Floppyhead - Digital Media and Home Theater Computers

A couple of months ago, Verizon dug up my front yard to install Fios in my neighborhood. Yeah me. I was/am excited to finally make the switch to fiber optic goodness.
I went to www.verizonfios.com to check out the available packages. The standard fair was available such as DVRs and set top boxes. [...]

I have been hesitant to buy a CableCard-based media center for one reason: switch digital video.  Basically SDV renders CableCards useless.  Tru2way is the next generation of security technology that allows two way communication between a media center and the cable company and will work with SDV.
Not much has been presented about Tru2way and [...]

Sony announced the replacement to the VGX-XL3 media center pc, which is the dual CableCard TP25. The VGX-Xl3 was a sleek machine that looked like a high-end A/V component. It’s main flaws were the lack of an adequate video card and having only one digital cable tuner, instead of the expected two.
The [...]

Ceton has announced their upcoming M-Card Digital Cable Tuner. From their website:
Connect your Microsoft Vista Media Center PC to any U.S. Cable TV Company including Comcast, Time-Warner, Cox, Charter, etc., to watch and record Cable programming via the new multi-stream, bi-directional CableCARD, the M-Card. Pause, rewind, fast forward, and record live TV utilizing [...]

ArsTechnica has an article on the CableCard integration required by the FCC, always a confusing subject. Basically, the U.S. government has tried to create a new market for cable set-top boxes with the CableCard requirement. From the article:

Beginning in July, though, cable operators became subject to the “integration ban” and could no longer [...]

Not surprisingly, Sony has discontinued the sale of the Vaio VGX-XL3, which was a flawed but great looking media center with CableCard support. Presumably this is because of poor sales but I also think that the VGX-XL3 was already obsolete. Priced at almost $2,700, it only had one digital cable tuner and [...]

Sony has just released their latest iMac competitor, called the VAIO LT Series. Like the iMac, the VAIO LT is an all-in-one solution, meaning the compter and the monitor are combined.
The VAIO LT trumps the featues of the iMac with its high definition options. The HD version of the VAIO LT, which costs [...]

Alienware is finally getting around to updating the Hangar 18 with CableCard support. Apparently the first iteration of the Hangar 18 sans CableCard support was a resounding success, which is surprising to me because of its complete lack of HD support.
CE Pro has the scoop:
Soon, Alienware will offer CableCard support for the Hangar 18 [...]

So Dell has finally shipped the XPS 410 with Digital Cable Tuners. By my count, there are now three viable companies selling media centers with CableCard support: Dell, HP, and Velocity Micro PC.

Dell also has made an interesting choice with the XPS 410. Digital Cable Tuners (DCTs) are only available on the high-end [...]

HP has decided to again offer digital cable tuners as an upgrade to the m8100y line of computers. Originally, HP sold DCTs with the m8010y but apparently had problems with that configuration. Their on- again/off-again offering of DCTs has settled with the 8100y.

The good news is that a system can be had [...]