Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

ElectronicHouse.com has an excellent article on CableCards. CabeleCards allow you to replace your cable box with another device, like a Series 3 Tivo or a Vista media center computer. The main drawback of the current generation of CableCards is that they do not allow two-way communication, meaning you cannot access the video and movies on-demand provided by your cable company. The next generation of cards, CableCard 2.0, should rectify this problem. According to the article:

Next to arrive, perhaps in 2008, will be CableCARD 2.0-based interactive host devices. However, interactive TV features will require buying a new 2.0-compatible TV (or new device/card for your PC). Storozum notes that CableCARD 2.0 MCards will work with these new TVs and PCs, but they are not required. In theory, says Storozum, you will be able to use CableCARD 1.0 single-stream cards (SCards) with interactive CableCARD 2.0 TVs/PCs, but you won’t receive multiple channels at the same time.

CableCards will not be able to match the functionality of you cable box until at least 2008. That seems crazy to me. This makes me nervous about spending over $3,000 on a media center computer with CableCard support.

The article does confuse M-Cards and CableCard 2.0. M-Cards will allow multiple streams to one card. Right now, you need two cards to record a show and watch a show at the same time. M-Cards can do this with one card, and hence one Digital Cable Tuner, saving you over $300 on the cost of second Digital Cable Tuner. M-Cards should be out sometime in 2007.