Questions on *futureproofing* TV tuners

[Informant X]

Greetings, not to long ago I saw that article on anandtech about cable companies encrypting their digital feeds, and getting rid of analog. My question is I'm going to be building a HTPC soon and want to get a TV tuner. Are there any tv tuners out there that are capable of decrypting this digital signal or will there be any? If there are tuners that can do this is there something I should look for when purchasing. Or are we just screwed and will be forced to only recieve OTA channels?

 

[masteryoda34]

Some digital channels will be broadcast in clear QAM, which you can get with a digital tuner. Other encrypted channels either need a set top box from the cable company or a CableCard enabled tuner, but the CableCard tuners only work on some OEM PC's.

 

[Informant X]

So basically no? I would have to run it through a cable box first and then from that into my Tv Tuner?

 

[masteryoda34]

Basically there aren't a lot of good options because the cable companies and content providers are super paranoid about people capturing digital streams and uploading them to the web. Like that doesn't already happen anyways. :roll:

 

[Kingbee13]

They lifted the OEM requirement for CableCard tuners last month, but we are still waiting for tuners to hit the market

CableCard Tuners for all

 

[heyheybooboo]

WMC + Cable Card = DRM Hell __________ Any bets?

QAM is simply the cable signal modulation.

You have unencrypted analog and digital QAM, and encrypted digital QAM. As the OP noted unencrypted analog QAM is soon going bye-bye with the conversion to digital.

I'm guessing that local channels and maybe a few others will remain unencrypted. I didn't think the law let them encrypt local channels --- but they probably changed that law.

READ THIS: IMPORTANT !!!

As I understand how this deal will shake out with the 'new' cablecard, WMC will only record in DVR-MS format which will provide copy-protection. A file with copy-protection may not be converted to another format, cannot be edited to remove commercials, and that file may only be played back on the machine which recorded it.

I have no clue as to how that will effect those of us with media libraries/servers and if moving that file, or recording it, 'off-box' will effectively kill it for replay.


Anybody want to take that bet, now?

 

[mozartrules]

heyheybooboo: WMC + Cable Card = DRM Hell __________ Any bets?

Sure, but you have that problem with the alternative solutions (TiVo or the cable company's DVR). Win7 will at least respect the copy-freely code that the cable companies can set on some programs (Vista didn't). The DRM has actually been relaxed compared to the earlier Vista/ATI/OEM solution, but it is still locked down heavily.

You can - as always - get rid of the DRM though a conversion to analog and back, but that will typically lower quality.

You cannot move the DRM'd file or even play it from another machine on your network, but you can play it on an extender like the XBox. It would be nice if Microsoft release a extender as a program running on Windows (softsled), but there has been nothing concrete.