p guide, you get a native high definition guide. A BIG improvement over most crappy 4:3 standard definition cable company box guides.If your cable company charges you $15 a month to rent a DVR from them, switching over to this tuner will allow you to break even within a year; and afterwards start saving money.A PC equipped with a CableCARD tuner can use any amount of storage you want to put in it. Have 8 SATA ports on your motherboard? Want to put eight 3TB hard drives in there? Have fun with your new 24 terabyte capacity DVR! Take that, pathetic 160 GB cable company DVRs! That'sas much storage space as a cable company box.Other devices currently on the market include the Ceton InfiniTV 4 card (four channels of recording capacity at once), and the HDHomeRun Prime (three or six channels of recording capacity). Both these devices cost $250+ however.



Morac

Cat god

join:2001-08-30

Riverside, NJ Morac Member They say they're ready, but are they really? Saying you're reading for the August 1st deadline is one thing, actually being ready is another.



Considering the ongoing issues people are still having this month getting Comcast to pair CableCARDs at all (let alone over the phone), I can't see how they could possibly be ready in a week.



I predict that after August 1st, there will still be local offices that refuse to hand out CableCards and there will be problems getting cards paired for those that do hand them out.



Until companies allow pairing of cards to be as simple as provisioning a cable modem, there will be problems.

Mr Matt

join:2008-01-29

Eustis, FL Mr Matt Member SEC. 624A. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT COMPATIBILITY The moment the cable companies began deploying digital STB's they violated SEC. 624A. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT COMPATIBILITY of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Read Section here:

»en.wikisource.org/wiki/C ··· _of_1992



The act was written so that cable companies were required to transmit their programming in a format that allowed the customer to use the tuners in their cable ready televisions and VCR's. It also put and end of fees for each cable outlet. Digital outlet fees and STB's did an end run around the act. All the FCC needs to do is enforce the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 and apply it to current technology. The moment the cable companies began deploying digital STB's they violated SEC. 624A. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT COMPATIBILITY of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Read Section here:The act was written so that cable companies were required to transmit their programming in a format that allowed the customer to use the tuners in their cable ready televisions and VCR's. It also put and end of fees for each cable outlet. Digital outlet fees and STB's did an end run around the act. All the FCC needs to do is enforce the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 and apply it to current technology.



Richie12

join:1999-08-26

Tinley Park, IL Richie12 Member Re: SEC. 624A. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT COMPATIBILITY

»www.lightreading.com/doc ··· site=cdn Only problem with enforcing being that the FCC granted them a waiver:



IowaCowboy

Supermarket Hero

Premium Member

join:2010-10-16

Springfield, MA ARRIS SB6183

Netgear R8000

IowaCowboy Premium Member My CableCard install went smoothly When I bought my TiVo boxes in July of 2010, I had to have Comcast roll a truck and a Comcast employed technician showed up as I had requested an in-house tech. I ordered two cable cards and he had one so instead of setting up another truck roll, he hunted down another tech and got a second and one of the cards was bad so he hunted down yet another tech and he refused to leave until both TiVo boxes were operating correctly. He even waited on hold for a half-hour (without falling asleep on my couch) and called right through to advanced tech support to get them running. He went above and beyond the call of duty to get those boxes going. I have had no trouble with my TiVo boxes at all (knock on wood).

wkm001

join:2009-12-14 wkm001 Member Now the cable company is paying me... $5 every month. Well, it is more of a credit, but either way my bill is $5 less each month. I have to say this only further cements my decision to build my own DVR with the Ceton quad tuner card.

Hazen

join:2003-02-25

Sapulpa, OK Hazen Member Re: Now the cable company is paying me... So what are the terms of the credit? Is it for how long you have used your cablecards, and then your are credited back 100%? Then will the use of the cablecards be free? Or is it a credit for the install?



Johnny

Fed Up. Bye.

Premium Member

join:2001-06-27

Atlanta, GA Johnny Premium Member TiVo is the only sane way to go Never again will I struggle with the wacky Scrotorola / SA DVRs with their insane GUI and huge complex remote.



Thank goodness the FCC is keeping Comcast from making that the only choice.



I'll stay with my TiVo. It's worth twice the subscription fee. For everybody who just HAS to have the Pay-Per-View, feel free to futz with those flaky DVRs. Or get an Apple TV.



pjcamp

@comcastbusiness.net pjcamp Anon Re: TiVo is the only sane way to go I thought so too, and stayed with Tivo for three years while they repeatedly promised a new DirecTV HD box and repeatedly missed their shipping dates.



No more.



Tivo has abundantly demonstrated a rank inability to get product out the door. The result is that they have become a slowly sinking ship, increasingly reliant on IP lawsuits.



I changed to a DirecTV DVR and, while it isn't perfect, and I miss the hackability of my old Tivo, at least the damn thing exists. It isn't just a broken promise.

rightarmman

Premium Member

join:2009-12-02

Demarest, NJ rightarmman Premium Member FiOS Cable Card Monthly Charges

Have you negotiated the fees away?

Thank you!!!!



Does anyone know if these are going away also?Have you negotiated the fees away?Thank you!!!!