CableCARD's for Homebuilt HTPC's

[rwpritchett]

I didn't see this anywhere on Tom's so I though I'd pass this along:

CableLabs has removed the restriction that only OEM's with a special BIOS have access to CableCARD readers

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/09/media-center-cablecards-freed-from-oem-requirement/

What does that mean???

■CableCARD readers will be sold at retail for homebuilt HTPC's rather than only bundled with prebuilt HTPC's
■We'll no longer have to setup complex IR blasters to control set-top boxes
■We'll be able to record premium HD content straight from the cable
■Problems with encryted QAM channels will be a thing of the past
■Ceton has CableCARD readers in the works that will be sold at retail with 2 and 4 tuners, and another with 6 tuners for OEM

Anyone else excited about this news?

 

[Proximon]

What little TV I watch I get off Hulu, but I can see why it would be good news.

 

[rwpritchett]

We watched the entire last season of BSG on Hulu because the SciFi channel wasn't in our line-up. It worked pretty good, but lacked surround sound.

The Ceton cards are supposed to be available 1Q 2010. This is what I've been waiting for to seriously improve the W.A.F. for my HTPC. Standard cable had horrible quality and I never could get clear QAM to work right. Hopefully the card readers won't be too expensive.