# CableCard and AllVid



## Guest (Jul 4, 2011)

Looks like cable cable cards are making a comeback over ALLVID anyway.

http://www.fiercecable.com/story/ca...llion-while-allvid-idea-goes-stale/2011-07-01


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## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

AllVid doesn't exist yet.


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## kiknwing (Jun 24, 2009)

Sounds like tru2way all over again.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

CraigerCSM said:


> Looks like cable cable cards are making a comeback over ALLVID anyway.
> 
> http://www.fiercecable.com/story/ca...llion-while-allvid-idea-goes-stale/2011-07-01


Look closer at the article and the original article from Multichannel news: http://www.multichannel.com/article/470488-CableCard_Set_Tops_Near_30_Million.php


> The 10 biggest U.S. cable operators have to date deployed 582,000 standalone CableCards to subscribers for use in retail devices such as TiVo DVRs, according to figures the National Cable & Telecommunications Association submitted to the FCC Thursday.


Ten years ago there were many, many DVR makers. You didn't need anyone's approval to hook them to cable, you just did.

Why didn't the same thing happen to DVRs? Because cable companies managed to kill cablecard in standalone devices by charging more for a standalone cablecard TV than a settop box, by requiring an installer put the cablecard into the TV (and charging for it), by purposefully making it harder or impossible for customers to install cablecard devices.

AllVid will (in theory) not let that happen.

The FCC has acknowledged that the number one goal of cablecard, competition in the customer equipment arena, failed.

From what I've read, there are a couple of legit problems with cablecard's design. Primarily having to do with lack of bi-directional communications. AllVid is designed to fix that too.

Cheers,
Tom


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2011)

Sorry since someone said I posted this in a wrong thread and ALLVID was being discussed here I thought this was the right thread to post it.


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## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

CraigerCSM said:


> Sorry since someone said I posted this in a wrong thread and ALLVID was being discussed here I thought this was the right thread to post it.


You're the only one discussing AllVid here, and pretty much anywhere.


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2011)

Jeremy W said:


> You're the only one discussing AllVid here, and pretty much anywhere.


Jeremy W - "DirecTV will have to comply with AllVid as well. It's not limited to cable companies.'

Doug discussed it here in this thread - "Since there would be multiple vendors on the RVU/Allvid side of the house, it would probably be unpopular to charge in that arena. It is one way to do it, though. The obvious solution is to limit the number of available tuners. With the HR34 for example, it could default to 2 tuners and then have an extra tuner fee for each additional tuner up to the 5 on board tuners.'

Tom discussed it here - "JoeTheDragon's point is still sound--AllVid pricing will be an interesting topic for all the MSOs.'

I was trying to say ALLVID maybe irrelevant soon.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

The only way to make a standard stick is to make sure that the Coxes and the Time Warners of the world can't ignore or work around it.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Jeremy W said:


> You're the only one discussing AllVid here, and pretty much anywhere.


Actually AllVid has had a couple of discussions, including the HR34 thread. DIRECTV has suggested RVU as a part of the AllVid specification, which prompted some good discussion. So Craiger isn't the only one. I've posted some myself.

As cable card is not part of the HR34 discussion this topic was too removed to be on topic. So I moved it where it might get some discussion of its own.

So let us discuss the topic and not where it should or should not be discussed.

Thanks,
Tom


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

harsh said:


> The only way to make a standard stick is to make sure that the Coxes and the Time Warners of the world can't ignore or work around it.


Very true. And without loopholes.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

CraigerCSM said:


> Jeremy W - "DirecTV will have to comply with AllVid as well. It's not limited to cable companies.'
> 
> Doug discussed it here in this thread - "Since there would be multiple vendors on the RVU/Allvid side of the house, it would probably be unpopular to charge in that arena. It is one way to do it, though. The obvious solution is to limit the number of available tuners. With the HR34 for example, it could default to 2 tuners and then have an extra tuner fee for each additional tuner up to the 5 on board tuners.'
> 
> ...


What you are missing is cablecard is the one that is irrelevant. It has been out for a decade so had 29 million set top boxes -- but it did not achieve the goals that the FCC wanted.

There are millions of non-set top boxes that should be using cablecard (I have two TVs myself) but cable companies would not install cablecard in anything other than their own set top boxes.

Allvid is the new kid on the block. (Or in the maternity ward?)  Of course it ain't there yet.

And the FCC is moving with typical government bureaucracy "full speed ahead"--which means it ain't hardly moving at all. 

Is it possible AllVid won't come to pass? Yes. Personally I'd like to see another comment from the FCC about Allvid someday...

Though the FCC is meeting with people about it, so maybe that is still a good sign.

Cheers,
Tom


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2011)

I wonder if the ALLVID gateway will have an HD DVR built into it?


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## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

CraigerCSM said:


> I wonder if the ALLVID gateway will have an HD DVR built into it?


Nope. That would defeat the entire purpose. I think you're still misunderstanding exactly what AllVid is and what it's supposed to do.


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## KNPKH2ster (Apr 3, 2010)

I would like to see AllVid released soon and see how D* will handle the new technology.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

KNPKH2ster said:


> I would like to see AllVid released soon and see how D* will handle the new technology.


Assuming that the FCC gets the rules right this time (at least right enough so that there aren't so many loopholes and waivers), this will change the entire marketplace again. I would like to see how D*, D*, C*, C*, C*, C*, A*, V*, B*, F*, etc. all handle the change.

And then when TiVOs patents run out, the next round of very interesting market changes could happen. Will we see hundreds of DVR makers again, just like we had with VCRs? Imagine a $30 DVR with no service fee... 

Cheers,
TOm


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> Imagine a $30 DVR with no service fee...
> 
> Cheers,
> TOm


Imagine no DVR at all, just a TV with a built in hard-drive hanging on the wall!!!


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

BattleScott said:


> Imagine no DVR at all, just a TV with a built in hard-drive hanging on the wall!!!


:nono: Keep it separated is my personal philosophy.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

BattleScott said:


> Imagine no DVR at all, just a TV with a built in hard-drive hanging on the wall!!!


Exactly. Think of all the places we had VCRs. Someday we'll see the same things with DVRs.

Cheers,
Tom


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

bidger said:


> :nono: Keep it separated is my personal philosophy.


That's the good thing about finally enabling the consumers to have real choices. I only had one combo TV/DVD unit cuz it was very, very inexpensive and in a small, convenient package. The TV is still working, the DVD player not so much. 

Or we'll have TVs with time-slipping without time-shifting. (I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't one of the next things all TVs will have.) It can pause but not really record.

Cheers,
Tom


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