DTV decoding is really processor intensive, and is really only now possible on the fastest processor. You can do it in an FPGA, but those are expensive. ASIC

DTV decoding is really processor intensive, and is really only now possible on the fastest processor. You can do it in an FPGA, but those are expensive. ASIC are still the cheapest way to go. It's like hardware vs software H.264 decoding; night and day speed and efficiency difference.