Lack of cable and satellite HDTV support is the biggest flaw in Windows MCE 2005. Hopefully, Vista will change that as CableCARD support is the major feature upgrade offered in the next version of Media Center.
What is CableCARD?
CableCARD is the technology created by the United States cable television industry in response to government mandates by the FCC to separate the internal functions of integrated set-top boxes and allow third-party manufacturers to sell devices with built-in digital cable tuners directly to consumers. CableCARDs cost anywhere between $1.50 to $8 a month to rent (per Weaknees.)
Why Use CableCARD?
To watch HDTV from you cable company with a Vista box, you will be stuck with a CableCard. The lure of using a CableCard is HDTV from your local cable company fed right into your media center. No cable boxes needed, no IR blaster, and no lag when changing channels. Digital cable has not been available to MCE owners. Today’s tuners are not able to decode the encryption pumped out by the cable companies. CableCARD rectifies those issues.
How is Microsoft Vulnerable?
To get CableCARD support in Vista, Microsoft had to sell-out the DIY community of PC builders and potentially smaller OEMs. Microsoft is totally reliant on the big OEMs, like Dell and HP, to move their product. To date, HP or Dell has not been too innovative with Windows MCE computers.
As much as the Series 3 Tivo has paved the way for Vista, it has shown the potholes facing CableCARDs. The cable industry is loathe to support it and is constantly fighting its implementation. Mainstream adoption of CableCARD is hardly guaranteed. All it takes is a cable company to exert alittle more influence over the FCC and suddenly Vista is not as attractive as a media center. Without HDTV support, Vista does not offer alot of improvements, especially in light of the more stringent EULA.
CableCARD also is a U.S. only technology and those outside of the states have yet to see any additional advances for Media Center being used as a PVR. If you live outside the U.S., upgrading to Vista is not nearly as attractive.
IPTV could be an interesting addition to the fray but Verizon is desperately resisting the FCC’s mandate on CableCARD. Verizon has requested exemption from an FCC ruling that would require cable companies to use CableCARD on their own boxes.
Alternatives to CableCARD
Right now, Vista’s CableCARD support is getting the most press coverage though Microsoft is working on other content distributors. So what are the alternatives to CableCard? DirecTV? Microsoft has issued a press release that they are working together with DirecTV though no details have really been provided. Even if DirecTV is an option, you essentially have eliminated a large chunk of the television market if CableCARD is not a viable option.
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November 17th, 2006 at 12:28 am
[...] As you can see, Vista’s Media Center is very polished and comes close to rivaling Tivo’s interface. I keep thinking Vista’s Media Center is a house of cards though. None of the eye-candy is worth anything if the overall user experience is crap. Microsoft has caved into the pressure of the content providers, and has included some serious hardware DRM (HDCP), not to mention that CableLabs has to approve the configuration of every media center box. If HDTV is not fully integrated, a Vista box is a waste of time. Microsoft has so much riding on their CableCARD implementation. The comments on Charlie’s website highlight these issues. The frustrating thing to me is that I won’t be able to build my own media center using Vista becuase of the need for CableLabs approval. How much of a premium are manufacturers going to charge me for CableCARD support? This sums up why I am secretly rooting for Linux and MythTV. If I cannot watch HDTV reliably and somewhat cheaply with Vista’s Media Center, I will turn to MythTV, which is free by the way. Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
[...] Microsoft’s Vista is an important step in the evolution of the media center and the home theater computer since it will support CableCARD and HD DVD’s ‘Managed Copy.’ I have discussed Vista’s CableCARD implementation alot on this site but have not talked at all about HD DVD support. So exactly what is ‘Managed Copy?’ Currently, HD DVD is the only next-gen DVD format to provide for the ability to legally make copies of optical content. Dubbed ‘Managed Copy,’ HD DVD implements part of the AACS control mechanism to allow for things such as putting digital copies of a disc on a hard drive, transferring a movie (legally) to a portable player, or streaming content on a home network. It is an often neglected feature of the HD-DVD standard. All HD DVD’s are required to implement ‘managed copy.’ [...]
January 4th, 2007 at 2:08 am
[...] Dell has typically avoided media centers that look like high-end audio/video components. To get CableCARD support in Vista, Microsoft had to sell-out the DIY community of PC builders and potentially smaller OEMs. Microsoft is totally reliant on the big OEM’s, like Dell and HP, to move their product. To date, HP or Dell has not been too innovative with Windows MCE computers. When was the last time a Dell product generated a lot of buzz or excitement? With Microsoft’s reliance on 3rd-party vendors to release Vista media centers with CableCARD support, Alienware could position themselves as a must have product for home theater enthusiasts. [...]
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