M-Card
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Hands-on with the Ceton CableCARD tuner
We learned all about it this new tuner first thing this morning and were very pleased to see a "technology preview" of the card in action at the Microsoft's booth. As expected, it is a single PCI-E card that uses one multi-stream CableCARD and offers the ability to record four HD channels at once. The tuner shows up as a single network adapter in Windows and still uses UPnP like the currently available ATI tuner does. The configuration and diagnostic interface included tabs for each individual tuner and apparently two Tuning Adapters -- unfortunately there wasn't a working demo of the SDV tuning in action. And in case you are wondering, we did ask about the price and as you might expect we were referred to Ceton for specific product questions. We do already have an appointment with them tomorrow, but we'd be surprised if they were ready to tell us. %Gallery-72441%
Charter's Moxi 3012 HD DVR rollout reaches Wisconsin
Looking for a Moxi box without paying $799 (even in easy monthly payments) up front? We got the heads up that Charter is expanding the footprint for its Cable HD DVR 3012 multistream CableCARD box, starting with Wisconsin. Apparently following a successful test in St. Louis Charter is ready to deploy 23,000 of the set-top boxes in 2009 and make it the primary DVR in the area. No official word from Charter on the new hardware yet, but the trend of Digeo actually shipping units is one we can get used to.[Thanks, Anonymous]
Unboxing the Moxi HD DVR
At long last we have the Moxi HD DVR in our hands and its almost ready to put through the paces. The four month wait since we got to play with it at CES is over now we'll finally get to compare it to the best DVRs out there. At first glance the hardware really shines with the most notable thing being the glowing Moxi logo on the front -- although we already wonder if its brightness is adjustable. The remote has a good feel to it and is back-lit. Just about any wire you might need to set it up, including HDMI and component cables, are in the box. The wait isn't over though because the unit requires cable TV service so until the cable guy brings a CableCARD it'll be sitting in the lab looking pretty, but just as soon as that M-Card gets installed, you can expect a full on review.
500GB Moxi HD DVR now available, really
Someone's on a roll, after starting out this year the wrong way with layoffs and product cuts, Digeo appears to have its second new DVR ready for your home theater. The Moxi HD DVR is now available, promising its 500GB, dual-tuner multistream CableCard support to anyone with $799.99 to spare. Why opt for this over the 1 TB TiVo HD XL? Hopefully the MR-1500T3's remote web scheduling, news & weather browsing, Flickr / Finetune support and DLNA access to your PC's stored MP3 collection can tip the balance in its direction. Congratulations Moxi, you've beaten the skeptics and made your product available, now to decide if it's time to jump on this or wait for tru2way.Update: Via Dave Zatz comes word that this is a soft launch with a limited number of boxes available on Amazon, and we should expect an official reveal next month at CES, so decide fast if you want one early or all the other kids will be telling you how great theirs is when they come back from break.[Thanks, Mike]
Tips for those on a quest for a multi-stream CableCARD
There's nothing easy about getting a CableCARD from your cable co' and if you're hoping to save a few bucks by using a multi-stream (aka M-Card) CableCARD in your TiVo HD -- does any other 3rd party host device even support M-Cards? -- then you have an even harder road ahead than most. Recently good 'ol S&V Mag braved the trail and came away semi-scathed. Lucky for us, they documented the journey and have written up a pretty comprehensive list of pitfalls to watch out for. Some are pretty obvious, like the need to be persistent when you meet the cable co's resistance to all things CableCARD, but it's a must read nonetheless. Oh, and one more thing, make sure the card actually says Multi-Stream on it before you even bother inserting it, as many cable co' employees think M-Card means Motorola card!
Digeo announces Moxi-related partnerships, but not prices or release date
Unfortunately, the biggest news about Digeo's interesting Moxi DVR platform is that there are still no release dates or prices attached, which greatly overshadows their new content partnerships with Flickr, Finetune, Accedo and Cloverleaf. It seems that listening to indie bands, performing casual gaming on the TV, accessing web photos and menu overlays is a lot easier to do when the box is in our living room, as opposed to just on display -- again.[Via Tivo Lovers]
CableCARD M-Card in the wild
While it's no CableCARD 2.0, at this point TiVo Series3 owners will take what they can get. Most cable companies are using single stream CableCARDs which means you will need two for each of your Series3 TiVos. This means double your installation headache, double your fee. A keen eye member of the TiVoCommunity forum discovered a FCC complaint resolution in which the consumer received an M-Card to satisfy his grief from his cable company -- RCN -- refusing to supply him with a CableCARD. Not only did his letter to the FCC net results, but it is also the first time we have heard of an M-Card deployed in the wild. With some cable companies charging $4/mo per card, this would save you enough for a latte.
Motorola's DCH3416 M-Card-enabled HD DVR
Tipster Cableric sent in a pic of the recently-announced Motorola DCH3416 set-top box, an all-digital HD DVR with a 160GB drive inside that also supports multistream CableCARD (M-Card) for viewing or recording multiple TV streams simultaneously (along with picture-in-picture). It also works with Motorola's "Follow Me TV" placeshifting suite, which allows users to move pictures, music, and recorded content around their home network to other compatible STB's. The software follows Open Cable Application Platform (OCAP) middleware development standards, which should allow for easier updates and implementation of third-party tools. According to Cableric, the console includes the usual audio and video connections, in addition to HDMI, component video, Firewire, SATA, USB 2.0, and Ethernet. Should be good times for cable customers looking to replace the standard cable DVR.
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]
