No CableCARD for Windows Media Center until Longhorn (probably)

Bill G. promised that Windows Media Center would get support for CableCARD (which would make it possible for a Media Center PC to directly record cable HDTV programming) during
his interview with us a few weeks ago, but if you were waiting for that to happen anytime soon, you better brace yourself for a long wait, like until the end of next year.
What's the deal? Chris Lanier writes on his site that the problem is the broadcast industry, which is reluctant to let Microsoft add support for CableCARD to Windows Media Center because they don't think a Media Center PC is a secure enough environment. They prefer what they perceive as the closed box environments of a TiVo or a cable set top box, and believe that a Windows Media Center PC with CableCARD would be a boon to piracy (as if shows aren't going to get pirated no matter what). So that means that Microsoft probably won't be able to create a version of Media Center that satisifies the broadcast industry's concerns until Longhorn appears on the scene in 18 months or so. That's a ridiculously long time for them to add support for CableCARD and it's only going to hurt Windows Media Center's prospects as a DVR platform (which, of course, is good news for TiVo, et al.).

[Via Thomas Hawk]