Notes

CableCARD 2.0 is Ready

We've been trying to understand the CableCARD mess for the past week. We began by calling Motorola, which was great, but caused more confusion. We decided to contact CableLabs to get answers. While we're not too thrilled about the answers, we did find that CableCARD 2.0 does exist and it's ready to go. Along the way we also discovered what's stopping TiVo and Microsoft from bringing our favorite features to their latest CableCARD host devices.We aren't sure why this is so complicated however, right out of the gate, let's be clear about something. CableCARDs have supported two-way communications for some time, it's the two-way host device certification that's new to 2.0. This certification is required for any consumer electronic device that is wishing to utilize two-way CableCARD capability. These cards are also multi-stream cards (up to 6 simultaneous), so they are known as M-Cards. Older cards are S-Cards for single stream. New boxes that have been certified for two-way communications are already being deployed by SA and Motorola, and starting July 1st of 2007, all newly deployed digital cable STBs in the US will be CableCARD 2.0 certified. Some CE companies (LG, Panasonic and Samsung for example) are already starting to test their two-way devices with different cable companies across the US, and we should see one in the wild by the end of the year or next. At this point, you should be asking yourself, what's keeping TiVo or Microsoft from creating two-way, multi-stream CableCARD devices? CableLabs' certification specification is not what some CE companies are looking for. Game servers As we previously discussed, the main point of disagreement is the OCAP requirement. While CableLabs is a tech lab, and not involved in all of the politics that govern these standards, the members of CableLabs believe that, without OCAP disintermediation (their term, not ours) could occur. Or to put it in the terms of a layman, this will eliminate the middle man, -- where the middle man is your cable company. OCAP signified that TiVo could not install their software on a two-way host device without approval from the cable company. This means that the concept of purchasing a TiVo that works everywhere is not possible unless every cable company agreed and supported TiVo's OCAP software. This is how the long-awaited agreement between Comcast and TiVo will work. Vista Media Center might be the same. Microsoft would need to create an OCAP-based virtual machine within Vista Media Center and then collaborate with every cable company to make sure that they have their own user interface. This assumes that the OCAP platform can offer the same rich user interface as Microsoft and TiVo. Otherwise, switching between functions and OCAP required functions would be an issue.



Another interesting fact we discovered was that features like Multi-Room Viewing and TiVoToGo aren't part of the CableCARD certification requirements. These details are part of the license that the company must sign when getting certified. The good part is that companies can submit solutions to enable these features to CableLabs and then be added to the license. These features are feasible therefore there is a chance. However, CableLabs members -- which include nearly every cable company in Americacan decide what is added.



We are respectful of the cable companies' desire to control their networks. After all, they control it and are an enterprise. A misguided two-way CableCARD devices could cause a lot of destruction. While CableLabs is in compliance with the law, we do not believe it is in the spirit of the law since it doesn't provide an open platform. Cable companies must recognize that what is the best for their customers is also beneficial for their business.



In the final, we hope that the FCC steps in and requires CableLabs to approve two-way devices that do NOT need OCAP.



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