CableLabs approves Motorola's multi-stream CableCARD

It's not really clear why the old CableCARD hasn't taken off as expected -- consumers blame their cable providers, who blame the card manufacturers, who blame device makers -- but nonetheless, the technology is far from dead, and now it looks like those long-awaited multi-stream CARDS could be available before the end of the year. CableLabs recently announced that Motorola's "M-Card" has joined Scientific Atlanta's offering in finally earning the organization's coveted "qualified" status, paving the way for such great functionality as picture-in-picture on compatible TVs and multi-channel recording for properly-equipped DVRs. Although the M-Card does improve upon current-gen CableCARDs by delivering access to more than one channel at a time, it is still classified as a version 1.0 device, and therefore won't allow the bi-directional communication necessary for on-demand or pay-per-view goodness. Still, this development is good news for consumers, as it should lead to increased demand for the cards, which will hopefully serve as a kick in the pants for the weak link in the CableCARD chain, whoever it is.

[Via HDBeat]

[GhostDoggy @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:03AM]

Curious, how does one DVR with a Cablecard setup? A lot of people these days are enjoying the benefits of being able to timeshift their programming (me included), and the cablecard is a card, not a DVR.

Also, how likely is cablecard to survive if more cable operators decide to scale their network bandwidth by deploying IPTV-based network solutions? Is there an IP-enabled cablecard on the way?

I suppose using Cablecard with Windows Vista could be cool in HTPC and PVR fashion, especially if it supports IPTV.

[pete @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:20AM]

Ghost,
You hit it with your last comment. The cable companies will charge per cable card and some people won't want to pay $10 for a DVR.

This will benefit a majority of the consumers as it will cost them less money.

Now its up to the cable companies to adopt and use this technology that may cut into their profits.

[misouza @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:21AM]

@GhostDoggy "Curious, how does one DVR with a Cablecard setup? A lot of people these days are enjoying the benefits of being able to timeshift their programming (me included), and the cablecard is a card, not a DVR."

You would need a Cablecard ready DVR such as the upcoming series 3 TiVo. As you mentioned the Cablecard itself doesn't offer any type of DVR capabilties in itself.

[Miles @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:54AM]

@Ghost

I have a cable card and a 2 tuner DVR. I can record 2 different shows on the DVR and watch a 3rd show "live" via the cable card that is in my TV. However, my cable company, Comcast, does not charge me for the cable card.

[david dixon @ Oct 22nd 2008 12:29PM]

Where are you located that comcast does not charge for the cablecard. I'm in the Southcoast of MASS and have three cards. They charge $5 for first (and all 3 until recently) and about $2 for each of the other two apiece.

[Philip Spicer @ Jul 22nd 2006 10:38AM]

I thought version 2.0 was supposed to be out by now.

[vudean @ Jul 22nd 2006 11:07AM]

woah woah woah.. did you say Comcast doesn't charge you for the cablecard? grrr.. I just called them and they told me it would be like 8 bucks a month. Which is more than the standard HD or digital cable box.
Is there some law that requires them to give you one for free?
What do the rest of you all pay for your cable card??

(I hate comcast, there always raising rates and taking away sutff -- they just shut off my old cable box from being able to recieve HBO that they made me get a few years ago to receive HBO... and now I only have one tv in the house where I can watch HBO (on my HD/DVR))

[Jeff Guebert @ Jul 22nd 2006 11:17AM]

@Ghost

I believe Cablecard _does_ support IPTV, as I have questioned a Verizon tech on the matter and he said that yes, they provide Cablecards for their service.

[misouza @ Jul 22nd 2006 11:31AM]

@vudean "What do the rest of you all pay for your cable card??"

I pay $1.50/month to lease a Cablecard from Charter. I've never heard of a provider leasing the cards at no charge but I wouldn't mind spending the spare $1.50 on a 1/2 gallon of gas instead!

[charlie @ Jul 22nd 2006 11:59AM]

As long as I can't do OnDemand, cablecard is useless to me. Come on, OnDemand is the best part about digital cable. I watch free movies and shows all the time OnDemand.

[The Gadget Guru @ Jul 22nd 2006 12:38PM]

In my opinion, there is only one benefit to a cable card: No cable box needed to receive premium channels. The negatives outweigh this single pro: No on-screen guide, no recording capabities and they can be very complicated to setup. At some point, as memory prices continue to drop, they will be able to cram enough flash memory on a cable card to allow for recording and the inclusion of an on-screen guide. Until then, they are only good for those folks that want their flat screen to look like those ones in the advertisements that show no components stacked around the TV.

I'm still waiting for some smart manufacturer to incorporate both an HD DVD Player (either format) and an HD DVR into a flat screen TV. As long as they make the DVR modular so that it can be easily be hot swapped when the drive fails, it would be a desirable product that would only require a power and a single cable for operation. But, I'm sure the Monster Cable folks would have a fit on this and Best Buy wouldn't waste my time trying to sell me overpriced cables!

Any thoughts?

[gman @ Jul 22nd 2006 12:47PM]

Just a few things:

- Cable card is for decoding digital cable content so that you can recieve digital cable on a compatible device like TV, TIVO...

- The card does not support DVR functionality, that would be the responsibility of the reciever; like the TIVO series 3

- It has nothing to do with IPTV. The CableCard is developed by the cable industry which is a direct competitor to the IPTV industry.

- The IPTV industry is capable of developing a similar technology but honestly it literaly took an act of congress to force the cable industry to develop the CableCard.

Ghost:
"Also, how likely is cablecard to survive if more cable operators decide to scale their network bandwidth by deploying IPTV-based network solutions?"

The cable industry is not deploying any IPTV technologies, they use digital cable. It's the phone companies that are deploying IPTV to compete with the cable industry, by laying optical fibre to the home.

[slippy @ Jul 22nd 2006 12:55PM]

"But, I'm sure the Monster Cable folks would have a fit on this and Best Buy wouldn't waste my time trying to sell me overpriced cables!"

Cool.....so BBY should sell the product, no cables. Lets see that quality HD picture with a unshielded composite running component.

Furthermore, you want a BM place to go and see/touch/feel the product, such as BBY/Tweeter/Circuit and of course the true high end dealers, you had better be prepared to actually let the company make money to stay in business.

All cables are not the same. There are better than Monster, absolutely, but I'm pretty sure I can make better than what comes in the box.

[misouza @ Jul 22nd 2006 1:35PM]

@The Gadget Guru "In my opinion, there is only one benefit to a cable card: No cable box needed to receive premium channels. The negatives outweigh this single pro: No on-screen guide, no recording capabities and they can be very complicated to setup. At some point, as memory prices continue to drop, they will be able to cram enough flash memory on a cable card to allow for recording and the inclusion of an on-screen guide"

The memory on the Cablecard is not the deficency in not offering an on-screen guide and no OnDemand programming; it's the fact that v.1 only moves data one-way. The v.2 specifications call for two-way which would include the ability to have an on-screen guide and OnDemand broadcasting.

Also; I know I mentioned the Series 3 TiVo in an early comment but that's still a good example of a place that the Cablecard will really show a value.

[waikikiTed @ Jul 22nd 2006 1:43PM]

THIS is why the Tivo Series 3 has been delayed..... they have been waiting for this approval otherwise the system would essentially be considered not an improveMENT BY THE UNINFORMED GENERAL PUBLIC WHO THINKS A CABLE COMPANY DVR IS THE SAME AS A TIVO!!

Seriously, I think Tivo's biigest weakness is that they are such a
GREAT product, that they became a brand name assosciated with a complete product type (ala kleenex, xerox, coke, etc...) before they could become as profitable as they should be.

I still love my Tivos and miss them but since switching to Dish Net for the sake of their vast HDTV lineup. I cant justify ever returnign to Tivo. :-(

[Leslie Hartley @ Jul 22nd 2006 2:42PM]

I work for Comcast, and the CableCard 1.0 has it's bennies and drawbacks.It's unobtrusive, which is very important to a customer that may already have more A/V clutter than is really desirable in a living room or den.It's very straightforward (after setup, that is), as one uses the TV's remote and menu options, reducing remote confusion, and lowering the learning curve. There's a lot to be said for just turning on the tv and changing the channel.CableCard is very secure, providing the full linear channel lineup (including HD) while limiting exposure to "inadvertant" pay-per-view charges (the customer may still order over the phone, after verifying the account information).The Card is also "addressable", permitting limited changes to the lineup (add/remove service tiers and premium channels) while "in-service", often within minutes.
On the other hand,the Cable Card setup process is neither ubiquitous nor transparent, with each TV maufacturer having their own verbiage and procedure.The cofusion this can cause is considerable, moreso when acustomer attempts a self-install.Further, a malfunctioning card (or incorrect setup)is very hard to troubleshoot remotely, causing frustration in the customer/representative relationship.As previously mentioned, the Card is "one-way", eliminating interactive features normally associated with a "digital" level of service such as on-screen guides and Video On Demand. The main drawback, though, seems to be un-familiarity with features and processes (bred mainly from the low market penteration rate - one needs experience to develope expertise) and un-reasonable expectations.Disappointmnet follows.
Pricing and availibity vary by market, but generally CableCard is available in most markets supporting digital services (the box).The Card is generally available without digital service in those instances when a "basic" customer wants to view local broadcast channels in HD. Typically, a card for digital service is no extra charge over a box, while a card for broadcast HD only may include an equipment fee, set per the local market.
Many of our customers enjoy this technology, while some have not.All of us, customers and cable providers alike, welcome these developements and look forward to CableCard 2.0. I apologize for the length of my response, but hope the viewpoint helps.

[Michael Lomker @ Jul 22nd 2006 3:46PM]

@Leslie -- thanks for a good post.

I recently switched from a DVR to a Cablecard because it was $10/month vs free. Comcast's DVR option is garbage compared to Tivo due to the poor quality of their guide data--season recordings of shows always result in missed new shows and repeats of mislabeled old shows. It makes the box unusable when compared to a Tivo. What blows my mind is that Comcast announced that they were going to install Tivo software on a Comcast DVR 'sometime soon' and I've been waiting a year now. If Tivo series 3 is released before Comcast gets a clue then there's no question what I'll be buying in the near future.

[Booty @ Jul 22nd 2006 11:02PM]

F-Comcast, along with all other cable companies
F-Ocur
F-Vista
F-Cablecard
F-ViiV
F-IPTV
F-Motorola with their crappy 6208 series...

F it all. All I want is HD archiving and placeshifting (higher than 320x240). All the douches involved with this will never allow one box to talk with another. This world, with the people that run it, is too complicated for consumers who pay $130+/month for GDTV to allow them to have something they want....

[tre @ Jul 23rd 2006 4:49AM]

The price of the cablecard from TimeWarner in Hawaii was 3.00 (as opposed to 8.00 for a cable box) but it wouldn't work in my Philips TV. The installer said that they had a Sony in the cable office and had worked out the installation bugs with that brand but he'd never seen or worked with a Philips. According to the installer, cablecards weren't ready for prime time.
That said, I love my Tivos. But will I buy the series 3 that takes two cablecards? I had planned on it but what if the cablecards won't work in that as well? I'll stick to the cable box and my Pioneer Series 2 Tivo.

[RacetrackOwner @ Jul 24th 2006 7:06AM]

It sucks that so much effort is being expended just to keep people from -- horrors! -- recording the broadcasts that they're already willing to pay a giant shitload of money to receive.

It doesn't stop piracy, period, so what's the fucking point???

[2-Wheeler @ Jul 24th 2006 12:55PM]

misouza said: "The memory on the Cablecard is not the deficency in not offering an on-screen guide and no OnDemand programming; it's the fact that v.1 only moves data one-way. The v.2 specifications call for two-way which would include the ability to have an on-screen guide and OnDemand broadcasting."

He/She is partly right. Yes, the card memory has nothing to do with it, it's all about the capabilities of the DTV.

However confusion still reigns regarding V-1.0 vs v-2.0. Let's set the record straight:
CableCARD version 1.0 is fully 2-way, and can support EPG, VOD, etc according to the specifications. However it is limited to a single transport stream, which means one-card for one-show at a time.

CableCARD version 2.0 is also fully 2-way, (no change there) however it is designed for multiple transport streams; which means watch and record or recording multiple simultanous shows, which makes it better for PVRs.

The better way to refer to these different cards is "S-CARD" for the Single-stream version (1.0) and "M-CARD" for the Multiple-stream version (2.0). There continues to be misinformation in the press and Wikipedia on this topic. The specs are public, so more people should try reading them.

So why don't the TVs support the 2-way services?

[Gerhard @ Sep 13th 2006 5:42PM]

"In my opinion, there is only one benefit to a cable card: No cable box needed to receive premium channels. The negatives outweigh this single pro: No on-screen guide, no recording capabities and they can be very complicated to setup."

I have to completely disagree with that statement. Companies like Comcast have these horrible GUI interface and plenty of advertising through the GUI. One clear ADVANTAGE of CableCARD is the ability to do away with that nonsense.

In my case, and in plenty of other cases, On-Demand programming isn't wanted either.

So, what you get is: The ability to use your TV to watch the premium channels you pay for, without needed another remote, or a poor user interface.

I'm using a Tivo Series 3 with dual CableCARDs. It records two programs at the same time, and shows both HDTV and STV with superior quality to anything the cable vendors are currently marketing.

Once again, I can cut out the extra advertising that is effectively forced down my throught... and be able to use a GUI that is actually intuitive.

CalbeCARD makes that possible.

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