@horngreen:

You don't need a new cable box to do SDV. The new ones with the CableCard will work. The old ones, like your 3250HD, will also work.

This headline is somewhat misleading, considering all new set tops after July 2007 use CableCards. Those will be able to decode SDV just fine.

The cable guys are going to have to deploy SDV to keep competitive, especially TW because FiOS is in their backyard. TW might seem bad here, but there's two inescapable facts: 1) HD eats up bandwidth like my mother in law eats pie, so they're looking to SDV to help manage it and 2) SDV needs a two-way connection, and the TV you bought doesn't have one. The "U" in UDCP stands for unidirectional.

Or, they could use Switched Digital Video to save bandwidth on the digital tiers, which is what they're doing.

The article says "they have to support CableCARDs and the hardware for OCAP". You're somewhat right, CableCARD is an FCC requirement but OCAP is not required by law.

No, at first, they're doing QAM (cable's modulation method) over Fiber at first. All VZ STBs have a QAM tuner and an IP "Tuner" for the future.

The law driving the separable security law was targetted at cable companies but the wording says the law applies to services based on QAM. Congress meant to get cable but by doing that also by chance made it apply to VZ as well. Therefore, Verizon is bound by the law, and that's why they're at the mercy of the FCC.

Also, I just read your update. CableCARD 2.0 has nothing to do with OCAP either. The industry will rollout OCAP without having CableCARD 2.0.

OK, there's a draft CableCARD 2.0 spec that hasn't been issued yet. There's no CableCARD 2.0 product and no box support. And for business reasons, the CableCARD 2.0 spec will probably never be issued and no product will be made.

Here's the mistake you're making: you're treating "CableCARD 2.0" as synonymous with "two-way cable" which is not true. You don't need CableCARD 2.0 to do two-way. You need a two-way capable host like your new set top box that uses the M-Card.

Say hi to my buddies at CableLabs.

Engadget, all CableCARDs can support two way cable cards, it's the hosts that are two-way or not. You guys keep making this mistake even though you got it (somewhat) right once:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/06/22/cablecard-2-0-is-ready/
"We aren't sure why this is so complicated, but right off the bat, lets clear something up. CableCARDs have supported two-way communications for some time, it is the two-way host device certification that is new to 2.0."

It's somewhat right because it should just read "two-way". There is no "2.0 host".

You have posted this article under the heading "CableCARD 2.0 caught in the wild". It's wrong, which causes confusion - look at the comments. THERE IS NO CABLECARD 2.0 right now. There will probably never be. These are the same old Cable CARDs. The one you have is a multistream CableCARD, meaning that it has support for multiple streams of video at once (so it can support your dual tuner SA DVR).

Also, it's "separable security", not "seperate security".

Don't believe me? Check it out with CableLabs. They'll be happy to talk with you again.

What will happen is that Comcast, Time Warner, or Verizon will put up a video upload site or partner with an existing one. They then will make these videos available on their VOD portal where you can view it on a set top box through their service.

I've had the same band on my Timex Ironman since when I first bought it in 2004.

Harry Potter hates cable