CableCARD or Credit Card for Vista?
Forget CableCARD, OEM's will need a Platinum Corporate Card to afford the CableLabs certification fees for CableCARD 2.0 computers. Microsoft MVP Chris Lanier compiled a list of the fees involved and once you look at the list, you begin to see why not all of the 130 WMCE original equipment manufacturers will bring you a Vista-licious HD computer later this year. Remember, these are the costs that an OEM will pay:
Verification: $30,000
Practice Run: $20,000
Development Lab Use: $12,000/week or $2,500/day. Additional $1,500 per day for extended hrs (5-10 pm).
Digital Output and Recording Technology Review: $35,000
Device Certificates for Host: $20,000 annually; plus $0.07 per certificate
DFAST Patent/Secrets (DFAST): $5,000
We ran through the numbers and come up with a good hundred-grand for starters. Sure, that's a drop in the bucket for Dell, Sony, HP and the like, but what about the smaller OEM's? Perhaps the expected sales don't justify the cost and that's a real shame as this potentially shuts some good PC manufacturers right out of the market.
Read (via eHomeUpgrade)
