CableCard Predicted to be Dumped

[phenixdragon]

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-...tag=cnetfd.ld2

Read number 6 and it all makes since and I would dump it also.

[stanger89]

Maybe if most cable channels were digital, CableCard would be interesting.

[phenixdragon]

I see a bigger problem is having ever TV design ready for 2.0 and allowing each cable company to use the card to customize the interface to how they want it. I'm not sure if that's is setup that way now or not.

[jptaz]

I totally agree with this predition.

There is little to no incentive for cable companys to allow consumers to access HD content without a box that they get revenue from both in rental fees and in Pay per view.

I disagree that consumers should buy just an HD monitor. All the content I care to get is readily available over the air and it is free with a $28 Antenna.

External Tuners are still pretty expensive and It seems pretty pointless to buy an HD monitor that pretty much locks you into having to go with a Cable company.

In fact most people on have met are so clueless as to believe that HD is only available from the Cable company or satelite providers and dissappointed that it does not look as good as it did in the store because they are feeding it bad standard definition.

John

[Crazedz]

Wow just wow if it happens that is.

I hate cable card 2.0 as most know but i also don't wanna be tied to set top box's it's why i didn't go DTV or Dish i don't want to have the big complicated setup of box's and ir's and that just to change channels in sage so it can record my shows.

If the Cable co's come up with a solution to that for PC setups so that at least you don't need to mess with multi box's and that to record with multi tuner HTPC setups then i would be interested. Till then i'll stick with OTA HD it just works and no monthly fee's to do it either.

[GoldenTiger]

All six of those predictions make perfect sense in my eyes, and I couldn't be happier about #6 on that list!

[Ryokurin]

Theres two issues. The cable companies are moving towards digital. In fact if you have a digital receiver a fair amount of channels you get in the analog level you probably get a digital simulcast version. http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14311008 In fact Comcast before has expressed a desire to go completely digital around the time of the airwave digital transition. They will do this by provideing everyone with a cheap cable box similar to how they did in the early 80s before cable ready tvs.

Even if cablecard flops DCAS will probably pick up the ball running anyways. http://arstechnica.com/guides/other/cablecard.ars/3

[GKenny]

Originally Posted by jptaz

I disagree that consumers should buy just an HD monitor. All the content I care to get is readily available over the air and it is free with a $28 Antenna.

Why is it necessary to have a tuner built into your HD monitor? My sage box has 2 HD tuners + 2 standard tuners... seems no real need for a tuner built into the TV. (I only have 4:3 TV right now, but will be upgrading very soon to HD.) This is as much a question as a statement. Maybe I should be getting a tuner with my new HD TV?

What I'm waiting for is a PCI encoder that has a cable card built in. That would be cool.

[jptaz]

My statement was for the average consumer, and not for SageTV Users and HTPC users. My parents for example could easily listen to this kind of advice advocated in this article and get trapped into having to pay Comcast to for HD box when all they really needed to do is buy a TV with an HDTV Tuner to get all the content they ever wanted. They would watch more PBS HD and NBC HD than anything else so why should they pay a premiere to the Cable Company for channels and a box they really don't need.

To each their own...but that is my logic.

John

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by GKenny

Why is it necessary to have a tuner built into your HD monitor?

It's nice to just be able to turn the TV on for news/background/etc without having to go through a (any) DVR/PVR.

[phenixdragon]

Originally Posted by Ryokurin

In fact if you have a digital receiver a fair amount of channels you get in the analog level you probably get a digital simulcast version.

I don't beleive this at all. I live in WA, I have Comcast's "digital" service and the reality is that the only channels that are digital are the HDTV channels and generally it is just plan old digital TV that DirecTV has as there are basically no movies and such that are anything more then 480. Comcast has lied for years about having digital to the home when it is still analog and thats why I always go with DirecTV. But the house I have now it's not an option and it's not me whose paying for cable so I can't complain.

[Ryokurin]

Originally Posted by phenixdragon

I don't beleive this at all. I live in WA, I have Comcast's "digital" service and the reality is that the only channels that are digital are the HDTV channels and generally it is just plan old digital TV that DirecTV has as there are basically no movies and such that are anything more then 480. Comcast has lied for years about having digital to the home when it is still analog and thats why I always go with DirecTV. But the house I have now it's not an option and it's not me whose paying for cable so I can't complain.

Well im in Atlanta and I know of at least 5 channels under channel 80 (where digital begins) that are actually received as digital if you have a digital receiver. The easist way to see if your on a simulcast channel and you have a 6412 cable box is to change to the channel in question, turn the box off but within 2 seconds of turning the box off hit the ok/select button on the cablebox. Read the "In-Band Status" on the screen and if it a digital channel it will say XXX QAM instead of analog. Like I originally said, its going to take them a few more years but its in the plans to go completely digital and im sure in the end they will push cablecard or DCAS to protect it.

[broderp]

I disagree with part of the prediction where he states we should just by a TV without a HD tuner.

Yes they are cheaper, but from what I recall, they work with OTA as well, at least the SONY sets I thought I saw did.

The big issue for me is compatibility, the IN's and OUT's. I hope someday the built in tuners can have a BYPASS or OUTPUT so we can plg them into our SAGE boxes and record the signals. HDMI????

[lennyt]

For the past 18 years I have been receiving HBO from Cablevision without the need of a cable box. Now I am told that come July 1 I will have to rent a digital cable box if I want to subscribe to HBO at an extra cost of $5.50 a month which brings the total to $17.45 a month. For anyone who pays for HBO they should know that the quality of the shows is getting worse. They used to show top movies but now its B and C quality. Most of the original series are not worth it. How about their new one about a man with 3 wives. Give us a break! Deadwood, every other word is a curse word. Boring! The best is The Sopranos which is in its final 20 shows. This one has proven excellent but once it is over I know that its over for my HBO subscription. Thank goodness for Netflix and Blockbuster!