ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner: AMD and Dell Bring CableCARD to PCs
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 3, 2007 11:37 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Final Words
We're glad OCUR is here, but it's clear from our time with the ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner that there are still a number of hurdles that have to be cleared before it's ready for prime time.
The TV signal issues we ran into were only the tip of the iceberg, because we were only able to run into them after we got the system set up. Although AMD and Dell have been working extensively with cable providers to make sure the installation process of Digital Cable Ready PCs goes as smoothly as possible, we are very skeptical of how smoothly this process will be at this point. We've already seen how much of a pain a simple CableCARD installation can be, and tossing a PC into the mix complicates things even further. Cable technicians aren't generally good PC hardware techs, and PC hardware techs can't really diagnose/repair cable network problems. Either the entire system will have to be virtually flawless or a new type of super tech will have to be bred in order to aid in OCUR installations.
Although it's been a long road, we believe that Microsoft is on track to building a comprehensive digital home solution. For Vista to truly succeed as a media center platform it needs two things: HD support and the ability to stream content to more devices. The TV Wonder DCT grants it the first requirement; it's the second one that Microsoft needs to work on next. It took too long for the TV Wonder DCT to even get to the stage we're at today; hopefully fulfilling the next requirement won't be a similar exercise in patience. In many ways, Vista media center is no different than the first version of Windows XP MCE; it's got so much potential, but most of that potential remains untapped. If Vista could easily stream its content to virtually any device on a network it would be able to offer a significant advantage over dedicated set-top DVRs, but without that it is a difficult platform to get overly excited about.
The longer Vista exists as a good but not perfect solution, the more time there is for the CE manufacturers to step in and make a more attractive solution, faster. Microsoft has a limited window of opportunity here, or else similar to Windows MCE 2005 they will only finally get everything to work properly after much of the market has moved to other solutions.
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DigitalFreak - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
Uh.. I don't think you understand how these things work. The only inputs on the 650 & AIW are composite and S-video. Neither is going to allow you to record anything in HD from your cable box. The HD support on the 650 is only for OTA.BPB - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
You know, until now I thought the AIW X1900 had YPrPb input. Man, I need to wake up!TheTerl - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
I was amused by the choice in movies. After all, who wouldn't want to check out "Boinking in the Dorm Room" at work? With a title like that, I'm sure it's a cinematic masterpiece.Aside from that, very interesting article.
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
Thing is, it may show up in the guide, but you can't actually order it... :0)WileCoyote - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
Only Anand can turn an article I would normally ingore into a fun and interesting read. Good stuff!MercenaryForHire - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
Agreed. While I have nothing but distaste for this hardware, its related metric assload of DRM tie-ins, and lack of DIY support, I enjoyed reading the review of it immensely.pjladyfox - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
"why on earth would you go through this when you can just rent an HD-DVR from us for $9 a month?"I think this pretty much sums up the entire system to begin with. It really does make me wonder if the unholy alliance (read: MPAA/RIAA/Cable/Telco) is making the use of CableCard-based devices more difficult than it needs to be. The number of people that were called on-site just to resolve the multiple issues is a rather telling statement that while the tech may be great it is being set up to fail in the marketplace.
And why was there no provision for HDMI input? I mean, it was designed with HDCP encryption in mind so I would have thought this would have been a no-brainer but if I had to guess I would say the unholy alliance shot that idea down real quick. -_-
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
Cable companies are required by the FCC to provide cable cards upon request. However, it's pretty obvious they make it as difficult as possible to get them up and running ($42.95 install fee?).tuteja1986 - Tuesday, April 3, 2007 - link
I hope the person incharge of this project reads this because he needs to get up his lazy ass and start sloving these issue by getting the right dude to slove this problems. Then ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner + VISTA MCE will succeed or Hollywood could just kill DRM which would make life easier on their loyal customer.