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CableCARD ready HTPCs coming soon
Author: Brett ThomasPublished: 21st March 2007
"High-def Heaven" - Velocity Micro's new system sports CableCARDs, which can receive digital and Hi-Def signals.
The issue over getting digital cable or satelite video to your HTPC has always required dropping the signal to an analog connection first, resulting in some quality loss and excess processing time. Current-day tuners are just not designed for either the MPEG-2 digital TV standard or the MPEG-4 Hi-Def standards broadcast by most services (including Sky). However, Velocity Micro has recently updated its line of HTPCs with something you can't get at home - digital cable cards.
The new CineMagix Grand Theater will be shipping with the first CableCard ready tuners available, made by ATI. The box boasts two of them, designed to replace the need for set-top boxes (STBs) in your living room. The Intel Core2Duo based system retails for a none-too-cheap $2,195 USD, or $1,795 for an AMD-based version.
Most services, including Sky, will rent CableCARDs out instead of whole receivers, as that's how many enthusiasts who buy their own STBs receive a signal. In the US, take-off has been a little slower, but most big companies including Cox Communications and DirectTV allow you to rent them. However, CableCARDs have been a strong target of the MPAA, which has worried that sending digital signals in MPEG-2 or 4 format can easily get snagged with no trouble at all.
Because of this, the CableCARD systems are only sold to OEMs. That means these shiny new ATI tuners (which are really nice by the look of it) will never see an end-user's hands. To ensure this, the cards are locked down with a BIOS requirement that only OEMs have access to, so if it gets thrown in your good old DFI LanParty, the card isn't worth a pence. At least in a Windows OS...
The hardware from VelocityMicro will start shipping in mid-april, and can be pre-ordered now. One has to wonder how long it will take before we start seeing the cards cracked over to open-source Linux, which has been a friend of many HTPC enthusiasts thanks to its phenomenal MythTV anyways.
Do you have a thought on the new system, or CableCARDs in general? Tell us about it in our forums.
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Comments (12)Stats: 0.043 seconds
I may have missed somthing but if thats what is being said then im afraid its incorrect.
Twinhan has a range of cards for Sat (DVB-S) Cable (DVB-C) and Terrestrial (DVB-T) that allow the use of a smart card.
the sat tuner can be found HERE
and you can get it from different sources although they are from the continent :(
these bods sell it (found using google)
EDIT:: just done some searching and that CableCARD thing is somthing new to me! I wonder if itll fit into the product above that ive mentioned?
EDIT2:: Just remembered as well that there is already a way of getting access to the scrambled screen if you have a digital TV card. I believe the program is called "Poor mans CAM" its an emmulator that provided you have a legal smartcard (and reader) itll emulate the Comman Access Module (Nigra, SECA etc.) and decrypt the signal.
You mean something like sasc-ng, which is a SoftCam (Software emulated Conditional Access Module) implemented as a "Virtual" DVB card, so even if your software doesn't support SoftCAM directly (Many don't, for legal reasons, as SoftCAMs have dubious legality in most places, though are just fine and dandy here in Canada) it won't know/care that the CAM you're using isn't an actual physical card.
SoftCAMs are legal here in Canada because of a wonderful law we have. If someone beams a radio/tv/satellite signal onto your property, and there is no retail or legal way to buy it (Like Dish Network, who do not accept Canadian subscribers), it is perfectly legal for you to descramble and view the signal, as you are in no way defrauding the company supplying the signal ('cause you can't get it anway).
If that is true, that is pretty cool.
Bingo, thats exactly what i mean! I currently own a DBox2 and use it for streaming Video and Music to my TV over my network. That COULD have the ability (if i enabled it and had access to Virgin Media's Cable network) to view encrypted channels using its built in SoftCAMS such as mgCAM.
And thats just fantastic, always good to hear that there are some sensable people out there in this world.
Disclaimer, Stealing TV is BAD (VERY BAD) and is illegal in the UK. its just not worth the time or the effort.
Am i the ONLY one of us all who is appaled by the "oem only" crap?
No. But I am sure something or the other will turn up.
I think i need to clarify the point i was making. In the UK its classed as stealing if i WERE to un-encrypt pay for TV so that i could watch it for free. In canada there are different rules and it could be different.
On the "OEM only" notation i too am very appaled by it.
I think the oems only rule is apceptable for now mainly as they get to be guinea pigs, but im sure they will eventually be selling them retail once they've locked the content down.
well they do, but the problem at the moment is that the software for it all to work together is a bit.....naff
But if you REALLY fancy it, you need one of those DVB-S or DVB-C cards that have a CI (common interface) slot. Then you need a CAM to fit into said slot and then you can use your virgin or sky digital card which is placed into the CAM.
Thanks for the info! I didn't know the you could get a sky compatible CAM. I've read about them when i was researching my HTPC and thought it was for just fta and not sky.
I think when i upgrade to play HD i think i'll be checking them out.