It’s all about CableCARD!
Ok, so the press conference was not completely about CableCARD, but the biggest news was all about the only supported tuner technology for getting premium high-definition content into your Windows Media Center.
Switched Digital Video
The first announcement was that Windows Media Center in Windows 7 will support Switched Digital Video. So if you’ve been left out of the CableCARD game because your cable company has already made the jump to SDV you will now be able to get all that high-def goodness into your Media Center PC by simply getting a tunning adapter from your cable company.
OEM Restiction for CableCARD PC’s Lifted
The next announcement was had huge implications for the enthusiasts communtiy despite CEDIA’s concentration on the custom integrator market. Windows 7 Media Center users will now be able to install and use CableCARD tuners on any PC. That’s right, you will no longer need to buy a PC with CableCARD support already in it. Microsoft will be releasing an application that when run will enable your computer to use the CableCARD tuners.
New Firmware for ATI Digital CableCARD Tuners
AMD, the parent company of ATI, will also be releasing a firmware update to their TV Wonder Digital Cable tuners. This firmware will be required to enable the Switched Digital Video functionality mentioned earlier, but it will also relax the DRM currently enforced on all CableCARD recordings. Prior to this firmware update all recordings from a CableCARD tuner were copy-protected so that they could only be watched on the computer on which they were recorded, or any Media Center Extenders that were attached to that computer. With the new firmware that limitation will only be enforced when the content providers instruct the tuner to do so. So if the program being recorded is marked as Copy-Freely, you will be able to watch that content on other PCs. This update, in conjunction with Windows 7’s Homegroup and Library functionality will make it even easier to watch your recorded tv content on all the computers on your home network.
Conclusion
Don’t be let down that this was all that was announced in Microsoft’s press conference. The actual show floor hasn’t even been opened yet, so I’m sure there are many more announcements coming from Microsoft partners. For example, one thing pointed out in the press release that was mentioned during the press conference is that Ceton has a technology preview of their Multi-Channel CableCARD tuner on display in Microsoft’s booth. So keep your eyes focused on the DMZ, becuase we’ll be keeping you up to speed on all the latest CEDIA news.
[…] Update: For full details on all of Microsoft’s announcements at the CEDIA 2009 press conference please check out this post. […]
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