S1Digital adds networked CableCARD tuners to its media server

While we knew that ATI Digital Cable Tuners were UPnP network tuners at heart, we've never heard of anyone actually using them across a network. But with the apparent imminent death of the 3rd party extender, OEMs are forced to find their own solution. For S1Digital that solution is a custom media server that fits into its Digital Entertainment Platform. The server starts at $3500, and in addition to all of the other media serving capabilities, it can have four or eight (license dependent) tuners connected to it and offer those tuner up to Windows Media Center PCs connected on the network. Each tuner has to be married to a specific PC, but this does give you the ability to watch live TV in the kitchen with only one cat5 drop running back to the server. So while this isn't exactly our the Windows Home Server and Media Center mashup we dream of, it certainly is a step in the right direction. More than a Media Server: S1Digital's New Digital Entertainment Platform Stores
and Distributes All Kinds of Digital Media including HD Movies and Cable
Television
ROCHELLE PARK, N. J., Aug 26th, 2009 – As households become increasingly
populated with an assortment of digital media from many disparate sources, consumers
have been calling for a way to easily store, manage and consume all their content around
the home. Now S1Digital (http://www.s1digital.com) has answered the call with the
Digital Entertainment Platform, which provides centralized archiving, storage and
distribution of HD movies, live and recorded HD television, videos, music, photos and
more.
"The Digital Entertainment Platform is the most advanced digital entertainment offering
on the market today," stated Paul Heitlinger, President of S1Digital. "Our solution is
unique and we consider it a new category of product. No media server has been able to
integrate this many different types of media, much less stream high-definition TV and
movies."
The S1Digital Digital Entertainment Platform consists of three components: an
Entertainment Server, Media Center clients and a control solution.
The heart of the Platform is the Entertainment Server which consumes and catalogs
content from the built-in combo Blu-ray, DVD and CD drive, automatically downloading
cover art and metadata. The Server supports 16 or 32 terabytes of protected storage in a
3U rack chassis, or 4 or 8 terabytes in a 1U chassis. In addition, the Server can stream
live CableCard or ATSC HDTV to clients.
The Media Center clients play content stored on the server, streaming smooth 1080p
video and 7.1 channel audio. Live and recorded HDTV can be streamed directly to the
client, without needing TV tuners or a cable box directly attached. The custom designed
chassis is small, quiet and can also playback Blu-rays, DVDs or CDs directly from the
built-in optical drive.
An optional touch screen controller can manage the Media Centers from any room. It
provides two-way control enabling browsing of content including cover-art and metadata
and can integrate with existing control solutions from Crestron, AMX, RTI and other
touch screen controllers.
The Digital Entertainment Platform can be purchased as a package supporting as many
rooms as customers wish. The components can also be purchased separately so that users
can add new zones or include existing S1Digital Media Center models or control
solutions.
"Integrators will realize the many benefits of selling and installing the Digital
Entertainment Platform," said Heitlinger. "There is no need for custom wiring back to the
server or for bulky components in each room and the platform communicates over local
network. In fact, there never has been such a powerful solution that's so simple to set up
and use, yet the platform costs less than most other single use media server solutions."

[scottbakertemp Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:09PM]

So if I'm understanding this correctly, I pay $3500 for the server plus what ever the clients costs. I then go to cleint 1 and record a game on ESPN. Unless something is about to change, I still wouldn't be able to watch that game on client 2 right?

Am I interpreting this correctly?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:20PM]

From Ben's description I would say yes. I was really hoping this would be a preview to a general softsled announcement, but such is life with media center.

[andysexton Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:22PM]

This is actually a convenient way to have tuners function. It's kind of how the HDHomeRun works over the network. Except the HDHomeRun doesn't have to marry a particular tuner to a particular client. Used to, but awhile back it was updated to allow pooling.

One benefit is that it allows for smaller client PCs.

[andysexton Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:23PM]

Sounds to me like if it's not recording that would be the case. If you were recording the stream, it could be in your Recorded TV that could be accessed by clients in the home group (if you can get the stupid home groups working).

[andysexton Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:24PM]

Crap, that post was in reply to scott baker.

[PeterFnet Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:39PM]

I'd love to know how they're getting around the DRM. I bet it can't share DRM content between machines. Each recording would probably be married to each PC that records it?

[PeterFnet Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:40PM]

Okay, I reread it and am still confused. If you have 5 tuners, each can only be assigned to 1 PC? Seems like it just prevents you from running coax.

I'd rather see each PC married to each tuner card, and some intermediate driver that enumerates the tuners for use on the fly.

Am I missing something?

[BenD Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:40PM]

No DRM bypass, the content recorded on each PC is locked to that PC.

[PeterFnet Posted Aug 26th 2009 5:00PM]

Ah very good. Thanks Ben.

[scottbakertemp Posted Aug 26th 2009 4:44PM]

I searched around for cable card tuners or systems on dell and hp and found nothing. I was able to find a really low end crappy pc on aspenmediaproducts.com with 2 tuners for $1150.

I'm not sure what Microsoft could possibly say at Cedia to make MCE relavent again.

we'll see.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 26th 2009 5:48PM]

I'm sorry this still does not do it for me. At that price I rather stick to a Media Center PC and several Xbox 360 as extenders. At least the Recorded TV is not relegated to any particular location. This is still a crippled expensive solution to me.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 26th 2009 7:49PM]

Yea I see it as a way to centralize your hardware.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 27th 2009 9:21AM]

This has got to be the most misleading product release that I have ever read.

It talks about centralized distribution of HD media, yet unless they have found some magical legal loophole, there is no possible way this thing will automatically archive Blu-Ray and DVD movies and stream them to multiple clients. In addition, this is not a centralized DVR, as it is basically a pool of cable cards that must be locked to each additional PC.

S1digital's mini PC is a minimum of $1800, combined with a $3500 minimum server, it would cost you 10 grand to have 4 rooms with a TV and DVR. That 10 grand buys you a system that is completely locked in with DRM, and keeps all the content locked to each individual client PC. You need to have a serious lack of brain cells to go for this thing.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 27th 2009 5:10PM]

Want to know how to do the magical cablecard over the network trick on your own? Google "USB over IP" and pick any one of the various software solutions that lets you share a USB device over the network. Been doing this for a while with an ATI DCT on one of my test boxes.