FAQ: CableCard? What's that?

The government has a plan to help speed the arrival of digital TV and let you dump your cable box. It's called CableCard, and it's poised to come out from the wings, if not take center stage, in the cable TV market this year.

Momentum for the technology has been building almost imperceptibly since late 2003, when the Federal Communications Commission first ordered cable companies to support it. Now CableCard is gaining visibility, thanks to new devices promising to give consumers more control over their TVs while keeping everything simple enough for average folks to use.

If you're shopping for a new TV or personal video recorder (PVR) this year, you should know something about CableCard. At this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, TiVo, Hewlett-Packard and others unveiled new products incorporating the technology. Most new digital television models including HDTVs now include CableCard hook-ups.

News.context

What's new:
CableCard is a new technology for digital television that lets users connect to cable TV without a set-top box.

Bottom line:
It will simplify your entertainment system and possibly save you money. But if CableCard signals the beginning of the end for the basic set-top box, the switch will probably take several years to play out.

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So what is CableCard? And why haven't we heard much about it until now? The following CNET News.com FAQ explains the ins and outs, the pros and cons and the whys and wherefores.

What is it?
CableCard is an interface for digital TV that lets you plug your cable line directly into your TV set without the need for a set-top box. It's about the size of a thick credit card, and fits into a special slot built into digital TVs and a growing number of peripheral devices, such as a newly announced version of TiVo and HP's media "hub."

What does it do?
CableCard's first function--and arguably its most important--is to prevent people from stealing cable TV. Like a set-top box, it stores subscriber information and codes for unlocking and viewing scrambled digital-cable signals.

CableCard is meant to replace set-top boxes. But it does not yet replicate all set-top box functions. Notably, you can't yet use CableCard for services that require two-way interactivity, such as accessing your cable company's interactive programming guide or purchasing pay-per-view programs. Also, equipment that was made before the CableCard specification was created won't work with CableCard. That includes all current TiVo models.

Why should I get one?
The main reasons for now are cost and convenience. It's cheaper for cable companies to produce and distribute CableCards than set-top boxes, and consumers are expected to pocket at least some of the savings. It also simplifies your entertainment system, removing one component from your entertainment unit and one remote control from under the cushions of your couch.

CableCard is expected to let you choose from a variety of digital-TV services and devices, rather than those dictated by your cable provider. Updated specifications are also in the works that will enable interactive features, although it is unclear when they will be available.

How can I get one and how much will it cost?
You can only rent one for about $2 a month from your cable provider. That compares to about $7 a month currently for a set-top box.

Can I install it myself?
Ideally, the cable company sends over a card, you plug it in to your TV and voila! But that day is still a way off. Since CableCards are still in

[Jonathan]

I smell a rat

Why do I get the feeling this is going to directly tie into the flagging method the FCC is, or will be soon, implementing to keep consumers from recording certain programs depending on what the wishes of the producers are.

[Stan Kee]

Same Here, Not Interested

Sounds like the consumers are still at the mercy cable and production companies, the equivalent of having a RIAA/MPAA built computer. No point in stealing cable, nothings on TV. If there is a program on tv worth watching just rent the dvd. I mainly turn the tv on for background noise so I can go to sleep.

What bugs me most is...

What bugs me most about this whole digita TV thing is that it is the goverment pushing it because they want the old spectrum to sell off and make a ton of money. I doubt many consumers had asked or pleaded for digital TV. I mean really what's the point. TV shows have gotten lamer, more commercials, scrunched up credits, commercials on screen during the show. It all seems pointless to me.

If the goverment is so hot and heavy to get this spectrum then why should the consumers have to foot the bill for all of this new hardware. The goverment should be telling the makers that you have to see the hardware for no more than $100 a pop with the goverment picking part of the difference and the the stations picking up the rest. I mean really the stations makes tons of money of the commercials they cram down our throats and then they turn around and keep charging the cable and sat. providers more and more for the stations.

Why is it the consumers that are always getting the shaft with this kind of thing. As for these cards why does your Tivo need one when Tivo stopped making their devices with sat. and cable receivers in them. If it costs you $50 to buy a card or $2 a month to rent and you have to have one for each TV, each Tivo, Each DVD video recorder, etc. etc. I don't see how that is cheaper for the consumer buying them or renting them. And, it looks like at least for now you still have to have the set-top box if you want the on-screen guide and pay-per-view so you get hit with another monthly fee.

Plus well all know damn good and well that greedy companies like Comcast aren't going to pass any saving on to us and they will probably charge just as much for a card as they do a box. Seems to me this is all another shafting just like HDTV.

Robert

[Jim Harmon]

You DO!

This has been coming for a long time - ever since the passage of the DMCA in 1998. As many are aware, this law removes the "fair use" copyright loophole for just about anything digitally based. "Fair use" includes recording for later viewing and making backup copies.

I'm actually surprised that recording devices will be able to use the CableCard.

[bobby_brady]

Could be a scam - What's the point of digital TV?

To me, the only reason why they are pushing digital TV is to infest it with DRM restrictions. One thing Hollywood wants to see obsolete is the analog connections.

[Aardasp]

Shafted..., AGAIN/STILL...

At least we all know that we, the consumer, are still able to realize when we are about to get the shaft..., again..., sigh!

[Stormspace]

Yet another Cable Scam

The purpose of this is to let the consumer benefit from not having a cable box? Puleese.

What's going to happen is that the cable companies will require a CC for each device capable of recieving their signal, and likely still charge most customers for a box anyway, whether it be a cable DVR or STB for an older set.

[Dachi]

One key point missed

Most TV's today don't go past chan 99 becasue they are not digital capible and they contain very cheap tuners. The set top box usually has the latest and greatest TV tuners and they convert the signal from digital to an anolog 55-50 Mhz (chan 2 or 3) so that the TV will understand it.

So TV's containing the more advanced tuners are more expensive to build.

DVR set top boxes and pay-per-view are also good reasons not go take the carblecard TV plunge.

A cablecard TiVo on the other hand.. :)

[Michael Grogan]

Cable, pffft...

I have digital satellite, better picture, more channels and less cost than cable; let the idiots keep their rip-off technologies and keep cutting their own throats to spite their own faces :)

[Jim Harmon]

SatCard

Don't worry - the FCC won't forget you either. I'm sure that they're working to eliminate your receiver too. The end result being that the cable from the dish will plug directly into your TV. That's not all that difficult to accomplish.

[Raife]

Killing the "Analog-Hole"

After any reasonable analysis, the ONLY real reason for this particular piece of FEDERALLY-MANDATED, technology would quite clearly be to eliminate the so-called "analog-hole" (through which consumers can control the programming which they watch).

In other words, after years of trying, and failing, to legally-overturn the Supreme Court's "Beta-Max decision" (which established many of the basic-rights held by consumers for the last twenty-years), a few powerful-interests are quite obviously attempting to mis-use the FCC's-authority to finally accomplish their ultimate goal of eliminating any pretense of consumer- 'rights', choice', or 'control'.

[Prndll]

I agree

Anything digital....

Consumer control is slipping away. This is most evident with computers as they are the ultimate digital devices to date.

All this will happen under the guise of "looking" better with "more" security and "higher" security.

[Prndll]

I agree

Anything digital....

Consumer control is slipping away. This is most evident with computers as they are the ultimate digital devices to date.

All this will happen under the guise of "looking" better with "more" functionality and "higher" security.

[hemistanley]

Dgital Roadblock

Unless and until the cable companies make it possible to split the signal as is possible and even necessary in the analog world to put standalone recording devices in the loop, I'm afraid this subscriber will be sticking with analog. Comcast has provided digital service in my area for several years at a reasonable price but we have a total of 4 VCRs and a DVD recorder all connected via amplified switchers to the same cable connection.

So far this can't be done with digital cable because the channels still must be selected at the box.

My question: will future D-VHS (if VHS survives), DVRs and DVD recorders be compatible with CableCard?

One can hope.

[broke]

Remember "cable ready" crap? Same old...

TV"s have had "cable-ready" jacks and electronics for years, but they don't de-scramble - just an added and useless expense, like the "Parental V-chip" that I think is still mandated.

Want something useful? Ask your cable supplier why VCRs have had channel-switch timers for over twenty years but cable boxes (unless you add the cable companies' integrated TiVo or whatever) don't. Or when can we use picture-in-picture (another costly but useless-with-cable feature) or watch-A-while-record-B multichannel?

Cable Cards

By supporting the cable cards you won't replace the STB it will only evolve to something new. It also will now mean that DTV have more smarts and this industry is changing two fast to keep up. Who wants to replace your $2000+ display because your card reader nolonger works? In addition convergence is coming. What and how will the display support PC functions. Today you still have very poor quality when viewing web pages or playing games. This is due to the current compression used today from your cable and satalite compaines. We don't need smart diplsys we need smart systems that feed the display.

[billsen]

cable card

Does anyone know of a conflict between Motorola cable card and LG LCD TV?
Thanks

[billsen]

CableCard

Is anyone aware of conflict concerning MOTOROLA
CableCard and LG LCD TV?
billsen