Ceton's CableCARD tuner to work over the network too

Weighing yet to be released CableCARD on PC products against each other? Add this tidbit to the comparison: Ceton's MOCUR should work as a networked tuner, according to a post by VP Jeremy Hammer on The Green Button forums. His post indicates that, like the HDHomeRun CableCARD, Ceton's product will be available to other PCs by bridging it with the host computer's Ethernet card, and not blocked as it was with ATI's product. That might help to smooth the $399 price tag when it goes on sale soon, for those still stuck on reply hit the forums with your questions or check out our CES hands on for another look.

[Thanks, @brennokbob]

Hands-on with the low profile Ceton quad CableCARD tuner

[andrewpc1 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:28PM]

can a computer be made to be as efficient as a STB to leave on 24/365.

[FORDY Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:39PM]

@andrewpc1 The question is not so much about efficiency, as cooling. but yes, it can be done and I know many who do so. I'm planning to do a new build to use as a kind of "media server" which I will need to leave on all the time.

[andrewpc1 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:56PM]

@FORDY
I disagree with you a normal STB will run around 40 watts. I would be surprised if you could find a full computer that could run a 4 tuner cable card which means that a) it needs at least some pci-e slots, and b) it needs to be able to decode and serve 4 HD streams at once.

I for one would not say that because a computer is less efficient then a STB this idea is stupid but needs to be considered.

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Feb 2nd 2010 3:42PM]

@andrewpc1 Well I would consider the PS3 to be a computer, and a lot of people leave it on 24/7 running folding@home, which consumes upwards of 200 watts. A computer only consumes like 10% more than that, so I guess it depends on what you call efficient. I used to leave my desktop on all the time just because I didn't like startup times, but now I rarely use it and my laptop uses barely any power when I close the lid and it sleeps.

[BenD Posted Feb 2nd 2010 7:18PM]

@engadgetcomexcludeengadget

Your numbers are way off. The PS3 slim uses less than 100watts of power at almost all times. My XPS420 and all my accessories like a HDHomeRun 12-inch LCD etc uses about 108.

You don't just read the Watt ratting on the side of the box, that is the maximum wattage, not the actual wattage.

[cypherx Posted Feb 2nd 2010 12:48PM]

What are the hardware requirements? Will my Athlon 3800+ , 2GB Ram be enough, or should I upgrade? It is PCI-Express, but I don't want hiccups.

[CaseyVincent Posted Feb 2nd 2010 1:23PM]

@cypherx Generally in Media Center it is not the recording, but the playback that will kill you. Most of the decoding of the encrypted channels is done on the card itself, recording 4 streams you will see your hard drive working hard, but there should be almost no CPU activity. If you can currently playback an HD video you should be fine.

The other playback (and the one that is used all the time in my house) is to connect and XBOX 360 as an extender. Playback with them has been flawless the past two version of windows.

[johnw248 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 2:27PM]

@cypherx
Run the Digital Cable Advisor tool. Your 2mb ram will work but it's suggested to have 4mb by the tool. If you can't pass the tool, your computer can run a cablecard tuner of any type.

[glennS Posted Feb 2nd 2010 1:01PM]

Well, if you are putting it in a server, that is fine, but I would not want to rely on a desktop machine which may be less table and also be used for gaming or other taxing processes to do double duty as a DVR. Personally, I am very happy with my current HDHR, and can't wait for the cablecard version.

Look at it this way:
Sharing a locally connected printer on the network through the OS is nice, but a networked is better. The exact same thing goes for the TV tuner.

[cypherx Posted Feb 3rd 2010 1:25PM]

@glennS

Thanks,

I don't tend to game too much on the Athlon 3800+. I game more so on the xbox360. I might use the Athlon PC to check out an ocastional recording, but 99% of the viewing would be on an XBOX media center, or off of my Windows 7 dell laptop.

I'll see about setting aside something for a pc upgrade just in case. But one thing that I need to be wary of, if upgrading the Motherboard, cpu and memory, reinstalling the OS (would go to 64bit instead), would I need to call my cable operator to get the cards working again? Are they paired to the Ceton card, or the actual software on the PC?

That brings up another point... what if a hard drive crashes and one does a restore of their PC onto a new disk. Would the cable company have to come out again? Could be a dealbreaker for 'primary dvr'. Might need to keep the Motorola DCX3400 as a backup (and VOD use).

[glennS Posted Feb 3rd 2010 1:57PM]

@cypherx

I can't answer any of those specific concerns about whether your cablecard will stop working if you have to reinstall your os, or change hardware etc. Maybe yes, maybe no. Just another reason why I think the HDHR is a better (and less expensive) option than the Ceton.

[Emiliano Posted Feb 2nd 2010 2:13PM]

Wait how does this work? The NIC will be connected to the cable card itself?

[demon Posted Feb 4th 2010 5:09PM]

@Emiliano: No, they're talking about using software bridging to merge the faux Ethernet segment that the controller for the tuners lives on, exposing it to your entire home network. Strangely, these devices are implemented as fake USB Ethernet devices, instead of a direct PCI connection to the tuner itself, so it makes a strange kind of sense.

[johnw248 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 2:31PM]

It's a bridge connection in windows on the machine which has the card. It operates exactly the same on the home machine, it is just available to other windows 7 machines that have passed the digital cable advisor.

This is basically identical to the advertised features of the SD cablecard HR tuner except you get two more tuners. There is still the problem of multiple schedules and tuner allocations.

This is ideal for those wanting to have a Media Center for recording but want to watch live tv on other computers. They can play back unflagged content on other computers but any CCI 0x1 recordings can only be played on the computer that made the recording or extenders connected to that machine.

[BenD Posted Feb 2nd 2010 7:20PM]

@johnw248

The HDHomeRun already supports tuner sharing so the same management software can be used for the CableCARD version. Not sure how Ceton plans to manage them.

[johnw248 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 10:18PM]

@BenD
Does it work in Media Center? Since only Media Center can support the cablecard tuner along with the Media Center guide to be able to tune the VCT, that would be very interesting. I guess we'll have to wait until we actually see a real SD CCHR to find out if the tuner management will work in MC--unless they've worked it out already.

[brennok Posted Feb 4th 2010 1:13AM]

@BenD Jeremy Hammer said on thegreenbutton that this will be handled by Windows 7 and their card doesn't manage tuners at all.

You just repeat the setup on the second pc and it will find the tuners. Now I imagine you can do it so only 2 tuners show on each PC eliminating conflicts that way, Other than doing that I imagine that it will handle it the same way HDHomerun does which I believe gives a tuner is busy message if all tuners are in use and you try to use another one.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/t/78488.aspx?PageIndex=94

[James5mith Posted Feb 2nd 2010 4:56PM]

I can NOT wait until this comes out at the end of next month. I will try and be one of the first to get one. A quad tuner is an awesome idea, a quad Cablecard tuner even more so. Being able to share the tuner with other computers? Icing on the cake. C'mon Ceton. Daddy needs a new tuner! :D

[Alton Posted Feb 2nd 2010 5:48PM]

Has Ben D been fired? Why in the world is Richard L posting about Media Center? :-)

[RichardLawler Posted Feb 2nd 2010 5:56PM]

@Alton Ha, just in case you don't follow him on twitter (@bjdraw) he's recovering from some minor surgery to remove his love for plasma.

[Alton Posted Feb 2nd 2010 7:53PM]

@RichardLawler Yeah I know just giving you a hard time, When you going to jump int Media Center?

[blackacex22 Posted Feb 2nd 2010 11:20PM]

I'll be buying one ASAP goodbye scientific atlanta garbage

[kevon27 Posted Feb 3rd 2010 11:25AM]

Ha, ha... the cost of cable card will be going up from $3 per month to $15. It will cost more than the cable company stb. You'll be forced to go back to renting stb's..

[asus389 Posted Feb 6th 2010 5:52PM]

Meh... you can almost buy 2 Tivo HD's for what this will cost.

[chAz15 Posted Mar 12th 2010 12:28PM]

@asus389 No you can't...I've pricing it out. Do I buy two HD DVR series 3/4 or Premier XLs WITH the lifetime, or build a Media Center from scratch with this card. If I pay the monthly for DVR, I'm right back where I started, renting cable boxes...And Comcast in Chi-Town...1st cards free. Woo Hoo.

TIVO Premiere XL $499 (ea) Total = $1,000
Lifetime Subscription $399 (ea) Total = $800

I basically have a total overkill I7 sitting in my newegg shopping cart for just over a tho...and the Logitic N keyboard mouse combo, already have the Logitic Harmony 1000 remote, so between those two and this card, be right around $1,200-$1,400. Instead of $2,100. And I'd have to rent 1 card from comcast at $5.99 a month, only the 1st ones free. Next 3 years going to run me $300 on top of the up front costs for TIVO?? Hence the $2,100 total...

And now I have all the media center "bonus" stuff too.

I don't see the savings going for the (2) Tivo's? Please tell me if I'm wrong, as I haven't bought anything yet...If Tivo's are the way to go, I'll do it, but the dollars aren't making and cents right now! LOL

Just doing the math man, have to get the boss to approve, so have to have the math.

I'm totally all ears though, I just haven't heard the "winning" TIVO argument yet.

[James5mith Posted Mar 10th 2010 11:38AM]

Two more weeks. Let's go Ceton! Release on time!