4 ms·

F.C.C. Proposes Changes in Cable Set-Top Box Market

24 points by pavornyoh 11y ago

wmf 11y ago
CableCard, Tru2Way, and DCAS all failed. Why did that happen and why would this time be different?
- laveur 11y ago
  I think we are far more advanced then we where. We no longer require hardware to handle this, and that many people want an open standard that can be easily implemented.
NelsonMinar 11y ago
Is CableCARD support still required in the US? Why hasn't that been sufficient to break the cable monopoly on the set-top box?
- awinder 11y ago
  CableCard has a lengthy / costly certification process for device manufacturers, and has always had this problem where the cable companies technically support it, but it can be pretty arduous for the average consumer to get proper support from their provider to get their devices online. The first part really thinned out the herd in terms of offerings, and the second part made sure to limit the audience of people who actually went for those devices. I rocked a windows htpc with a cablecard adapter for a while, and I'm on tivo now, but I'm not sure that would have happened if I wasn't persistent and had done a bunch of the research on my own.
  - NelsonMinar 11y ago
    Yeah I have a CableCARD in my Tivo myself and am terrified of what happens if I ever have to replace it. But this failure of CableCARD suggests FCC regulation isn't sufficient to disrupt the cable company monopoly. I wonder if this new push on set-top boxes will be any different?
    - ascagnel_ 11y ago
      Cable Card was hamstrung because the FCC left design and implementation largely in the hands of Cable Labs, which was owned and operated by a few of the larger cable companies. It was intentionally design-by-checkmark; it met every one of the FCC's rules, but was overcomplicated and hard to use. It was designed to fail. That said, if you can get it working, it beats the pants off of any cable box. I have an HDHR box with a Cable Card in it, and I can use it both via DLNA and on my Apple TV.
- SloopJon 11y ago
  When I signed up for Comcast in my current house about eight years ago, it was no trouble to get a multi-stream CableCARD for a TiVo HD. When it died a few weeks ago, I replaced it with another TiVo. Same card worked fine for the non-premium channels that I get. I discovered that I can even watch on-demand shows now after pairing the card over the phone. I had no idea that set-top box rental fees are so high. Makes the $600 I paid for a Roamio Pro with lifetime service seem quite reasonable. One thing I'm annoyed about is that Comcast now encrypts even local broadcast channels, so the tuner in the television itself is useless.
baggachipz 11y ago
By the time any decision is rendered on this, it will most likely be moot. More and more programming is migrating to streaming services; a couple years from now (this would probably take that long with the public comment period, etc.) will make cable box lock-in a thing of the past for most consumers.
BorisMelnik 11y ago
They are probably getting a lot of pressure from the cable companies on this. It is getting to the point where any home I visit uses Roku / Apple TV or a smart TV as their primary viewing option.
- sethhochberg 11y ago
  In the NYC market (and possibly others) TWC has been heavily promoting a new program which lets you get live TV via a Roku device with no cable boxes at all. They know it is coming.
- tomschlick 11y ago
  And hopefully they get a lot of pressure from Google, Apple, Roku, and the other devices in favor.
nsxwolf 11y ago
I don't want a better set top box. I don't want my Apple TV to work like a cable box with channels. I don't want the cable experience at all, which is why I'm not a subscriber. This just sounds like CableCARD part 2.
- awinder 11y ago
  From my reading of it they wanted the content to be licensed out to 3rd party manufacturers who would then be able to bundle it / provide it to consumers in a variety of different ways. CableCard (sorry if preaching to the choir here) was more about being able to build different hardware / software offerings around the same experience like you said. This did seem to open doors around what you ultimately wanted, but maybe I just read the article with my rose-colored glasses on :-)
- rhino369 11y ago
  Presumably it would just be an app on AppleTV. So why would you care if it was available or not?
  - nsxwolf 11y ago
    I didn't say I cared if it's available. If this is an exciting idea to someone else then I hope it works out for them. Back when CableCARD was a new idea, I was excited. It was the right time for such a thing to exist, but it never took off. Missed opportunity. But I think the opportunity is lost now and we'd be better served moving on to a new model, something that builds off the streaming boxes we have now (though the UX needs a lot of work, and possibly a new paradigm nobody's thought of)
    - tw04 11y ago
      I think most people would pass on cable if given the option, but I don't see them letting go of their stranglehold on the major sports in the US anytime soon. I guess if you aren't a sports fan it's probably not a big deal.
      - 11y ago
aexaey 11y ago
Did STMicro got an advance notice of this proposal? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-to-cut-1-400-jobs-close-set-top-box-unit-as-sales-wane http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-to...

24 points by pavornyoh 11y ago

wmf 11y ago

CableCard, Tru2Way, and DCAS all failed. Why did that happen and why would this time be different?

laveur 11y ago
I think we are far more advanced then we where. We no longer require hardware to handle this, and that many people want an open standard that can be easily implemented.

NelsonMinar 11y ago

Is CableCARD support still required in the US? Why hasn't that been sufficient to break the cable monopoly on the set-top box?

awinder 11y ago
CableCard has a lengthy / costly certification process for device manufacturers, and has always had this problem where the cable companies technically support it, but it can be pretty arduous for the average consumer to get proper support from their provider to get their devices online. The first part really thinned out the herd in terms of offerings, and the second part made sure to limit the audience of people who actually went for those devices. I rocked a windows htpc with a cablecard adapter for a while, and I'm on tivo now, but I'm not sure that would have happened if I wasn't persistent and had done a bunch of the research on my own.
- NelsonMinar 11y ago
  Yeah I have a CableCARD in my Tivo myself and am terrified of what happens if I ever have to replace it. But this failure of CableCARD suggests FCC regulation isn't sufficient to disrupt the cable company monopoly. I wonder if this new push on set-top boxes will be any different?
  - ascagnel_ 11y ago
    Cable Card was hamstrung because the FCC left design and implementation largely in the hands of Cable Labs, which was owned and operated by a few of the larger cable companies. It was intentionally design-by-checkmark; it met every one of the FCC's rules, but was overcomplicated and hard to use. It was designed to fail. That said, if you can get it working, it beats the pants off of any cable box. I have an HDHR box with a Cable Card in it, and I can use it both via DLNA and on my Apple TV.
SloopJon 11y ago
When I signed up for Comcast in my current house about eight years ago, it was no trouble to get a multi-stream CableCARD for a TiVo HD. When it died a few weeks ago, I replaced it with another TiVo. Same card worked fine for the non-premium channels that I get. I discovered that I can even watch on-demand shows now after pairing the card over the phone. I had no idea that set-top box rental fees are so high. Makes the $600 I paid for a Roamio Pro with lifetime service seem quite reasonable. One thing I'm annoyed about is that Comcast now encrypts even local broadcast channels, so the tuner in the television itself is useless.

baggachipz 11y ago

By the time any decision is rendered on this, it will most likely be moot. More and more programming is migrating to streaming services; a couple years from now (this would probably take that long with the public comment period, etc.) will make cable box lock-in a thing of the past for most consumers.

BorisMelnik 11y ago

They are probably getting a lot of pressure from the cable companies on this. It is getting to the point where any home I visit uses Roku / Apple TV or a smart TV as their primary viewing option.

sethhochberg 11y ago
In the NYC market (and possibly others) TWC has been heavily promoting a new program which lets you get live TV via a Roku device with no cable boxes at all. They know it is coming.
tomschlick 11y ago
And hopefully they get a lot of pressure from Google, Apple, Roku, and the other devices in favor.

nsxwolf 11y ago

I don't want a better set top box. I don't want my Apple TV to work like a cable box with channels. I don't want the cable experience at all, which is why I'm not a subscriber. This just sounds like CableCARD part 2.

awinder 11y ago
From my reading of it they wanted the content to be licensed out to 3rd party manufacturers who would then be able to bundle it / provide it to consumers in a variety of different ways. CableCard (sorry if preaching to the choir here) was more about being able to build different hardware / software offerings around the same experience like you said. This did seem to open doors around what you ultimately wanted, but maybe I just read the article with my rose-colored glasses on :-)
rhino369 11y ago
Presumably it would just be an app on AppleTV. So why would you care if it was available or not?
- nsxwolf 11y ago
  I didn't say I cared if it's available. If this is an exciting idea to someone else then I hope it works out for them. Back when CableCARD was a new idea, I was excited. It was the right time for such a thing to exist, but it never took off. Missed opportunity. But I think the opportunity is lost now and we'd be better served moving on to a new model, something that builds off the streaming boxes we have now (though the UX needs a lot of work, and possibly a new paradigm nobody's thought of)
  - tw04 11y ago
    I think most people would pass on cable if given the option, but I don't see them letting go of their stranglehold on the major sports in the US anytime soon. I guess if you aren't a sports fan it's probably not a big deal.
    - 11y ago

aexaey 11y ago

Did STMicro got an advance notice of this proposal? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-to-cut-1-400-jobs-close-set-top-box-unit-as-sales-wane http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-to...