Ceton Digital Cable Quad-Tuner Card

[mkenyon2]

Just heard about this coming out in Q1 this year:

The Ceton Digital Cable Quad-Tuner Card is the world's first multi-tuner PC card for watching digital cable TV on the PC, including support for premium cable channels. It enables Media Center PCs to play or record up to four live channels of HDTV at once, and stream live HD channels or recordings to multiple HDTVs throughout the home, all from a single cable connection and a single CableCARD™. Replace your cable set-top boxes and their costly monthly rental fees and enjoy premium cable TV throughout the home, all from a single PC. With the Ceton Digital Cable Quad-Tuner Card your Media Center PC becomes a complete entertainment platform for all your media, including premium cable TV.

http://www.cetoncorp.com/

I know CableCard isn't the best technology. But right now in my area, if you want to build a box, you need STBs and blasters.

[pcostanza]

I've had 2, external CC tuners (tested with MS since 2006) for years. 1 died and I now have 1 internal and 1 external and I love 'em. They ain't cheap and they only work with Media Center (as far as I know).
For me, it beats paying the cable company for renting a DVR and the $1.98 they charge me per card is better than the $10 they want to rent me an HD box. But, cable companies don't support cable cards and really don't want to sell them. If 1 card can record 2, 4 or 6 channels at a time, it's something I might be interested in.
Besides Ceton, Hauppuage and Silicon Dust are working on them as well. SD won't be out until later in the year but it is to be networked.

[whurlston]

I'm hoping that sub's employer will pony up the money for the CableLabs fees so he can add support for them.

A guy can dream right?

[pcostanza]

I was hoping MS would have testing on the new cards but it seems that's done by Ceton. There is still Silicon beta in April but I have a feeling it's not an open one. Heck, I'd pay a few bucks to test. I'm even planning on spending money I don't have to build a new HTPC for when the cards come out. But, I'll always have my trusty GBPVR on at least one system as I know it won't let me down.

[sub]

Do recordings of premium channel, made by MCE from a cablecard device, play in WMP?

[whurlston]

From what I hear, it varies by provider. If they set the CCI flag to anything other than Copy Freely, then Media Center encrypts it. Paul can correct me if I'm worng on that.

[sub]

If they set the CCI flag to anything other than Copy Freely, then Media Center encrypts it.

I would expect that, but am unsure whether WMP has the secret sauce capable of playing that encrypted content.

[whurlston]

Yeah, that I don't know.

[pcostanza]

Do recordings of premium channel, made by MCE from a cablecard device, play in WMP?

I'll have to get back with you on this as I'm at work at the moment. I rarely use WMP but I'll record something on HBO or Showtime and see what happens.
I can tell that I can't burn a dvd of any premium station like I can with the other channels. And, once or twice (more than a year ago) some movies on SyFy looked to be broadcast flagged for no copying.
Got a few things to do on the way home but I will reply sometime tonite.

[sub]

ok - cheers.