DirecTV PC Card News!

[dbfresh23]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/zd/20070109/tc_zd/198313

Vbox has prototype hardware that already works on PCs, incorporating an NDS smart card and capable of receiving DirecTV premium content.

The product's ship date is uncertain, as details of the business model have yet to be ironed out. The Vbox product could be a PCIe card or USB-connected external box. What's yet to be determined is whether a provider such as DirecTV will offer it directly to customers, or whether OEMs might offer "DirecTV Certified" PCs. Vbox Vice President of Marketing Yosi Brosh noted that it's unlikely that a PC-based DirecTV tuner will be available until 2008, as these details get sorted out.

2008 is still a long way off, lets just hope they don't go the certified route like Cable Labs.

[mikesm]

I know senior folks at DirecTV. Don't expect anything from them soon. They are working on it, but with MSFT, and they are trying to work through a number of issues. Doing anything with MSFT takes quite a bit of time these days.

I have tried to convey to them just how bad the cablecard restrictions are, and they have an opportunity to steal quite a few highend users from cable if they get this right.

thanks,
mike

[ybrew]

Didn't Directv have a pc card solution like 8 years ago? I remember researching this when I first got directv in 97.

This could be the one thing to bring me back.

[dbfresh23]

They did have one way back then, but even if you managed to find one of the few that were out there they probably wouldn't activate it for you. The new one should support all of the newer features also like HD and MPEG4...

The fact that a prototype exists is good enough news for me.

[michaeldrock]

This article mentions that they might have to be Directv certified systems, which is just retarded. The only reason CableCard systems have to be certified is to protect the integrity of the cable system, which is very sensitive to spurs in the US and DS. Unless this system were two be bidirectional, which I doubt, there is should be no need for a 'certified' system and the time to market on these will be much quicker.
I for one, will hop on D* the moment the release one of these and tell Charter to stuff it. Hell, I work in the cable industry and it is becoming increasing hard to stomach. I can't wait for this solution to hit the shelves!!

[dbfresh23]

DirecTV's system is unidirectional anyway - that the point of plugging in that phoneline. I would expect that any kind of bidirectional use would be through the net or via dialup to them like their STBs do.

I'd be willing to be that if they don't require any kind of silly certification process, we'll see a lot of the hard core htpc world switching providers...

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by michaeldrock

This article mentions that they might have to be Directv certified systems, which is just retarded. The only reason CableCard systems have to be certified is to protect the integrity of the cable system, which is very sensitive to spurs in the US and DS.

The card alone should be able to do that, and there's nothing wrong with requiring a "certified" card.

The reason CableLabs requires whole systems to be certified is to ensure the security/robustness/integrity of the recording/viewing device. In short, to make sure the device follows the rules for recording. Or to put it even more bluntly, to ensure the device uses the required level of DRM. And that it prevents the user from accessing the unencrypted digital broadcast.

Basically there's no good reason other than they want control. For example, the OCUR "transcodes" from the Digicypher II encryption on the cable system to WM-RM in hardware, it then transfers the copy protected recording over USB.

It should be enough that the tuner does the conversion to WM-RM in hardware, and they should allow any WM-RM compliant app to play the files and access the tuner, but they want the control and are restricting it's use to "certified" systems.

I for one, will hop on D* the moment the release one of these and tell Charter to stuff it. Hell, I work in the cable industry and it is becoming increasing hard to stomach. I can't wait for this solution to hit the shelves!!

If it's actually reasonably open, I'll probably be with you.

[Kirby]

Originally Posted by michaeldrock

I for one, will hop on D* the moment the release one of these and tell Charter to stuff it.

Of course you then get the privaledge to pay Charter $10 / month more for your high speed internet, unless you have other alternatives. They get you coming or going...

[mikesm]

Originally Posted by Kirby

Of course you then get the privaledge to pay Charter $10 / month more for your high speed internet, unless you have other alternatives. They get you coming or going...

Well, generally it's cheaper to get locals from the cable guys, as it's essentially free because of the bundling with data service. You usually get several stations that aren't on the satellite (local PBS affiliates, etc...)... Since these are usually unecrypted, the hdhomerun's take care of that pretty inexpensively...

Thanks,
mike

[hemicuda]

Originally Posted by Kirby

Of course you then get the privaledge to pay Charter $10 / month more for your high speed internet, unless you have other alternatives. They get you coming or going...

A wise(?) man once said... "When you play, you pay"