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Wednesday November 7, 2007
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 Years in development, the cooperation of the cable industry and the PC industry, and what do we get? CableCard, a barely publicized, hardly functional gizmo that you can't buy separately from a PC...and based on the limited, one-way functionality, you wouldn't really want to anyway. Even before CableLabs released the first CableCards, there was talk about bi-directional models down the line, which would enable electronic program guides, pay-per-view services, and all sorts of other goodies.
The first details on these new bi-directional devices are just starting to emerge, thanks in part to MSMVP Chris Lanier. Chris wrote a lengthy post with some early, insider information about the devices, called Bidirectional OpenCable Receivers, or BOCRs. He stumbled across a product page for what appears to be an early CableCard version 2 unit. It's a bit techy, but worth thinking about for a second. He's found out some juicy details (and has some very interesting speculations):
* On the known side of things, this tuner will indeed have M-Card support. This means you will just need a single tuner and CableCARD in order to tune two channels at once, finally a break when it comes to the overall price of CableCARD PCs!
* In regards to OCAP/OpenCable, ... the "hardware does support downloadable EPGs; most of which will come in the form of an OCAP application or a plug-in to Microsoft Vista."
* BOCRs are likely to use a split version of OCAP with part of it running on the BCOR and part running within Windows Media Center.
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November 7, 2007 5:30 PM
Ummm so what does this do again?
November 7, 2007 9:49 PM
CableCARD readers allow the device they are in (could be a tivo, computer, etc) to interface with the cable provider they are on, via a cable card. Think of it like a GSM cell phone. The cell phone is the CableCARD reader, the SIM card is the CableCARD and the cable provider is the cell phone service provider.
More details here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2102511,00.asp
November 8, 2007 5:04 PM
I'm confused. I had thought that the M card dealt with authentication and decryption for two streams. In that case you would still need two tuners to receive two transmissions. How can you receive two transmissions with just one tuner?
November 8, 2007 5:04 PM
And we still have the same problems that V1 has. You cant buy it separately. You need to buy a whole new computer, which you cant upgrade or update else it looses its certification to cable labs.
The have a great product that no one can really enjoy.
November 8, 2007 11:00 PM
Big Question -- are they only for PCs? Will they work with TVs that support the Cable Card? I use a cable card with my Sharp Aquos TV and would sure like a bidirectional card.
November 9, 2007 1:07 AM
Comcast up here don't want you to have Cable card, first appointment, it show up as additional out let on tech's paper work.
2nd time tech showed up but cable card were out of stock.
3rd time, he brought a cable card but turns out it doesn't work. or people on activation line don't make it work.
4th time they never showed.
we ask to pick up the card from office, they let you pick up receivers for self install but cable card are consider advanced product and only their techs can install them for you. :(
November 12, 2007 10:21 AM
The picture shows that the CableCard is inserted backward. Perhaps lack of functionality of the device is a reflection of the authors inability to insert the card properly?
November 16, 2007 9:24 AM
When I ordered 2 cards from Charter, they sent a contractor installer to install them. He wasn't sure what to do, but I gave him the TiVo directions and he still didn't follow them. He called the main office to activate them and read the numbers off the screen. He had to call back 3 times before they told him that their system was backed up and shows would not show up for 3 hours (However that's possible). I was charged $25 just so I could miss work for 3 hours and the contractor could show ti plug 2 cards into my tivo. I think even the most inept user could manage that.
On top of the monthly charge for the cards, they also charge a "Digital Fee". I'm still not sure why since if I didn't need the digital channels I wouldn't need the cablecard in the first place.
August 16, 2008 12:21 AM
I am a cable tech and cablecards are hard to install. It does look like you can just plug the card in and everything will work, but that is not correct. The card and equipment that it is plugging into has to be "paired" at the office for everything to work correct. Alot of the cablecards and equipment that support cablecards display incorrect information so when we call it in, they don't get paired correctly. Also, the cablecards have problems holding the decryption information sent to them. I had to install about 3 different cablecards into a tv once until I found one that would still work after turning the tv off. The new 2-way cards are suppose to be alot better once they get released and implemented into the cable systems..