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The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:42 pm
by RyC
https://zatznotfunny.com/2020-09/cablecard-is-dead/

It could be a few more years, but when Comcast pulls the plug on CableCARD, I think that's the end of WMC for me :(

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:11 pm
by adam1991
Well, what's really happening is that the traditional cableco product is dead.

Of course, its entire infrastructure dies with it.

Federal Communications Commission Friday .... Its ruling also eliminated CableCARD support

Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2020 5:15 pm
by bernie_xg
Sharing something that popped on my phone...

https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-abandon ... ule-review

https://zatznotfunny.com/2020-09/cablecard-is-dead/

the Federal Communications Commission Friday ended its decades-long attempt to regulate video navigation devices as part of the set-top box landscape. Its ruling also eliminated CableCARD support

[Moderator note: topic merged; search before posting]

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:08 am
by lurch66
Some Cable comp already have app based cloud dvr. If this could become the standard I.E. an app for Roku, TiVo, Apple, Android TV/Amazon firestick. It tunes to all subscribed channels and gives access to cloud dvr then I think the cable card would no longer be needed. Also an app like channels dvr with TV anywhere is the high tech solution.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:39 pm
by bernie_xg
(Thanks for Merging, sorry about that Yeah I only searched announcements)
----------
yeah when CableCard support is not mandatory, and any cable company simply has to say, now no cablecard for you, you have to use our box and we get more monthly income, I can't expect cable companies to be generous and keep supporting.

They never really embraced the support (even Tivo FAQs say call us 3 way with their techs)

But when cablecard (and therefore tuner card for protected content) is gone, so is wmc for me.

FCC Abandons CableCARD, Navigation Devices Rule Review

Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 9:30 pm
by Ken H
FCC Abandons CableCARD, Navigation Devices Rule Review

From Multichannel News
By Gary Arlen

Decision cites video marketplace changes and use of STBs, subscriber-owned devices

In the category of “forgotten but not gone,” the Federal Communications Commission Friday ended its decades-long attempt to regulate video navigation devices as part of the set-top box landscape. Its ruling also eliminated CableCARD support and reporting requirements by cable operators, recognizing that cable industry deployment and use of CableCARDs have been “disappointing.”

The unanimous decision – which included concurring support from Democratic Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks – acknowledged that “the record in this proceeding has been fallow for four years and does not reflect important changes in the video programming marketplace and delivery of those services via applications that run on subscriber-owned devices.”

The ruling represents yet another FCC effort to remove from the books old regulations that are unused or unenforced. This one dates back to the late 1990s. The action specifically deals with the 2016 updated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking “Expanding Consumers’ Video Navigation Choices.”

In eliminating the CableCARD consumer support requirements, the FCC said that the rules “no longer serve a useful purpose following the D.C. Circuit Court’s 2013 decision in the “Echostar” case, which overturned a 2003 FCC order mandating that CableCARDs must be used by all multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to assure security requirement for navigation devices. The decision cited arguments by programmers, MVPDs and the U.S. Copyright Office that the proposed rules would “undermine anti-piracy protections, reducing the incentives of parties to invest in new content, and would force MVPDs, programmers, and copyright holders to violate the copyright licensing contract obligations … leading to costly and time-consuming litigation.”

“Retention of the CableCARD support rules is not necessary to ensure that consumers have retail alternatives to leased set-top boxes,” the Commission said. “Consumer demand for retail CableCARD devices never developed as anticipated and such demand has declined steadily in recent years due to the growing popularity of MVPD applications.” The agency reminded cable operators that although CableCARD support rules are unnecessary, operators “are still required to provide separable security.”

An ACA Connects spokesman said the cable association “applauds the decision.”

“The marketplace has changed significantly over the last four years and even more so since the FCC first adopted set top box rules,” he said. “Consumers today are benefiting from the FCC’s decision not to adopt any new rules in this complex area. Less regulation here has proven to be what was needed most to clear the way for consumer choice.”

Recognizing Changes

For its part, the FCC acknowledged that “further Commission intervention in the navigation device marketplace is not necessary at this time.” It said that instituting any such regulations “could be substantial and detrimental to consumers, copyright holders, and MVPDs, and thus we are reluctant to adopt these additional regulations.” The agency noted that it had “substantial doubts” about whether the aging navigation devices are meaningful in the current multichannel video programming arena.

“Moreover, we note that since the record closed, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the NPRM did not sufficiently analyze ‘the extent to which Internet-based providers affect consumer choice for video programming and what that change means for the importance of consumer choice for devices,’” the FCC added.

At the time it issued the rulemaking proposal in 2016, the FCC said it wanted “to let MVPD subscribers watch what they pay for wherever they want, however they want, and whenever they want, and pay less money to do so, making it as easy to buy an innovative means of accessing multichannel video programming (such as an app, smart TV, or set-top box) as it is to buy a cell phone or TV.”

In the intervening years, the market has changed. The FCC cited NCTA data showing that the nine largest MVPDs now support apps that are used to watch content on consumer-owned devices, such as smart TVs; tablets; streaming sticks and devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire; smartphones; game consoles; and personal computers.

“Therefore, without Commission intervention, many MVPD subscribers can watch the services that they pay for wherever, however, and whenever they want on an array of innovative devices via many different applications,” the FCC said. “We are concerned that adopting the proposals set forth in the NPRM would risk stifling innovation and deterring investment in this sector and, thus, could ultimately detract from Congress’s overarching goal for a fully competitive market for navigation devices.”

https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-abandon ... ule-review

[Moderator note: topic merged; search before posting]

FCC OFFICIALLY KILLS CABLECARDS!

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:27 pm
by joelkirzner
LonTV has a good discussion on the latest developments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7uaLbv ... nel=Lon.TV

[Moderator note: topic merged]

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 4:28 pm
by Paul Anderegg
My mothers Cox cable Contour box threw a "downloading Cablecard update" the other night..she freaked out and sent me a pic of the screen. I had no idea they put CableCards into their own current Contour boxes!!!!!! Buys me a few more years...they just recently were able to retire all the old silver mpeg2 only boxes!

Paul

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:40 pm
by jachin99
I think they are changing cable card boxes to all of the lower digit channel numbers. I wonder if the HD Homeruns will need the update or not. Cox has a test channel for cablecards, and it works fine for me.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:37 am
by Space
I think one problem that can happen when a provider converts to a single channel for both HD and SD is that they remove the CableCard lineup from the TV guide provider (I believe this is what happened when CableVision/Altice did it).

The symptom is that you will see that all the HD channels disappear from the lineup. The solution is to contact the provider and tell them to add a CableCard lineup (notifying Schedules Direct would probably also work, or perhaps work better).

In any case, when they do this they need to maintain two lineups, one with the lower channels only, one with both lower and upper. One way to do it is to change the existing lineup by removing the upper channels. The other way to do it is leave the existing lineup like it is (both lower and upper) and create a new one that just has the lower channels. Because cable companies often don't think before they act when it comes to CableCard users, they are likely going to modify the existing lineup and screw TiVo and WMC users by modifying the existing lineup and leaving them without HD channels for a while until they correct it.

When they do correct it, you will then have to select the new lineup in EPG123 instead of the one you were using.

Note that if they do it the right way (creating a new lineup with just lower channels) then you should not be affected.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:55 pm
by Sammy2
We're moving and taking two primes with us along with the TA's and CableCARD's. They didn't say a word about it when I called in to put in the move request. I'll find out next week if Spectrum still supports CableCARD but I believe they do because they haven't rolled out new boxes and they don't support apps on AndroidTV yet.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 3:36 pm
by koberhol
I recently asked Wide Open West to add an additional cablecard to my system. They agreed and said they would mail it. Upon not receiving it I called and they said they no longer support cablecard additions as they no longer have supply of working cards, which I expected this response. I then bought a couple of cablecards from ebay. My plan is to add the second HD Prime and then try and call my cable company to get it paired. So 2 questions arise here. #1 do you think the cards I bought will likely be good cards? Have others bought these and got them to work? #2 Do you think my cable company will allow me to connect a card that is not theirs? Thank You

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:24 am
by Space
I may be wrong, but I think you need the specific Cable Card from your provider in order for it to work. I've never heard about anyone buying their own Cable Card.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:53 pm
by Sammy2
ATM, Spectrum still "supports" CableCARD's but I'm having a hard time with one of the T.A.'s they gave me. I'm in on the fourth one now and it still isn't getting all my SDV channels for one of my Primes.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:36 pm
by CZ Eddie
Well crud. Yesterday I pulled my old Time Warner cablecard and tuning adapter and HDHomeRun Prime v3 out of the closet. Haven't used them in a few years.
I called Spectrum (who bought out TWC) and they transferred the cablecard to my new account with them and got me online with it.

Today I went to add my Prime to WMC in Win10 and it couldn't be found.

Some research shows that support for DRM ended in an earlier version of Win10 and new versions don't work.
All this trouble I went through and now I find out I must either run an unsecure Win10 earlier version and never update it.
Or I need to revert to Win8.1.

Arghh.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:25 pm
by Sammy2
If it is only for LiveTV an older version should work fine but how many DRM channels do you have? I have so few I don't worry about it and can get all but AXS via the apps or ChannelsDVR TVAnywhere login and an m3u tuner using Emby which other than DRM channels is everything WMC could have been if MicroSoft didn't pull the plug on it. Emby was born in Media Center as Media Browser and is getting to the point that it is a sound replacement for WMC. Some subtle features are not there but the major ones are and Emby is way more flexible than WMC ever could be.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2021 1:39 am
by jachin99
I just switched from Cox to Verizon last month, and I was surprised but Verizon actually gave ma cablecard. They had no idea what it really was, how to issue it, or how to use it but they still had one laying around.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:27 am
by Ken H
koberhol wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 3:36 pm #1 do you think the cards I bought will likely be good cards? Have others bought these and got them to work?
#2 Do you think my cable company will allow me to connect a card that is not theirs?
There are all sorts of issues with your plan.

First, there are two different brands of CableCards that various cablecos use; Motorola and Scientific Atlanta (Cisco). They are not interchangeable. In other words you'd have to have the same brand of CableCard that your cableco uses in your specific area. Some cablecos use both Motorola and SA / Cisco head end hardware, in different service areas.

Next, the CableCard you buy could be a bad card, which might account why it was for sale. Bad' could mean any number of things, but the bottom line is it will not work.

Finally, as has been mentioned, I've also never heard of a cableco activating a CableCard they did not provide. Having said that, if your cableco can not provide you with one, they may be willing to activate one you get elsewhere. Who knows? You most likely will have to speak with someone higher up the food chain than the first level phone support. If possible, try a local office and be more than willing to wait for someone to get back you.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:25 am
by john321
CableCARD is still the law of the land. If your cable provider is giving you any problems, you should contact the FCC.

Re: The Curtain Begins To Close on CableCARD

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:28 am
by john321
You can get direct support from many US cable providers here:

http://www.dslreports.com/forums/60