Ceton's InfiniTV 4 CableCARD tuner delayed again
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted May 21st 2010 7:46PM
posted May 21st 2010 7:46PM
We know that you have been eagerly waiting for the first shipment of the Ceton InfiniTV 4 digital cable quad-tuner card and want to update you on where things stand. Unfortunately, we're not going to make our planned May 31st ship date as we expected when we announced it in March. We believe units will ship by the end of June but we don't yet know for sure. Rather than waiting, we wanted to let you know what we know at this point.
This is hugely disappointing news. Trust us, no one is more disappointed than we are. We've been working day and night to meet our May 31st deadline but there are some things that simply are not in our control.
What happened? As we told you in our last newsletter, development and testing for InfiniTV 4 have gone very well. In fact, since we last wrote you in March we have received formal notification of InfiniTV 4 CableLabs certification, which was the final critical step on the way to manufacturing and release. That was a huge milestone, not only for us but also for the industry. It's our understanding that InfiniTV 4 is the first multi-tuner PC card to pass certification, the first quad-tuner device of any type to pass certification, the first device ever certified for 1 GHz cable systems, and one of the first Windows 7 devices to pass certification. That's quite a list of firsts for a new company like us and something we're really proud of. It's also indicative of the complexity involved in doing something like this for the first time in the industry.
The next step after certification is to get the product manufactured and shipped. We've seen a lot of funny speculation online about how long it takes to get units produced and boxes shipped from our manufacturer overseas. It's actually relatively quick and our products do not in fact sit for weeks on cargo ships crossing the ocean while warding off Somali pirates. The physical production of the units is fast, and we can airship units to the U.S. cost effectively. So we're talking days and not weeks from when our manufacturer starts a production run until units are ready to ship from our retail partners in the US. That wasn't the issue here.
The issue was simply parts. Well, not so simply in fact, as there are more than 1,000 individual parts used in each InfiniTV 4 card. Unfortunately, the global recession has resulted in manufacturers maintaining low inventory levels of everything, which have resulted in parts shortages across the industry that are affecting everyone from little guys like us to the largest PC and CE OEMs in the world. In our case it boiled down to not being able to get the right quantity of a couple of critical parts in time to meet our production schedule. We've been scrambling for a couple of weeks to find what we needed but it was obvious this week that it wasn't going to happen in time for us to meet our May 31 goal, which is why we're writing you today.
What's the new date then? We really hoped that if we had to give you bad news about a delay that we'd be able to give you a new ship date at least. Unfortunately we can't do that today as we simply don't have a solid answer yet. But we wanted to at least let you know about the May 31 slip, even if we can't give you a new date.
How will Pre-Order Program units ship? Will one retailer get priority over another? Since we kicked off the InfiniTV 4 pre-order program in March the response has been great and orders have continued to come in at a steady, in fact increasing, pace. It's obvious that there is a ton of pent up demand for a solution like this and we hope to be able to fulfill all the pre-order program orders at the same time. But, depending on how the parts situation evolves and how many units we are able to manufacture at a time, it is possible that we'll have to ship out units in smaller batches than initially expected. In that case we will fulfill orders on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of which retailer you ordered from. So someone who ordered in March could get units earlier than someone who orders today. Regardless of where you are in the shipping queue however, your credit card will not be charged until your unit ships.
We understand your disappointment and hope you'll stick with us as we get these first units out the door. We promise we're doing absolutely everything we can to get InfiniTV 4 in your hands as soon as we can and will update you once we have a new ship date!
Ugh... I was afraid this was going to happen with May 31st getting close and a total lack of news. Still worth waiting for, but it doesn't make putting up with the cableco any easier.
Disappointing, but at least I have more time to decide/order the components for my htpc.
Definitely still worth waiting for, but a real bummer. My new HTPC build is just waiting for this card: http://cid-e9cc6427eb3090ad.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/HTPC%20Build^J%20Spring%202010
Doh! Oh well. :\
At least I'll have my HTC EVO to keep me busy until then (trying to think positive).
If you can't get parts, you can't get parts. With ATI officially out of the game, I would hate to be an OEM that specialized in Windows 7 Cablecard Media Center PCs. Basically, can't sell machines for a month.
It is good to know that sales have at least met expectations also. Shows there is a market for this, should encourage Silicon Dust and Happuage to continue with their tuner cards as well.
Another delay....they're up a year or so now, right? If Ceton lets Silicon Dust or Happauge come out with their's first, I would image the preorders will probably disappear very quickly.
@Tyler9
I don't believe the Silicon Dust product is due before the holidays. And Happauge hasn't even formally announced a product other than they are "working on one." And even if Silicon Dust / Happauge complete the product who is to say they won't run into the exact same issue? I would imagine that these cards share a lot of common parts.
Ceton has plenty of time
Another delay. That sounds about right.
Its funny how at TGB I keep posting on there about these delays coming as I'm told through my sources but I'm called a troll. I do have contacts who work directly with Ceton and other Media Center OEMs and they are always aware of the leaks. I'm Allison told the delay is due to legal issues, or at least about a month ago there were some legal issues and everyone was told there would be delays again.
Wow this really blows! I was goin to get this specifically for the world cup. Now that they've moved the date back it's kinda pointless.
I already had second thoughts on Ceton, and then Silicon Dust announced their 3 tuner model, but I was probably not going to be able to wait once the Ceton tuner was out.
The more they delay, the more likely I get the Silicon Dust CableCARD tuner.
I'm waiting to see how this shakes out around the current wording of CableLabs rules limiting the ability to 'share' the physical tuners on the PC that hosts the card with other PCs in the household on the same network. If the constraints mean that these tuners can only be accessed by the host PC or other PC in an all or nothing sense, the value proposition is diminished. Yes, media extenders may be able to get to them, but I don't want a xbox360 or a Dlink in multiple rooms just to make this work when I have PCs/laptops already. If SiliconDust can get their networked model (3 tuner) ready soon and past these legal hurdles, I'm waiting for that. I would consider Ceton, but they also have to get past CableLabs limitations.
I'm still not clear if Ceton's card will allow other machines to use the tuners(I read this as all 4 can be used as a block, not split, see link below) by another PC on the network. SiliconDust's pending networked model is more intriguing to me for now. Can anyone sell me on Ceton over SD's HDHR? I hope this legal minutia can get resolved so I can just get the flexibility I want to legally get the content I paid for in my own house to my own devices.
To me, the whole point is streaming live and recorded content from the Host PC to other PCs is avoiding the ridiculous costs for the Cableco DVR and STB monthly lease fees and only requiring one hardware tuner(set) in the household. C'mon, I've got 3-4 other PCs capable of receiveing a signal from the host PC, but I'm locked out because 1 of the 4 tuners is in use? Ridiculous!
http://www.cetoncorp.com/support_faq.php#faq_321
http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8523&start=15&sid=e0e64e1fab3e1c2507161e11f9c81554
I'm waiting to see how this shakes out around the current wording of CableLabs rules limiting the ability to 'share' the physical tuners on the PC that hosts the card with other PCs in the household on the same network. If the constraints mean that these tuners can only be accessed by the host PC or other PC in an all or nothing sense, the value proposition is diminished. Yes, media extenders may be able to get to them, but I don't want a xbox360 or a Dlink in multiple rooms just to make this work when I have PCs/laptops already. If SiliconDust can get their networked model (3 tuner) ready soon and past these legal hurdles, I'm waiting for that. I would consider Ceton, but they also have to get past CableLabs limitations.
I'm still not clear if Ceton's card will allow other machines to use the tuners(I read this as all 4 can be used as a block, not split, see link below) by another PC on the network. SiliconDust's pending networked model is more intriguing to me for now. Can anyone sell me on Ceton over SD's HDHR? I hope this legal minutia can get resolved so I can just get the flexibility I want to legally get the content I paid for in my own house to my own devices.
To me, the whole point is streaming live and recorded content from the Host PC to other PCs is avoiding the ridiculous costs for the Cableco DVR and STB monthly lease fees and only requiring one hardware tuner(set) in the household. C'mon, I've got 3-4 other PCs perfectly capable of receiving a signal from the host PC, but I'm locked out because 1 of the 4 tuners is in use? Ridiculous!
http://www.cetoncorp.com/support_faq.php#faq_321
http://www.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8523&start=15&sid=e0e64e1fab3e1c2507161e11f9c81554
So, does this also delay the 6 Tuner OEM version originally scheduled for the end of Summer ?
Time to call vaporware on this one. Ceton joins a long line of over-promising, non-delivering vendors like Ricavision.
It's one thing to show off a prototype at CES and get everyone buzzing without any timetable for actually delivering a working product--that's just good marketing... gets everyone thinking twice about blowing the gadget budget for the year. It's quite another to announce not one, but two ship dates, miss them both with a week's notice, and the second one after taking preorders! I understand the gadget world moves at breakneck speed, but seriously do you think moves like this inspire confidence in the consumer base or just plain out piss them off?
Pre-order canceled. Waiting for SiliconDust offering since that's probably vaporware too, but at least they haven't (yet) demonstrated utter incompetence in translating cheap online buzz into an actual production unit.
@keithchilders There was no release date whatsoever before May 31. When a company says they hope to have something out 1st quarter 2010, that doesn't mean a release date of March 31. So far there's only been one solid release date, May 31, and it slipped a bit due to inability to get two parts. And BTW, there have been beta testers with this card out in the public - they didn't just show it off at CES. But they couldn't manufacture them until it passed both the FCC and CableLabs, and CableLabs dragged their feet.
If you really want to wait until this winter to get a Silicon Dust card, while the rest of us are enjoying ours next month, that's your call. Unfortunately for you, cancelling your Ceton pre-order puts you at the end of the list, since they are shipping them in order of orders received, so even if you changed your mind and wanted to get one at launch, now you probably won't make it.
@Dreamwriter So next month huh....where did you get that date? They've said they hope to have something out several times and you're right that May 31 was the first 'solid' date they given. But I don't see anything indicating next month we'll be able to get a product.
I'm not a hater but they are saying parts (i.e. something beyond their control), but we really don't know what the hold up is. Ceton has yet to put a product on the shelf and SiliconDust is already in Beta. While I like the concept more than the solution, I'm pulling for them. I've bene hoping for something like this for years now, the ATI was less than optimal and this would be workable. Being able to share on all computers would be great without having to have a dedicated server, its not like there is a wealth of WMC extenders available.
Time will tell but right now the holidays are just as close as an another unknown release date.
@keithchilders
Ceton has been talking about this for 2.5 years or better. Do not hold your breath.
@Dreamwriter umm no. As recently as February 2, the Ceton site claimed an availability date of 3/31, not some nebulous "Summer" or "Q2". In the first delayed notice to those who were registered to receive updates they said they "had known for some time" they were not going to make that date and pushed it to 5/31. So I stand behind my statement that they have missed not one, but two consecutive specific release dates that they advertised on their own site, their own presentations and their own PR messaging.
Again, I understand this is not abnormal in this market, and that many of these products never see the light of day at all. I just think this HTPC community needs to stop giving vendors free passes for unprofessionalism, false statements and incompetence of this magnitude just because we're "excited" about some new flavor of the month shiny object. I much prefer SiliconDust's silence and "when it's ready" tact to this ongoing string of broken promises from WMC vendors in particular, and HTPC vendors in general. Many are more patient and forgiving, and would rather get bad news than no news, and that's your prerogative. I demand more as a consumer.
Assuming its actually parts, remember this comapny still hasn't put a product on a shelf, while SiliconDust is already in beta (they enhancing an existing product not developing one from scratch).
Doesn't really matter to much to me, i've been waiting years for a viaable solution, and at this point TV is becoming less relevant with online content, if it weren't for Sports I'd probably pass on either solution.
lets go ahead and put the blame where it belongs. APPLE. It's kind of Cetons fault for trying to build something in china when the iphone productions is ramping up. there is ALWAYS a parts shortage over there a month or so away from the iphone launch.
@Tyler9
First Ceton in my opinion is ahead of SiliconDust because they had their beta and all beta testers, this site included got the card installed and were happy with it. I will say that I am disappointed because they should have prepare with suppliers so this would not happen. I'm hurting here because I changed from Dish Network to Cox Cable and now I wont be watching HD for a while.
On the sharing tuners bit yes I do own a HomeRunHD and I do like it, but it has it's problems too. Sometimes after watching something in one room and using my laptop it tells me no tuners available. So I don't think that SiliconDust or Ceton can really solve that. Instead Microsoft needs to make an extender version of media center for computers. That way you only have one computer that has all tuners and others will just connect to it as an extender. To tell you the truth if I can I will be buying both the Ceton and the SiliconDust products one for the living room and one for the Den.
@JCerna
No question that Ceton should be well ahead of anyone entering the arena as far as what's been reported. I just know how difficult it is to do something for the first time. Especially when everthing is very new.
And an amen to Windows should be able to act as an extender!!!
I'm on Cox as well and will be breaking down and leasing a box for the World Cup, hopefully it goes back for the other football season.
humm, first the bad news from FCC about failure of cablecard, then ceton asks FCC to reconsider cablecard, and now this surprising delay. Maybe ceton investors are having second thoughts about cablecard as well? Maybe they are running out of money for those big orders with asian manufactures? I hope they can come out to market soon.
PS: only after spending hundreds of my hard earned dollars I figured chances to succeed in this market are so low: windows media center has a pretty face, but always have a problem here and there, and the whole thing doesn't work as expected. One day is the vide resolution that changes to 1024x786, other day it doesn't go back to sleep after recording middle the night, then it hangs for awhile want antivirus decides to do full scan during during a show. But I guess ceton will always be a small player in this market given so little people have htpcs (relatively speaking, of course) and never get mainstream and be able to bring prices down.