Chris Lanier - All Comments

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Nick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:05:59 GMT

I for one and drooling eagerly awaiting the time when I can happily fork over $600 for a 4-stream tuner.

Considering the myriad of advantages that WMC has over cable-co DVR's, in my opinion if Microsoft went on a full-court press and got some major OEM's to play ball with media center PC's that look like they belong under your TV they could gain a lot of market share in a Big Damn Hurry(tm).

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

bizzbee — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:14:41 GMT

Open Cable finally becomes open? Well pardon me if I don't celebrate. This should have been done 3 years ago when Media Center had a chance.

Now, if I want video on my PC I'll go to Hulu. If I want an HD PVR, my cable company will rent me one.

Media Center is being "managed" into oblivion.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Scott — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:05 GMT

S1digital created softsled, but only for their own product. I wonder if this will be a feature in the final release of Windows 7.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Scott — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:09:28 GMT

I think Microsoft has something up their sleave still - Softsled!

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

chrisl — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:18:47 GMT

There has always been a need, and that will continue. That was not the point of that article.

Softsled will never exist, what will is things like HomeGroup that can take advantage of content without DRM.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

EGo — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:34:04 GMT

Chris,

With the new Ceton tuners do you see a need for Softsled now?

msmvps.com/.../1469441.aspx

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

DavidinCT — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:38:41 GMT

I think it will drive up the use of Media Center. Even people with 2nd or 3rd PCs in their homes could add a tuner for $200-300 and about $2-3 a month could get all the programing their main TV gets (even if they have a Cable DVR)

I just hate the fact that about 7-8 months ago I picked up a OEM cablecard ready system. For the price I paid at the time, I could built a faster CPU, more HD space, more memory, better video and still got 2-3 cablecard tuners for less money. Oh, well, it is what it is...

re: What Do You Think of Windows 7 Media Center?

Tracy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:33:10 GMT

I'm not happy with the new fast forwarding. The initial speed is too slow and I don't need to hear audio while fast forwarding. The second speed is way too fast. Please give us a way to use Vista's fast forwarding speeds.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Winnerman — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:46:27 GMT

All of the comments are great, and I am complete supporter of this, in fact it is my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better gift. I have been on the fence about hacking my own system or just breaking down and buying an oem.

But the real questions is, can I go and get a DCT now and build my own system today? I looked an the ATI site and I didnt see a new driver release. Does anyone know when we can do this?

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ed K — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:44:29 GMT

Tivo sells hardware at a loss, and has done so every year of their existence. Proof: their quarterly statements.

copied this from a TivoCommunity board:

Figures from last quarterly report say TiVo got $6.4 million from hardware sales and spent $10.6 million. That's much closer to breaking even than they have been in the past! (Fiscal year 2008, they got $42 million on hardware and spent $92 million, and 2007 was worse.)

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ed K — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:35:53 GMT

Um... yes, Tivo DOES sell hardware at a loss. Next I suppose you're going to tell us that $49 blackberries aren't sold at a loss either.

Keep in mind that the "cost" of hardware is that of the material, the R&D cost, the CEO's salary, etc. If all you do is sell the hardware, then the price will reflect.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

John — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:45:21 GMT

Ceton has said they will be price competitive and those doesn't mean ATI DCTS which will probably soon disappear--to me it means against Tivo and Moxi.

Let's wait until the product comes out before we put a price on it--my magic 8 ball only has 8 answers and none of them are prices, perhaps you have better sources.

I still think the small operator now has the abilty to compete with the bigger guys and can bring a cablecard system into a smaller home installation.

Since we no longer have a Gen Saranoff to dictate the outcome of the future, we'll just have to wait.

John

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ralph — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:16:55 GMT

Because a TivoHD has the same hardware and then some in the box as CableCARD tuner available for a PC, yet it costs less.

Regardless of whether you ever subscribe to Tivo service or not, Tivo is not selling the hardware for a loss. And $249 is a retail price at Best Buy, and Best Buy is not selling it for a loss either.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ed K — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:41:34 GMT

What is with all the Tivo comparisons? Doesn't anybody realize that a Tivo does not cost $250? Without paying the additional monthly fee it's a $250 paper-weight. And don't forget the advertising $$$. C'mon think, people!!!!

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ralph — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:06:50 GMT

How can a TivoHD, which contains a CableCARD tuner, sell for $249 at retail, while the OCUR tuners cost so much more?

And the TivoHD box includes electronics and a hard drive in addition to the CableCARD tuner, yet, they sell at Best Buy for $249.

Is it just price gouging by ATI/AMD and Ceton?

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ed K — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:33:23 GMT

and to all those complaining about how a $300 device at Best Buy won't sell, clearly you've forgotten about the $50 video cables they sell that can be had for $6 online. Best buy is plenty capable of selling overpriced stuff. Also, you all think Best Buy only sells to average joe's with no PC knowledge, yet they do sell PCI cards, $300 video cards, etc.

And finally, cable boxes (where I'm from) are NOT $12/mo - try $20/mo, and don't forget that's times 2,3 or more for all TVs in the house. Would I buy a ceton at $300 to save $60/mo? You do the math, geniuses.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Ed K — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:24:58 GMT

There are already brick-and-mortar stores that sell the HD-PVR, silicondust and many other similar devices. Microcenter is one. All other skepticisms and complaints aside, yes, this will increase the market share, no doubt about it. How much? We'll see

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

chrisl — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:11:02 GMT

Might have something to do with the fact that the ATI OCUR is a $300 tuner.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Alfred — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:43:26 GMT

Why on earth does anyone think that a CableCARD tuner alone is going to sell for over $300?

An entire TivoHD sells for $249, and that includes more electronics than just a CableCARD tuner inside of it.

The DVR's that cable companies issue, such as the Scientific Atlanta 8300HDC cost much less than $300 to the cable companies.

re: CableCARD Opens Up, but Does the Marketplace?

Martyus — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:52:17 GMT

Chrisl,

"Silicon Dust HDHR isn't sold at Best Buy. Why?"

That's easy, because they are too darn complex for the average consumer (e.g. connect via wired ethernet) and not a plug-n-play device (at least the last time I read through the HDHR docs). On the other hand, with a Hauppauge TV tuner (i.e. 1600, 1800), Windows Vista automatically installs the drivers and all I have to do is run through the Media Center 10' UI config to setup the guide, etc.

"As I said, if Hauppauge comes out with a tuner this might be solved as they already have the distribution channel."

Agreed.

"And then the last issue, price. Best Buy likely is going to have limited interest stocking a $300+ tuner that will sit next to their exist stock of $99 tuners which sit next to their PCs which typical retail for under $700. The point here is average joe isn't going to buy a $500 PC and then thinking about getting a $300 tuner to go with it."

Hmmm... If you think of it _that_ way, perhaps... The thing here is that if Best Buy (and Hauppauge or whomever) are smart, CableCARD tuners would not only be sold in the "PC aisle", next to the shelf of (mostly worthless to the average consumer) ATSC tuners, CableCARD tuners would mostly be sold in the "HDTV aisle", next to Dish and DirectTV offerings. For one thing, it would temper any price differential you mentioned. But mostly, CableCARD tuners need to be marketed and sold as a way to get all the wonders of Digital Cable and HD content into that HDTV. And even as an alternative to getting a Cable Co. DVR with a properly packaged product (e.g. a "PC Interface Digital Cable Box")

CableCARD tuners open up whole new world of digital cable content that the average consumer never before had available with Media Center and ATSC tuners. As such, it will be important to get the marketing "right".