PVR Recording and Digital TV - USA

[sub]

There has been a small change from what I mentioned earlier in this thread. There is now ATSC digital cable (QAM) support in GB-PVR, but this only applies to unencrypted content - we'll all still have to wait see what happens on the CableCard front.

[Brian_W]

There has been a small change from what I mentioned earlier in this thread. There is now ATSC digital cable (QAM) support in GB-PVR, but this only applies to unencrypted content - we'll all still have to wait see what happens on the CableCard front.

Well when CableCard capture cards becomes a publicly available reality, I will definitely be looking forward to support in GBPVR

Hell I will even setup one of my spare boxes for you to remote into and have a go with doing whatever

Brian

[pcostanza]

Well when CableCard capture cards becomes a publicly available reality, I will definitely be looking forward to support in GBPVR

Hell I will even setup one of my spare boxes for you to remote into and have a go with doing whatever

Brian

MS is doing testing of a cable card system and plans are it will only be available with purchased systems and should be avaible next spring.

[wtg]

This may be a stupid question since I don't know how HDTV STB's work, but since your HDTV signal comes in over coax do the boxes also have a coax out?
And if they have coax out is the true HDTV signal? If so couldn't you just set an HDTV tuner card to channel 3 for recording & change the channel on the stb via the PC & record a true HDTV signal?

The HD STB that I have can output HDMI or component video at HD resolution, or svideo and composite at SD resolution. I don't think it has coax out, though I might be wrong and don't feel like pulling it out of my entertainment unit to check.

There's no HDTV PC card that takes HDMI or component input that I'm aware of, so if you're gonna record output from the box, it'll be SD.

Regarding some of the other comments people have made...

I think we'll have analog cable for quite sometime, if only because so many people still only get analog cable service. It's a low $ offering (lower anyway) that serves a lot of people. Since 90% of the U.S. get their TV from cable, I believe the loss of terrestrial analog signal will be a minor issue as long as analog cable remains available. Cable companies wouldn't dare force people to upgrade to a digital service because it drives up cost and put a significant % of their users in the market - maybe switching to dish instead of paying cable companies even more money.

I do feel sorry for those in poverty or the elderly on fixed incomes that will be affected by the OTA analog loss, and I suspect some aspiring politician will take up their cause. I wouldn't surprise me if you see some pressure put on cable companies to offer a true low cost, limited service about the time the OTA signals disappear.

Finally, I seriously doubt we'll ever see digital recording without DRM (QAM not withstanding). Our commercial skipping ability scares the hell out of the entertainment networks, and for good reason. It is how they get paid here in the US, and what pays for our programming. If it were to become prevalent, it would completely change the industry and none of them want that kind of flux - too scary. Instead they'll fight it where its easiest - politically, legally and with whatever pressure they can put on the tech companies.

I wish it weren't so, but I really believe we're in the golden era of PVRs. We'll be able to record analog for a long time, but I don't think we'll ever see a cablecard-compatible TV card without DRM. We'll just need to figure out how to hack the cable boxes.

[Brian_W]

MS is doing testing of a cable card system and plans are it will only be available with purchased systems and should be avaible next spring.

Yeah that is what is floating around the industry. Some people have also said that it will remain exclusive to OEM systems for a little while, then retail units will be available. There is a link earlier in this thread regarding an ATI card that has cablecard and it says they plan to release it for retail later. Hopefully

Brian

[pwborders]

Just a few clarifications.

The FCC has a deadline to stop analog BROADCAST tv stations, this in no way effects cable analog stations.

The goverment subsidy talked about it to buy over the air digital receivers so that people without an HDTV can still see over the air tv after the deadline. After the deadline every tv you own will be worthless unless connected to an over the air digital receiver or cable / cable stb. By by to all the little portable tvs you own.

The deadline has changed twice so far (I think) and is tied to hdtv sales but the FCC wants to sell all that space so it will happen and probably sooner rather than later.

Analog cable is a company by company choice but it will go away too. The same issue, bandwidth. They want to offer more digital channels and more on demand features and they have limited bandwidth on the cable. I have a friend at the local cable company that works setting up new digital channels and he has said that the analog channels take up too much space and they want to get rid of them.

Cable in households is a bit less than the 90% someone posted, check the stats here:

http://www.ncta.com/ContentView.aspx?contentId=54

Cable Penetration of TV Households (June 2006) 59.1%

That is why the idea of an over the air digital receiver subsidy came up. 40% of the people will have no tv after the deadline, and that means no emergency information which is a public safety issue.

When cable first came out you had to have a stb, the move to all digital will just mean a return to that for all the non-HDTV users. More money for the cable companies.

Just a few things I saw while reading. Hopefully not to far off given it is 3:30am.

Pete

[zed]

...
That is why the idea of an over the air digital receiver subsidy came up. 40% of the people will have no tv after the deadline, and that means no emergency information which is a public safety issue.
....
Pete

More likely it's because it means they won't be able to see commercials.

[Gameross]

Does any of this remind you of the phone company when it used to charge for touch tone dialing? (maybe still does-Cel phone only for years here)

In case you didn't know, touch tone dialing was actually cheaper for the phone company to deal with than rotary dialing but they would charge several dollars a month for the option of using a touch tone phone.

I'm guessing with digital the cable companies should be able to make more money as they're able to offer more services over their already established cable as well as maintaining the existing cable should also be cheaper.

The biggest problem is most cable companies are monopolies and with a monopoly comes higher prices.

Phone service is cheaper now than it was 30 years ago being a prime example.

[wtg]

Cable in households is a bit less than the 90% someone posted, check the stats here:

http://www.ncta.com/ContentView.aspx?contentId=54

Cable Penetration of TV Households (June 2006) 59.1%

Thanks for posting that Pete. I originally quoted the 90% as something I'd either read or heard somewhere else. However, this article dated Aug 06 lists the total of cable/alternative delivery (largest component satellite) subscribers to be around 86% (62.8% cable, 23.3% satellite,et al). I suspect it was a statistic related to the sum of all non-OTA subscribers that I recalling, and it's surprising high, to me anyway.

With so few people really relying on OTA and a growing sizable number of them with HD capatible sets, it does put the government in the position of being able to cut the signal without too much backlash. I'm sure when the signal is cut it'll inspire some politicians to fight for the less privilaged, but I'll be shocked if it results in anything more than a tax-incentive for purchase of a OTA receiver. Anything else would be too expensive and eat up the money the government hopes to make on the sale of the air waves. My guess is instead they'll pressure cable companies to drop the rate of their absolutely cheapest basic analog offering, subsidized by the price the premium subscribers have to pay for the digital boxes.

Just my two cents,
Tim

[fuzzweed]

Look on the bright side - when the OTA TV goes, you'll have wireless broadband to look forward too instead...
http://www.newscientisttech.com/channel/...d-gap.html

...and as I've got a copy of the magazine here, for $1 each, i'll tell you what the FCC said