I just got done reading your article on Electronic House entitled “Cable Card: What You Need To Know”. I have some other questions about this issue. I currently have a very nice 32” Toshiba TV with 2 tuner Picture in Picture. I do not use a cable box. I really want to upgrade to a Hitachi 55” Plasma and start getting digital/HD cable signal. The Hitachi has PIP, but as we know you really can’t use PIP to it’s fullest when using a cable box. That’s why I have refused to get one all these years. Also, like you said, with a cable card you lose a lot of the services that you pay dearly for, like on screen guide, PPV etc. From the article it sounds like the TV manufacturers are the one’s not letting the 2 way cable card make it’s way into their sets. Is that right? Are the TV makers getting a kickback from the cable industry and or the cable box industry to keep this technology limited? I would think with the disdain people have for cable companies, anything that the manufacturer could do to get the cable company out of the loop would be welcomed. Do you know if the new 2.0 cabelcards will be able to get PPV, on screen guide etc? Do the new DVR’s that use cable cards allow you to use PIP? As you can probably tell, I hate cable boxes and love PIP. I want to be able to use my tv to its’ fullest potential and I find that cable boxes limit that severly, as in PIP. In closing, I thought your article was very good and that more light should be shown on this technology to get it up to speed.

I bought a Samsung 1080p with the Cable Card feature and love it. Nice to be able to use regular remote controls and not have the goofy cable box to contend with.

Hey JB,
The article specifically states that the “2.0” Would be a bidirectional communication which is what was required to do pay per view. As for your picture in picture solutions….. I think if you split before your cable box and input to your antennae “f” connector to your tv and the other cable to your box and then use a component or hdmi for your cable box connectivity to the tv you can use your pip but wont have the high-def in your small box. Just a shot in the dark.

Ahem,  “According to CableLabs, the CableCARD module has been a two-way-capable device from the very beginning. Digital television manufacturers, CableLabs says, requested that a host standard be developed that only had one-way capability.”

that is completely self-serving and bogus.  The cable companies have fought cablecard tooth and nail for over a decade.  The deployment is almost 10 years later than the US congress mandated.  Cable companies make $4.5 B from box rental.  You think they want to give that up???

The CE folks (tv set makers fall into that category) wanted two way but the cable companies were the foot draggers.  CC 1.0 (the current 1 way design) is just an attempt to cause consumer backlash against CC.  Anyone who gets CC 1.0 will hate it inside of an hour of usage.  Especially if they’ve used any of the 2 way features before.

If your using CC with an HTPC, you’ll get your gude from the internet anyway.  Doesn’t help with PPV though…

I’ve got a client who has been without cable cards for her TiVo for over 2 months. Comcast customer service simply astounds me.

The first guy wouldn’t install it because there was no signal to the jack (she had a recent remodel and the remodeler didn’t hook it up). That was fixed.

The second guy comes up with a cable box and insists she use it instead.

Now we’re waiting on ‘partitioning’ what ever that is.

Dragging their feet is an understatement!

We will end uup with what the highest bribed politicians vote for.

Foret any logic.

If I install my cablecard in my DVR/cable box will I receive all premium channels? (HBO Showtime)