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Cable cards coming soon to Media Center

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For those of you who, like me, use Windows XP Media Center Edition to watch and record television and who, like me, also rely on a set-top box, relief is coming. With the current version of MCE, you’re forced to use an IR blaster to allow MCE to control your STB via infrared commands. This works most of the time, but is a bit Rube Goldberg-ish for many of us and, quite frankly, shouldn’t be necessary given today’s technology. 

Microsoft has recently announced a deal with CableLabs to enable high-def programming via a cable card in future versions of MCE. You won’t need the STB, and you therefore won’t need an IR blaster to control it. Hooray! Three cheers for progress!

Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 02, 2005
    I already have a DVB-S (Satellite) card in my XP system using the open-source MediaPortal to drive it. http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net

    The card I have, a Hauppauge Nova S Plus, also works with MCE by pretending to be a DVB-T card - the only system MCE currently supports.

    Meedio TV's product also works with various DVB-C cards. http://www.meedio.com/products/tv/devices/

    Might be something to play with until MS get DVB-C/DVB-S support done.

    [)amien

  • Anonymous
    December 02, 2005
    Oh man finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why this took long I have no idea but finally.

  • Anonymous
    December 02, 2005
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 19, 2006
    Can i pretend that my dvb-c card is dvb-t too in MCE?

  • Anonymous
    March 20, 2006
    Hi Ken,

    I live in Denmark, i use a DVB-C from Digitaleverywhere called floppy DTV with a CI-module "via acces". I have a licens for mediacenter but it was a waste of money for me. I have not been able to use the TV section at all. I love the way media center feels and looks but without support for DVB-C is not useful for many europeans. I use mediaportal even if it has a lot of bugs but it working good with my DVB-C card. I really hope there will be a update soon that supports DVB-C. Do you have any idea when I can use my card wit MCE?

  • Anonymous
    May 29, 2009
    PingBack from http://paidsurveyshub.info/story.php?title=ken-henderson-s-weblog-cable-cards-coming-soon-to-media-center

  • Anonymous
    May 31, 2009
    PingBack from http://woodtvstand.info/story.php?id=2923