Chris Lanier's Blog : TV Tuners

CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

chrisl — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:42:00 GMT

The news at CEDIA that CableCARD will now be open to all has got everyone worked up about Microsoft getting things right and that the platform is back where it needs to be. However, while the news of CableCARD getting unlocked from OEM only machines is fantastic I’m not sure it chances much in the marketplace.

First of all, AMD appears to be out of the marketplace which is actually a much bigger deal than people might think. While this hasn’t been confirmed, reports out of CEDIA showed that AMD didn’t have a lot to say about CableCARD in general. Most likely the only reason we are seeing updated firmware for current OCURs is because AMD never actually wrote the firmware for the cards, Digital Keystone did. Clearly competition is the best way to drive prices down, so AMD not focusing on the market isn’t a good thing.

The big news it Ceton will actually be releasing an MOCUR for retail consumption. This isn’t the BOCR I have talked about in the past (CableLabs still hasn’t published any specs for that), but it is the first MOCUR. My question here is what kind of distribution will Ceton be able to get? I’m not exactly expecting the card to show up at my local Best Buy. If CableCARD tuners aren’t going to be available at brick-and-mortar retailers the concept of the market opening up dramatically is still slim. Maybe Dell and HP get back into the market now that OEM BIOS isn’t required, but they seem to have a bad taste in their mouth from previous experiences plus selling the tuners with new PCs gets us right back to where we were before.

Price is another issue when we talk about expanding the current marketplace. Preliminary reports are that Ceton is currently targeting a price between $300-$600, which would be a huge upgrade from current AMD pricing, but this is still very costly when you consider 46 out of the 65 PCs Best Buy lists on their website cost $750 or less. Without a big retail partner Ceton will surely not be an AMD-sided production run which means prices are likely to be higher simply because economics of scale doesn’t work. Maybe if/when Hauppauge ships a CableCARD tuner the distribution side will be fixed (however, I don’t believe the HD PVR has retail distribution either).

There is still the possibility that Microsoft would market this for the living room, but that’s still highly unlikely. Trust me, the lack of cable HDTV isn’t the one thing that stopped Microsoft from ever marketing Media Center and Extender’s, and it surely won’t change that. Microsoft isn’t likely to ever market Media Center or Extender’s, or any pairing of the two.

It is no doubt the Media Center community will jump on this change, but do you believe Media Center is now in a better place to expand in the marketplace now that CableCARD is not locked to an OEM machine?

Microsoft Enhances the Digital Cable Experience and Names 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Winner

chrisl — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Customers get new capabilities, more options, and a better digital cable experience in Windows Media Center.

ATLANTA, Sept. 9 -- Today at CEDIA EXPO 2009, Microsoft Corp. discussed key Windows Media Center features for Windows 7 and announced a series of initiatives that enhance the digital cable experience in Windows Media Center. With the addition of native support for additional international broadcast TV standards, including QAM and ATSC, there will now be support for switched digital video (SDV), a new tool that will make it possible for end customers to add a digital cable tuner with CableCARD to their PC, and for existing digital cable tuner with CableCARD customers to enjoy more portability for digital cable TV that is marked as "copy freely" (CF). In addition, Microsoft and the Media Center Integrator Alliance (MCIA) announced the winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest, showcasing the many ways Windows Media Center can be used in a whole-home solution.

"We're continuing to work on creating opportunities for partners that will enable great entertainment experiences on the PC," said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president of entertainment client software for the TV, Video & Music Business at Microsoft. "Consumers understand that having access to content via the PC is critical when it comes to entertainment experiences, and with these announcements, we're underscoring our broader commitment to deliver a rich experience with Windows Media Center."

Switched Digital Video (SDV) Support Added for Windows Media Center

In response to customer requests and cable providers' deployment of SDV, Microsoft now supports SDV in Windows Media Center for Windows 7. In conjunction with a device known as a tuning adapter, supplied by a customer's cable provider, Windows Media Center and a digital cable tuner with CableCARD will be able to tune to SDV channels. Customers can enjoy SDV broadcasts on PCs running Windows Media Center in Windows 7 and a digital cable tuner with CableCARD.

End Customers Can Now Add Digital Cable Tuners With CableCARD to Their PCs

Microsoft and CableLabs announced that customers will now be able to add digital cable tuners with CableCARD to a Windows 7-based PC with Windows Media Center. A new tool will be provided by Microsoft that assesses the PC's ability to support the solution. This tool will analyze the customer's PC and enable digital cable support if the PC meets requirements, opening digital cable options to Windows Media Center customers across the country. Microsoft also announced that, with Windows 7, it has increased the number of TV tuners that can be connected to the PC from two to four per tuner type, thereby allowing customers to simultaneously record or watch as many as four digital cable TV channels.

"We are excited that digital cable customers will now be able to take advantage of this new opportunity to bring great cable TV programming to the PC," said So Vang, vice president of OpenCable at CableLabs. "We are dedicated to helping customers get the most from their cable service, and this will be a great win for both the customer and the cable operators."

Digital Cable Customers Can Now Enjoy More TV Portability in Windows Media Center

Microsoft and CableLabs also announced that they worked together to enable digital cable tuner with CableCARD customers to enjoy more portability for digital cable TV that is marked as "copy freely" (CF). Customers will be able to play CF-marked digital cable recordings, such as those from local channels, on other PCs, devices and portable media.

Windows Media Center Features in Windows 7 Highlighted

Using new Windows 7 features such as Windows Touch, HomeGroup, Remote Media Streaming and PlayTo, sharing recorded TV, videos, music and pictures throughout the home, while on the road and to remote locations has never been easier. There is also support for the AVCHD format. This allows customers to view HD video from many popular HD video cameras.

In addition, support for the international broadcast TV standards that was released with the Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008 will also be included in Windows Media Center in Windows 7. This includes native support for both ATSC and QAM, the ability to remap channels, and support for subchannels.

New Firmware for ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuners

In conjunction with the Microsoft and CableLabs announcements, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) will be providing a new firmware update that is available to all ATI TV Wonder digital cable tuners being used with Windows 7 and Windows Vista. This firmware update will allow existing digital cable tuner with CableCARD customers to enjoy more portability for digital cable TV marked as CF. Customers will be able to play CF-marked digital cable recordings, such as those from local channels, on other PCs, devices, and portable media. In addition, the firmware will contain support for SDV. When installed on a Windows 7-based PC with a digital cable tuner with CableCARD and a tuning adapter from a cable provider, it enables access to switched digital channels in locations where SDV has been deployed.

2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest Winner Announced

Microsoft, in collaboration with the Media Center Integrator Alliance (MCIA), announced the winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest. The winning installation was submitted by Dustin Anderson, general manager at Vision Audio in Lubbock, Texas, who built a system with Windows Media Center at the core of the entertainment experience in an extensive whole-home installation for a customer in Odessa, Texas. The installation integrates six Windows Media Center-based servers, one Windows Home Server, five dedicated theater-style rooms, 12 media racks, 98 speakers, and 30 zones of distributed audio. The home includes products from key MCIA member companies such as Autonomic Controls Inc., Crestron Electronics Inc. and Niveus Media Inc.

The Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest, now in its third year, encourages integrators to show off their talents by presenting their most unique and creative installations that leverage Windows Media Center technologies. Vision Audio's integration of the family's music, movies, videos and pictures, as well as the integration of Windows Media Center and Windows Home Server with the Crestron home automation system, and the large scope of the installation set it apart as the winner for 2009.

"We're thrilled to receive this recognition from Microsoft and the MCIA. The Windows Media Center platform has enabled us to be on the cutting edge of technology, which has provided us with critical business advantages during the economic downturn," Anderson said.

More information on the contest and images from the install can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/ultimateinstall.

Also on Display at CEDIA EXPO 2009

At the Microsoft booth at CEDIA EXPO 2009, Microsoft will show additional hardware and software installations that enhance the digital cable experience. Demonstrations include these:

The new Zune HD portable media player using the Zune HD AV dock to display 720p content on an HDTV. The Zune HD and updated Zune PC software will launch on Sept. 15.
A home server powered by Windows Home Server software. The upcoming Windows Home Server Power Pack 3, currently in beta testing, will add enhancements for Windows Media Center. Power Pack 3 features include the option to move recorded TV content to the home server in a variety of resolutions, and the ability for users to see statistics about the home server through Windows Media Center.
A technology preview of the new Multi-Channel Cable TV Card from Ceton Corp., which enables PCs with Windows Media Center to play or record multiple live channels of premium HDTV at once, and stream live HD channels or recordings to multiple TV sets throughout the home, all with a single CableCARD.

Microsoft Unprepared for Digital TV Switch

chrisl — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:51:00 GMT

Reports suggest that the Digital TV switch in the US went by with little confusion or problems. Of course, if you rely on Windows Media Center your experience likely wasn’t in line with those reports. Ben said the transition is causing grief for Media Center users, but for most that might be an understatement.

Microsoft seemed to think they were prepared; after all they deployed a nice Service Alert tile in Media Center on the 9^th that explained the issue. What they didn’t do is update their servers and other online components to reflect the frequency changes that came with the switch. Unlike most setups, Media Center replies on online data instead of communication with the ATSC broadcasters. Microsoft is aware of the issue and seems to be making progress in various places, however this is one of those key updates that Microsoft had loads of time to prepare for and when the switch came it caused mass confusion among users.

The interim fix for the issue in Windows Media Center is to edit the atscchannels.xml file in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome\EPG\prefs with the updated frequencies. You can find those frequencies at various websites including TV Fool (just input your zip code) and the FCCs own database. You can also delete the atscchannels.xml and manually create the channels within Media Center. To do this navigate to Settings > TV > Guide > Add Missing Channels. The frequency is the same as the “real” number shown in the TV Fool website. Doing this manually requires you to assign the EPG listings to the channel through Settings > TV > Guide > Add Listings to Channel.

Update: This should now be fixed, re-run your Guide setup.

Can DISH Network One-Up DIRECTV?

chrisl — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:16:00 GMT

Now that we are fairly certain that DIRECTV will not ship with Windows 7, the big question remains to be will DISH Network? Around the time the TV Pack started beta testing, I did hear that some testers had been contacted about testing DISH Network Tuners, and that talk has popped back up in the past few weeks.

Going under my theory that Microsoft has all the plumbing in-place for DIRECTV support, there is no reason that same framework can’t work for DISH Network. If DISH Network wants to make a Media Center tuner, they can using this framework, and they might have already.

Looking around, their are some other hints about the possible DISH Network Tuner. Ben's photos of the eHome Lab show Windows 7 running with a branded Start Menu saying “TV with DISH Network.” In addition to that, several people, including Dave Zatz have brought up the possibility that the unmarked white box in the photo below is a DISH Network tuner. Of course, the tuner being in Microsoft’s Lab means nothing as Microsoft as evidenced by the suspended DIRECTV HDPC-20 tuners also present.

(Photos via Engadget HD)

Back to the framework which I believe is complete to ship with Windows 7, here is something Microsoft showed at WinHEC. That is premium Pay-Per-View TV being ordered via Media Center. We know that’s not from a CableCARD as tru2way tuners don’t have any specs from CableLabs yet. It chould be DIRECTV, but considering that Channel 510 happens to fall in the range of DISH Networks PPV and most PPV content on DISH Network happens to be $4.99, there is a good possibility you are looking at working PPV via a native DISH Network Tuner.

So, should you jump and switch to DISH Network because of this? I wouldn’t suggest it. Should you keep checking back to see when we get more details? I'd suggest it. I’m a DIRECTV customer, so even if this DISH Network tuner is real I likely wouldn’t be testing it. That said, I’m looking forward to see what happen with this. Given DISH Networks TurboHD package for $24.99 has every channel I’d ever watch, and the fact I can get ATSC HD using an antenna in Media Center saving me from having to add HD Locals to the package, DISH Network does look like a good deal if I could get a native Media Center tuner.

DIRECTV and Microsoft: What Went Wrong

chrisl — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Now that DIRECTV has suspended development on their HDPC-20 Tuner where does that leave us? There are a lot of differing opinions going around about why DIRECTV canned the tuner, whose fault it is, and where do we go from here. Most people are pointing the finger at Microsoft, and with their history of releases how could you not? This doesn’t mean however that Microsoft is totally at fault, but let’s look at the whole situation to see how we got here.

Timeline

January 2006 – Microsoft and DIRECTV announce partnership to “develop new ways to expand the reach of digital music, television and movies throughout the home and to portable devices.” Nothing is said specifically by either party about a Media Center tuner.

January 2006 – Microsoft employee Sean Alexander says “In the future (timing wasn't discussed), you'll be able to have an installer come out and install a DirecTV tuner into your Media Center PC and get your local channels complete with DVR.” This however, was not an official Microsoft statement.

January 2007 – We really start asking for information about the assumed DIRECTV Tuner. DBSTalk.com does Q&A with DIRECTV at CES, DIRECTV says “Still in progress, internal beta testing” when asked about HTPC Tuner cards. Confirmation that a tuner card is in the works.

December 2007 – Microsoft states in an online job posting that they are “working with newly developed dual satellite tuners” for the next Media Center release.

January 2008 – CES comes around again and DBSTalk.com gets a flyer from the CES floor for the HDPC-20. This is the first official confirmation that the tuner exists. CES attendees hear information about the public unveiling of the tuner to be scheduled later at CES. This didn’t happen however, leaving several people confused. No one from Microsoft or DIRECTV is talking now. DIRECTV had the flyers to give out at the show, so something happened that caused either Microsoft or DIRECTV to back out of the public announcement.

February 2008 – Top Media Center OEM Niveus Media now lists “HD Satellite” tuner option on their website with “TBD (To be determined)” availability.

March 2008 – Microsoft started sending out e-mails for the Fiji (codename for TV Pack) beta program. Several leaks happened around this time including an e-mail asking select beta participates for information about their DIRECTV account.

July 2008 – Fiji beta testers leak more information including DIRECTV and H.264 support being pulled from the release. It is suggested by some in the beta that they never received tuners from DIRECTV.

July 2008 – It is reported that Microsoft will be releasing a second Media Center update in 2008 with nothing to backup the statement. The proposed purpose of the second update was to add H.264 and DIERCTV support. This didn’t happen.

September 2008 – Subscription news service Consumer Electronics Daily (CED) reports that Microsoft "continues to look at ways" to make the tuner happen and that news will be announced at "the appropriate time.” DIRECTV made no comment in the article.

November 2008 – Ed Bott finds a driver for the HDPC-20 in the PDC build of Windows 7.

November 2008 – Microsoft invites several bloggers and journalists to tour the eHome Labs (no, I wasn’t invited). Ben Drawbaugh scores pictures of the DIRECTV HDPC-20 working in Microsoft’s Labs.

December 2008 – DIRECTV e-mails several in the community to tell us that DIRECTV has “suspended the development of the HDPC-20 tuner…after assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update [Fiji, TV Pack] and considering timing of the next release.”

Talking a Step Back

The big question now is what does all of this mean and who is at fault. Let’s explore a few things here.

Microsoft is a software company; they don’t make hardware (generally speaking). Microsoft’s main goal is to produce various software frameworks so that other companies can come in and produce hardware to work with their platform. I’d actually say that this is the reason Microsoft has been successful as a company, but it is also their largest fault.

Anyway, Microsoft makes software and third parties make hardware (and most of the time drivers to go with this hardware). Seeing as Microsoft is going to produce the software aspect of this DIRECTV Tuner, it means they want to produce a common framework to allow third parties to integrate a number of different things into their Media Center platform. I’ve gone over this time and time again, but to refresh I’m talking about things like H.264, Pay-per-view order, content protection, etc. DIRECTV on the hand has to make the hardware (or contract it out) to pair with Microsoft’s software framework.

DIRECTV has suggested that they are suspending develop of their hardware because of the impact of H.264/DIRECTV support not shipping in the TV Pack and the wait until the next release. (Windows 7, highly publicized to have a 2009 ship date)

DIRECTV-less TV Pack, whose fault?

This is a bit hard to answer because outside of DIRECTV and Microsoft no one really knows. What we do know (or rather, think we know) is that Microsoft had plans of shipping DIRECTV support in the TV Pack as evidenced by the beta e-mails. We also know (or think we know), that neither Microsoft nor DIRECTV shipped tuner to beta testers. Microsoft then cut H.264 and “subscription-based satellite TV support” before the TV Pack ship date. Notice they never said they cut DIRECTV support.

The main thing we don’t know here is why beta testers reportedly didn’t get tuners. Hundreds of options here, but here are three main ones.

Possibility that DIRECTV didn’t have stable hardware/drivers
Possibility that Microsoft had issues with H.264 support in the TV Pack
Possibility that Microsoft had issues with other software aspects in the TV Pack
Possibility that Microsoft and DIRECTV are fighting like kids about something

There are various possibilities about why beta testers might not have been shipped tuners and why support was cut from the release. I don’t think you can make a clear judgment about who was at fault knowing what we do.

On the Road to Windows 7

Given on how Microsoft operates, we knew that the next chance for DIRECTV support was in Windows 7. Microsoft doesn’t push out Media Center updates to add functionality months after a major release. Things were now looking good for Windows 7 DIRECTV support, at least from the outside. CED published reports saying DIRECTV and Microsoft are still working together, and Windows 7’s projected release date keep moving up.

Ed Bott finds the drivers in the Windows 7 build, and then Ben gets pictures of the tuners in the lab. We are all thinking that Windows 7 with DIRECTV is a-go. DIRECTV then says they are “suspended development” of the tuner and points to the conflicts with the TV Pack as a prime reason along with the “timing of the next [Media Center] release.”

What’s DIRECTV Hiding?

Lets say Microsoft and DIRECTV missed the TV Pack ship date, again we really don’t know why. In the e-mail statement DIRECTV is basically implying that they are done with their part and just waiting on Microsoft. Is this really the case? I fully believe that Microsoft had 90% of the software framework in-place to ship with the TV Pack. In fact, if you look in your RTM TV Pack registry you can find some DIRECTV bits hiding pretty well.

If DIRECTV was ready and willing to release their tuners, why cut the project after all your initial expensive and development? The tuners seem to be real, and if it was Microsoft who screwed up the TV Pack you would think that DIRECTV is sitting on a near finished product waiting for Microsoft. DIRECTVs enginners can jump back on a new project and leave their efforts intack for Microsoft to start Windows 7 beta testing (which is basically 6 months after the TV Pack release).

I’m thinking that DIRECTV might not be a clean in this whole ordeal as some might think.

DRM, Doubtful to Blame

Whenever there is a hold-up on a product like this the first thing in peoeple’s mind is that Microsoft is DRMing it up and thus causing massive delays. Considering CableLabs approved Windows Vista with their very strict content protection guidelines I think it would be a huge stretch to think that Microsoft was holding up the project in this way. Their system already works, and has been for two years (mostly, DRM might actually be too protective given the bugs).

It has been suggested to me that DRM might be to blame because DIRECTV offers service outside of the US. I was personally expecting to see the DIRECTV Tuner be US-only, but if it was international this would be a contract issue between DIRECTV and their content providers.

Who needs who?

Media Center is hardly the platform it should be, and DIRECTV might have misevaluated the commercial need of such a tuner. It is also possible that their DIRECT2PC, TiVo partnership, and their own Multi-room Viewing features could be playing into things (along with the economy).

Microsoft has no leverage here. They have a platform that hasn’t lived up to expectations of any market and they have to be pleading with broadcaster providers to help them save their platform.

Maybe DIRECTV has come to the conclusion that there focus should be elsewhere. Of course, if it turns out that DIRECTV was not prepared to ship with the TV Pack this is a godsend for us users. I want a stable platform, and with DIRECTV in charge of hardware/drivers for this they need to have their heart in the game before I want to play.

Ben argues that DIRECTV only released a statement because they want to downplay expectations about the tuner. I don’t follow the concept because DIRECTV has no visible reason to do any sort of damage control. This is where Microsoft should have stepped in, but alas has failed to do. When/if Microsoft makes a statement (which they need to), it will likely be very simple and there is a good chance it will not mention DIRECTV by name.

As far as I know, Microsoft’s framework is done for third parties to integrate DVB-S tuners into Media Center. What third parties (eg. DIRECTV) do at that point is largely up to them. The only thing I’ve been told by Microsoft is that when two companies are involved they can’t say anything. NDAs are play there just as they would be in any business partnership.

Bottom Line

I firmly believe both companies at a fault, but Microsoft will always take the most abuse because they can’t seem to conjure up a good Media Center release. This is not DIRECTVs platform falling apart before our eyes, it is Microsoft’s.

Given that I think the framework is there, we might see other providers step up to the plate and offer solutions. I strongly suspect others have like projects in development, but then again so does did DIRECTV, so I guess we have to wait for an official word at this point.

DIRECTV Kills Media Center Tuner; Windows 7 to be DIRECTV-less

chrisl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:21:00 GMT

DIRECTV has informed several bloggers and journalists in the Media Center community that they suspended development of the HDCP-20 Media Center Tuner. Windows 7 will not include native DIRECTV support, which will servely impact the Media Center platform as a whole.

I’ll have more on this later tonight, but I wanted to go ahead and get it out there.

Microsoft Launches New Worldwide Platform for Broadcast TV on the PC

chrisl — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:31:00 GMT

Leading tuner and chipset providers announce support for new Microsoft platform.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Sept. 12, 2008 — Today at IBC2008, Microsoft Corp. announced it has delivered in the marketplace Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture (PBDA), Microsoft’s new worldwide platform for broadcast TV on the PC. Made possible by the recent release of Windows Media Center TV Pack, the platform for the first time enables the PC-TV hardware ecosystem to integrate virtually any free or premium TV service into Windows Media Center, while satisfying the TV industry’s requirements for strong content protection in the case of pay TV. Among the leading companies rallying behind PBDA at the show are AVerMedia Inc., Buffalo, Hauppauge Computer Works Inc., I-O Data Device Inc., NEC Electronics Corp., NXP Semiconductors and ViXS Systems Inc. — all playing a critical role in driving the forward momentum for PBDA adoption.

The PBDA platform enhances and supersedes the existing Broadcast Driver Architecture (BDA), which has been Microsoft’s standard for digital video capture on Windows operating systems for many years. Now, PC OEMs and tuner-makers no longer need to rely heavily on Microsoft to specifically enable and support the ability to output broadcast services on a one-off basis; they can develop and ship TV tuners for Windows Media Center to target a broader set of TV standards and markets. For broadcast service providers, the flexibility of one consistent platform that supports multiple TV standards specifically for protected content opens the door for more consumer options to be made available.

“For the first time, we’re enabling those in the PC-TV community to build tuners and integrate almost any broadcast service into Windows Media Center themselves regardless of geographic location or television standard — we’ve removed a major roadblock by delivering one consistent platform for the industry,” said Geoff Robertson, general manager for Windows Media Center at Microsoft. “The tremendous response we’re already seeing for the platform means PC OEMs, broadcast service providers and tuner-makers can now collaborate and embrace the PC as a first-class citizen for delivering more high-quality free or pay content to consumers in their local markets. This is a major milestone for us and our partners as we continue our efforts to deliver the highest-quality, personalized TV-watching experiences available to people everywhere.”

The momentum behind this new platform from Microsoft is already being evidenced by the launch of PBDA-based tuner solutions in Japan, Germany and the U.K., including Hauppauge’s first-ever Freeview-certified PC-TV tuner solution and AVerMedia’s tuner solution for protected digital terrestrial television in Japan.

In addition, leading chipset providers NEC Electronics, NXP and ViXS Systems are announcing that they have all completed their implementations of PBDA and are now ready to support their PC-TV tuner partners in taking PBDA-based solutions to multiple markets around the world.

“We are excited to be a launch partner for Microsoft’s PBDA platform,” said Allan Yang, Ph.D., president of AVerMedia. “PBDA has enabled us to quickly and cost-effectively bring to market A320, a PC-TV tuner solution for Windows Media Center that meets the Japanese broadcasting industry’s requirements for strong content protection. The resulting system performance delivers a surprisingly responsive user experience, and the response from our customers, who are some of the most demanding PC OEMs in Japan, has been phenomenal. We are looking forward to building on the very successful launch of our PBDA-based solution beyond Japan.”

“Microsoft’s new digital TV software architecture, PBDA, enabled Hauppauge to deliver the first-ever Freeview-certified TV tuner for PCs,” said Ken Potkin, CEO of Hauppauge. “We look forward to 2009, when PBDA will allow us to deliver advanced digital PC-TV tuner products, including PC solutions for pay TV.”

“The extended capabilities, which Microsoft’s worldwide PBDA platform for pay TV and free-to-air TV brings to Windows Media Center, mirror NXP’s commitment to power the TV-viewing experience by enabling access to more content with ever better picture quality anytime, anywhere, in the home and on the go,” said Bert van de Wakker, general manager, PC Systems, NXP Semiconductors. “Specifically, PBDA support combined with our new-generation three-in-one PCTV SOC SAA7231 product line, enables PC OEMs to offer 30 million European households the ability to record and view hundreds of free-to-air digital satellite channels on their PC, complementing SAA7231DE’s established DVB-T, analog terrestrial and cable support. In addition, PBDA has enabled us to provide a highly integrated, secure and cost-effective solution for protected digital terrestrial television in Japan using our secure Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB)-analog reception, SAA7164E SOC.”

The PBDA platform is a key component of the Windows Media Center TV Pack, an update released to OEMs worldwide on July 16, 2008, with targeted optimizations for Europe in particular. Some of the other features of this update include native Windows Media Center experiences for digital terrestrial television in Japan (based on the Integrated Services Digital Television-Terrestrial standard), free-to-air satellites services in Europe (based on the Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite standard), improved guide and playback experience, great personal video recorder auto-extend support, and the flexibility of support for multiple TV standards.

Windows Media Center TV Pack will be demonstrated at IBC2008 at the Microsoft stand in the Topaz Lounge. Visitors to the stand will have the opportunity to experience the latest Windows Media Center functionality delivered in combination with some of the latest PBDA-based tuner products from partners.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft and Hauppauge First to Bring Freeview-Certified PC Solution to U.K. Viewers

chrisl — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:23:00 GMT

Windows Media Center meets requirements for Freeview certification to deliver enhanced TV content to the PC.

READING, U.K. — Sept. 10, 2008 — Microsoft Corp., working with tuner manufacturer Hauppauge Computer Works Inc., today announced the launch of the first Freeview-certified, PC-based TV solution. With Windows Media Center, found on all PCs running Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate, and Windows Media Center TV Pack, Microsoft will now be able to offer U.K. consumers best-in-class interactive and enhanced TV paired with some of the best personal video recorder (PVR) features available on the market today.

Freeview support is one of the major Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) enhancements of the Windows Media Center TV Pack, an update released to OEMs worldwide on July 16, 2008, with targeted optimizations for TV standards in Europe. Other enhancements of this update include support for Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite (DVB-S), improved guide and playback experience, great PVR auto-extend support, and the flexibility of support for multiple TV standards.

“The launch of our Freeview-enabled solution is a great addition to Windows Media Center, allowing us to reach more users and add real value to TV consumers and broadcasters,” said John Curran, director, Windows Client Group, Microsoft UK. “We are dedicated to improving Windows Media Center for customers worldwide, and this addition of Freeview as a platform and brand will offer a real benefit to our partners and consumers. We see this as a critical step to building awareness and setting a standard for great TV experiences on the PC.”

Windows Media Center with Windows Media Center TV Pack was certified as Freeview-compliant by the Digital TV Group Ltd., the industry association for digital TV in the U.K. The certification was made in coordination with Hauppauge, which certified its HVR 2200 tuner as part of the same program. Together, the components offer a complete Freeview TV solution for the PC, joining existing manufacturers of Freeview equipment such as Humax Company Ltd., Philips, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co., Sony Corp. and many more.

The Windows Media Center TV Pack enhancements for the European market, and ultimately Freeview certification, were driven out of Microsoft’s European Development Center, established in 2005 to specifically develop software tailored to the European market. This dedicated European team will continue to focus on interoperability with free-to-air European digital television as part of its commitment to European customers and DVB, the European standards organization.

“The expansion in service of Freeview digital terrestrial TV has created consumer demand for more advanced PC-TV solutions,” said Ken Plotkin, CEO, Hauppauge. “Our Freeview-certified dual tuner, WinTV-HVR-2200, provides Windows Media Center with the ability to record one Freeview digital TV program while it displays another TV program on the PC screen.”

The Freeview logo is also a statement of the quality of Microsoft and Hauppauge solutions. The Freeview certification effectively kicks off a program that will enable PC OEMs and additional tuner manufacturers to launch Freeview-branded PCs with Windows Media Center in the U.K.

Freeview is managed by DTV Services Ltd., a company owned and run by its five shareholders — British Broadcasting Corp., BSkyB Ltd., ITV plc and National Grid Wireless. DTV Services launched in October 2002 and provides up to 48 free-to-air digital TV channels, up to 24 radio stations and interactive services through an aerial. There is no subscription for the service.

“The addition of a Freeview-enabled PC further increases and enriches the number of ways viewers can access Freeview’s subscription-free TV channels,” said Cheryl Sloan, Freeview’s director of strategy and new product development. “Microsoft and Hauppauge have made a great step toward connecting PCs in the home to the Freeview experience, allowing PC users to enjoy the U.K.’s most popular TV platform. We look forward to collaborating with them both to ensure its successful entry to the U.K. market.”

Windows Media Center TV Pack will be demonstrated at IBC2008, Sept. 12–16, at the Microsoft booth in the Topaz Lounge. Visitors to the booth will have the opportunity to experience the latest solution as well as other elements of the product such as broadcast broadband integration.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Microsoft Expands TV Signal Support in Japan

chrisl — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:10:00 GMT

A few months ago I said that Microsoft was planning on finally taking TV signal support in Media Center global, but little did I know that Japan would be the first to see the improved support. This past Friday Microsoft announced several new broadcast and hardware partners for Media Center in Japan that will be coming later this year.

New content providers including TV Asahi, NHK, NTV, TBS and Fuji TV will provide interactive features new to Media Center, and Fujitsu will bring new hardware to the market as well. Future support for ISDB-T, improved playback options for PCs connected to TVs, and support for multi-language closed-captioning was also announced.

Short Bits: HD PVR, Windows 7, Media Center Show, Akimbo

chrisl — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:21:00 GMT

Brent Evans has (almost) all your answers on the HD PVR that finally has started shipping. And remember, it doesn’t work with Media Center (yet?).

Joe Wilcox has Eight Things About Windows 7 following Microsoft’s first public demo of the OS at All Things D. Overall I think Windows 7 is going to be more like Vista Second Edition. It really isn’t a “whole new OS” as Vista was from XP. Nonetheless I’m excited about it, and I hope Microsoft is planning to make the transition away from the Vista name that has become a horrible brand.

Ian Dixon has The Media Center Show #158 with FUZE Media Systems.

Lastly there is a very interesting article on the downfall of Akimbo. You might remember Akimbo from the days where Media Center was their target market before things really started to go wrong. In 2005 I had a number of suggestions for Akimbo (before they launched the Media Center plug-in), and a number of them actually happened.

Pinnacle Releases Unencrypted QAM Plug-in for PCTV HD Card

chrisl — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:25:00 GMT

Joining the party of Hauppauge, AVerMedia, and SiliconDust (HDHomeRun), Pinnacle has released unencrypted QAM drivers/plug-in for their PCTV HD Card (800i). General beta driver guidelines apply (backup first!), but be aware that the first user at The Green Button to try them out had pretty poor results.

Short Bits: Fiji, Netflix, HD PVR

chrisl — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:39:00 GMT

Mary Jo says Fiji is out for beta testing, but I wouldn’t know anything about that.

Last night Netflix announced their first hardware partner for their stream STB, and it turns out that it is Roku. Kind of an interesting choice, but Dave covers why some might have seen it coming. The bad news, it is another STB. The good news, it is only $100.

Brent Evans reports that Hauppauge is close to shipping the HD PVR, while others are reporting that it will ship with 2-channel audio recording (I assume this is with their bundled software only).

Hauppauge Releases QAM Plug-in for Vista Media Center

chrisl — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:07:00 GMT

Hauppauge has taken tourch from AVerMedia and created an unencrypted QAM plug-in for Vista Media Center. It is supported on the HVR-1250, HVR-1600, HVR-1800, and HVR-2250. Both Windows Vista x86 and x64 are supported as well, other information can be found here.

This is a beta plug-in, so as always approach with caution. You can download the plug-in here.

Short Bits: HD PVR, mceShoutCast, My Movies

chrisl — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:12:00 GMT

Brent Evans has confirmed that Hauppauge's HD PVR has officially been delayed until at least mid-May. Check out the full post for exact expected ship times based on order number.

eHomeUpgrade points to a new ShoutCast plug-in for Vista Media Center (English translation). It's MCML that has several features including favorite streams, top 500 listing, and even recording!

Brian has opened the backend services from My Movies to third parties. This means that other plug-ins or applications can tap into Brian's backend database as well as the My Movies Collection Management program. Check out the full announcement here.

Thanks Ryan!

Short Bits: Lifeware, 64-bit HD-PVR, Dragon

chrisl — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:09:00 GMT

Audio Video Interiors has a great article on Life|ware, more specially the Life|ware install in Exceptional Innovation founder Seale Moorer. If someone wanted a prime example of how MCML has impacted third party products then look no further then the UI for Life|ware.

Hauppauge reps are now saying they will have 64-bit drivers for the HD-PVR upon release...in two days.

The Green Button, Ian Dixon, jkOnTheRun, Barb Bowman and 27 other sites are set to give away HP HDX Dragon Entertainment Notebook’s worth over $4,500. I’d keep an eye on all the 31 sites for more.

Hauppauge HD-PVR Letdowns

chrisl — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:11:00 GMT

The much hyped HD-PVR (Component capture device) from Hauppauge has hit its first snag. First of all, it ships with no 64-bit support, and worse only single tuner support!

I wasn’t surprised by the 64-bit news, but I’m shocked at the single tuner. I’m not exactly sure if the single tuner support is with the bundled application that they are shipping or if it will also apply to SageTV and BeyondTV. If it does apply to all software, this product has lost all of its value. Maybe SnapStream can add to this?

Update: Brent posted that the drivers are supposed to support multiple tuners, so most likely it is just Hauppauge’s bundled software that will only support the single tuner.

Update 2: Missing Remote says Hauppauge has confirmed multi-tuner support for “all major software packages such as BeyondTV, SageTV, MythTV and Vista Media Center.”

Now they have said it supports multiple tuners at the driver level, that it only supports one tuner per system, and they it will work with all major software packages. Sorry Hauppauge, I don’t believe your reps anymore. With a product of this value they need to put together a Q&A and clearly states who will be providing support, for what applications, and when. Saying flat out that it support Vista Media Center is also very misleading. There is no possible way for them to support it until the next Media Center release. Their HD-PVR ships next week, at this point they really need to get their story straight.

Update 3: 64-bit drivers are now said to be there upon release.

Short Bits: HD-PVR, Home Server, Online Spotlight

chrisl — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:08:00 GMT

Hauppauge put up the pre-order form for their HD-PVR 1212 that I talked about last week. Especially if you are ordering with Media Center in mind know that it will not work out-of-the-box, Media Center can’t support the video format it is pushing out. Hopefully Hauppauge can add support by years end. Price is $250 per device.

Update: SnapStream Blog has photos of it working with Beyond TV.

Looks like the data corruption bug in Windows Home Server is finally set to be fixed with Power Pack 1. (Via Missing Remote)

Mike wrote a great article also on Missing Remote about the Online Spotlight in Vista, or rather the lack thereof. I still don’t know why all MTV Networks properties just disappeared last week, we had talked about it on The Green Button but I haven’t got any more information about it.

Speaking of The Green Button, I know it is down. I’ve e-mailed the Admin so I hope he got that or is reading this.

Also, if anyone else has questions please reply to my Media Center Week post. I’ll post the first batch of replies tomorrow, but keep them coming and I’ll try and answer as many as I can.

Short Bits: Media Center Show, Hauppauge HD-PVR, CableCARD

chrisl — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:36:00 GMT

Ian Dixon had Scott Evans from Microsoft on The Media Center Show this week along with AMD talking about AMD Live!

A lot of information dropped today about Hauppauge HD-PVR’s Component Capture device. I’ve been meaning to do a whole big post about this and how it relates to Media Center and other products like SageTV but never found the time so here is the quick version.

Some information about the device, it is a single input (also has passthrough) Component video capture device that encodes to H.264 (13.5Mbs max) at up to 1080i It is expected to go for around $250 in early May, produces AVCHD recordings perfect for authoring to Blu-ray Discs, etc, etc. Product page is here. It will not work with Media Center out-of-the-gate, Media Center doesn’t support H.264 capture. Expect that part to get added in Fiji, but I doubt Hauppauge is working directly with Microsoft here so no clue when working Media Center support will be added. This has ramifications in the content protection field; expect content owners to start looking at enabling ICT on Blu-ray Discs. That means a max output of 540p unless HDMI-HDCP is used. Brent Evans has the blog to subscribe to for up-to-the-minute information on the device.

I'm questioning if the 13.5Mbps can be changed via a registry entry, the encoder can do more. Price is high at the expected $250/device; you also have to add your two cable/satellite STBs that connect directly which puts you at CableCARD prices for a dual tuner setup. Upside is all content is unprotected and no OEM PC is needed. SageTV will benefit greatly, they will now have a true HD PVR and Extenders to boot.

Engadget HD confirms the obvious that DIRECTV tuner testing is part of the Media Center beta. I’m not happy with whoever keeps leaking this stuff BTW. You got into a private beta, be happy and keep your mouth shut. It was clear DIRECTV was a part of this, leaking it means less opportunities for beta access in general. You thought over a year wait for this beta was bad, wait until the next when it skips any type of public access and goes only to Microsoft employees and partners. On the plus side, hardware loan agreement because include a PC so the tuner works without a special BIOS. This puts the chances for a retail consumer installed device pretty high.

Ben Drawbaugh is posting about his first day with a Dell XPS 420 which he just got to ditch his TiVo’s. Ed Bott has a similar overview of his CableCARD setup.

AverMedia Releases QAM Plug-in for Bravo Hybrid PCIe

chrisl — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:25:00 GMT

AVerMedia has released beta QAM plug-in/driver that work within Media Center for their Bravo Hybrid PCIe tuner card. Much like the existing beta QAM plug-in for the AVerTV Combo PCIe x1 M780, this will enable your Bravo Hybird to tune unencrypted QAM from within Media Center.

You can download the beta drivers and plug-in from AVerMedia’s FTP site at ftp.aver.com/Bravo. Username is beta, password is betatest. There are drivers for both 32 and 64-bit, but remember these are beta drivers so backup your system before you try anything!

BOCR CableCARD Tuners (M-Card) Coming Soon From Ceton Corp?

chrisl — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:50:00 GMT

I’ve talked about OCUR being an open spec before, the idea that anyone can actually build them assuming they want to play around with CableLabs. I’ve also talked about Bidirectional OpenCable Receiver (BOCR) before, the idea being new CableCARD tuners will work with two-way communication and have M-Card capability so you only need a single “tuner” and CableCARD to end up with a dual tuner PC.

It appears the first BOCR might be coming sooner than I thought, and even better appears to be a non-ATI product. Ceton Corp has a page up about their M-Card Cable Tuner Card for Microsoft Vista and it looks like a winner. Set to feature dual ATSC tuners and dual CableCARD tuners (with M-Mode support), you will be able to record two programs at once without the need for two separate CableCARD tuners.

Update: Ceton will have two tuners. The first to be released will be an MOCUR or M-Card OCUR. This adds "multi-tuner" abilities by using M-Card to tune two (or more) channels at once. Then, they will also have a BOCR as described in the rest of this post. MOCURs are not bidirectional.

CableLabs restrictions will still be in place, so don’t think this will be a free for all tuner that will magically work with your system (we can all keep dreaming though). No other information is avaiable on Ceton Corp's website, but I have e-mailed asking about a potential release date and price as well as upgrade paths from current CableCARD PC (Which I also covered here.)

Thanks Brandon!