Comments on: CableCARDs: Cause for Joy, and Pain http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/ Sat, 26 May 2012 06:36:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Michael http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471666 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:43:54 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471666 I have a Tivo HD which uses cablecards, which I use comcast cable service. I like the tivo alot and last year Tivo signed an agreement with comcast to use their software for their DVRs. However I do admit I don’t like paying full price for cable tv and not having all the abilites that anyone with a cable box does have, ON-Demand. I am able to use the TV Guide but it is the Tivo one which works great. I just wish that the cable compaies would get upgraded and use this is a standard. I like not having a box and all the clutter that goes with it. I don’t understand why they would want to spend more money buying boxes and repairing them when cards are cheaper all around. If they spend just a little of that money they use to market and give us full 2 way cablecards so we can all the services that one gets with a box that maybe the makers of TV would follow and give us cable cards for tvs and other devices. I personally don’t want to spend more and more money for cable tv and having to pay another 10 bucks for a cable box is crazy and then more money for their DVR.

]]> By: Sherrill http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471665 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:35:30 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471665 Question for the tech savy: I have a Sony LCD Projection HDTV-KDF-E42A10 that in the last month replaced the cable card twice. When the cable guy is here it works fine. I turn the the TV off and when I turn it back on–no signal and I have to re-set the cable card–works about a week and now for the second time no signal at all. When I remove the cable card and re-program only NTSC signal, no Qam or HD signal. No one at the cable company knows anything about cable cards. Any help–They tell me when I call in that they have sent a “hit” to my card but nothing. Thanks

]]> By: ZNF ‘Round The Web http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471664 Thu, 14 May 2009 11:54:05 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471664 [...] CableCARDs: Cause for Joy, and Pain Some factual errors and omissions here… CableCARDs are NOT tuners, they are separable security devices. Multristream cards (M-Cards) support dual (or more) hardware tuners/tuning. Also the fees are all over the board. My 3 CableCARDs were installed free and some franchises don’t require truck rolls, though many (most?) do. Additionally, card rate varies. I think Comcast’s official policy in my area is the first card is free and additional cards are $1.50/mo which may or may not come with an ‘additional outlet’ (AO) fee. However, all three of my cards are free ‘rentals’ and I’m not charged outlet fees. [...]

]]> By: DaveZatz http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471663 Fri, 08 May 2009 22:18:10 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471663 Come on, man – how many times have we debated this? Yes, I could have phrased it better. And yes technically we can move these PCMCIA cards between cable-co boxes and retail devices. But we both know the reality is the retail manufacturers could not implement two way capabilities until the tuning adapter hack or tru2way (which are CableCARD devices). So yes, it’s not technically a failure of the CableCARD. It’s a failure of the cable industry. And the FCC to enforce their will. I’m sure the CE manufacturers share the blame as well. tru2way will save us, right? ;)

]]> By: CableTechTalk http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471662 Fri, 08 May 2009 20:27:59 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471662 Thatnks for the clarification, Dave, but I have to correct something: “CableCARDs used in current retail boxes are not capable of two-way services…”

It’s the devices that are one-way or two-way, not the CableCARDs. As you point out, they are simply authorization devices. The new two-way tru2way sets also need CableCARDs.

]]> By: xdreamwalker http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471661 Fri, 08 May 2009 10:55:55 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471661 @DaveZatz I am in Michigan on Comcast. I have three cableCARDs. I am charged just $1.50 for the cards, the first in the device is free and since my S3 TiVo has two I have to pay 1.50. I also get charged for two AO fees. It’s nice that the TiVoHD can use the multi card for free with just the AO fee.

]]> By: DaveZatz http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471660 Thu, 07 May 2009 23:40:26 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471660 Some factual errors and omissions here… CableCARDs are NOT tuners, they are separable security devices. Multristream cards (M-Cards) support dual hardware tuners/tuning.

Also the fees are all over the board. My 3 CableCARDs were installed free and some franchises don’t require truck rolls, though many (most?) do. Additionally, card rate varies. I think Comcast’s official policy in my area is the first card is free and additional cards are $1.50/mo which may or may not come with an ‘additional outlet’ (AO) fee. However, all three of my cards are free ‘rentals’ and I’m not charged outlet fees.

In addition to consumer confusion or ignorance, CableCARDs used in current retail boxes are not capable of two-way services like video on demand (VOD) or handling switched digital video (SDV). However, the future (perhaps) lies in tru2way – a common platform to enable that. However it may require you get stuck with the crappy cableco UI on your third party device, like HDTV. And you mention things dying out, yet tru2way is just getting rolling… and all the major cable-cos and many CE vendors have signed on.

Lastly, there was a move afoot to meet the FCC’s separable security mandate via software, rather than hardware pairing/authentication. Not sure where that stands.

]]> By: The Fuzz http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471659 Thu, 07 May 2009 21:27:49 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471659 Yeah.. I can’t tell you how many problems we have had with Cable card configurations. Just another reason the cable companies are going to lose the battle with Sites like Hulu. Using PlayOn to watch sites like CBS, The Food Network, NFL, NBA, HGTV and more is def the way of the future. Now there is so much on.. you may get nothing done for weeks.

The Fuzz
http://www.thefuzznetwork.com

]]> By: Liane Cassavoy http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471658 Thu, 07 May 2009 17:28:51 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471658 All of your comments about your experiences with cableCARDs are very interesting. It really does seem like this technology, which had so much promise, is just not living up to its potential. The fact that cableCARDs are only a one-way technology really does limit their appeal. I’m hearing a lot abotu Tru2Way technology now; may it will live up to the hype the way cableCARDs never could?
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!

]]> By: Liane Cassavoy http://gigaom.com/video/cablecards-cause-for-joy-and-pain/#comment-471657 Thu, 07 May 2009 14:10:45 +0000 http://newteevee.com/?p=24143#comment-471657 All of your comments about your experiences with cableCARDs are very interesting. It really does seem like this technology, which had so much promise, is just not living up to its potential. The fact that cableCARDs are only a one-way technology really does limit their appeal. I’m hearing a lot abotu Tru2Way technology now; may it will live up to the hype the way cableCARDs never could?

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