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A Digital Cable FAQ

by Joe Chauvin

 

We heard Microsoft made some announcements regarding digital cable at CEDIA Expo 2009. What were they?

Microsoft announced:

  • Windows Media Center includes support for Switched Digital Video (SDV).
  • A new tool is being made available that will allow you to add a digital cable tuner with CableCARD™ support to a Windows 7 PC.
  • You can enjoy more portability for digital cable TV recordings that are marked by the broadcaster as “Copy Freely”.

How do I enable a PC for Switched Digital Video support?

You will need the following items:

  • A Windows 7 PC with Windows Media Center (Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Professional).
  • A digital cable tuner with CableCARD™ support (such as the ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder).
  • A CableCARD™ from your cable provider.
  • A firmware update for your digital cable tuner.
  • A tuning adapter for each CableCARD™ device, which is provided by your cable provider.

The tuning adapter USB port must be plugged into the PC, and the tuner must be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The following diagram shows how the tuner and tuner adaptor are connected to the Windows 7 PC:

 

 

clip_image002

What if I am using more than one ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder?

You will need a separate tuning adapter for each ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder. Additionally, you will need a dedicated high-speed USB port on the PC for each tuning adapter. It is recommended that you add a high-quality multi-port splitter to feed all of the digital cable tuners and RF-In ports for the tuning adapters. You can also use a USB hub to organize your USB devices.

Which digital cable tuners are available that support CableCARD™ and SDV?

Currently, the ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder is the only device that is available and has been certified by CableLabs.

Which firmware version is needed for the ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder to enable SDV support?

The 1.19.12 firmware contains SDV support.

How do I obtain the ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder firmware with SDV support?

This firmware will be available as an optional update from Windows Update. This update will also install components on your PC to enable SDV support.

How do I know if my cable system uses SDV, or if I need a tuning adapter?

The CableCARD support personnel for your cable provider will be able to tell you if your system uses SDV or if you need a tuning adapter.

Do I need to pay for a tuning adapter?

This is determined by your cable provider.

When will the 1.19.12 firmware be available?

This firmware is expected to be available by Windows 7 General Availability (Oct 22, 2009).

What other improvements are in the 1.19.12 firmware?

In addition to SDV support, the 1.19.12 firmware also contains improvements for stability and UPnP support. This firmware update will allow existing digital cable tuner with CableCARD™ customers to enjoy more portability for digital cable TV marked by the broadcaster as Copy Freely. Customers will be able to play digital cable recordings marked Copy Freely, such as those from local channels, on other PCs, devices, and portable media.

Can I use the 1.19.12 firmware with a ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder on a Windows Vista PC to enable SDV support?

No. SDV support requires new functionality that is only available in Windows 7 in Windows Media Center.

Why is SDV supported on Windows 7 only?

Due to the nature of the SDV specification, modifications to Windows Media Center in Windows 7 were required to fully comply with the SDV system requirements.

Can I use the 1.19.12 firmware with an ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder in Windows Media Center on a Windows Vista PC?

Yes. Except for SDV support, Windows Media Center users on Windows Vista or those running Windows Media Center TV Pack will be able to take advantage of the other 1.19.12 firmware enhancements, such as increased portability of recorded TV content.

How do I enable my existing PC for digital cable with CableCARD™?

Microsoft will release a tool called the Digital Cable Advisor that tests whether a PC meets basic performance and capabilities. If it does, the tool will enable the PC for digital cable support.

How do I obtain the Digital Cable Advisor tool?

The Digital Cable Advisor tool will be accessible from Extras within Windows Media Center. Run the installation program to install the tool into the Extras Library.

When will the Digital Cable Advisor tool be available?

This tool is expected to be available by Windows 7 General Availability (Oct 22, 2009).

Is the Digital Cable Advisor available on Windows 7 only?

Yes.

If the Digital Cable Advisor tool indicates the Windows 7 PC does not meet the requirements, what then?

The tool will provide prescriptive information regarding where the PC does not meet the requirements, and will indicate where corrective action is needed. The corrective action will need to be taken to be able to enable the PC for digital cable support. You will need to re-run the tool once you have taken the required action.

Can any Windows 7 PC meet the requirements?

Many PCs will either meet the requirements or they can be updated. In some cases, the PC may not meet performance requirements even with updates.

I have run the Digital Cable Advisor tool, what then?

You will need to attach a digital cable tuner with CableCARD™, and run the Windows Media Center TV Setup to set up Windows Media Center with a digital cable tuner and CableCARD™. Note that you will need a CableCARD™ from your cable provider. Some cable providers require a technician to come to your home to install the CableCARD™ and/or tuner adapter.

Where can I purchase an ATI Digital Cable TV Wonder tuner?

For information about ATI products, see the AMD website (http://www.amd.com/).

I heard about a multi-stream digital cable tuner from a company called Ceton. When and where can I get one of those tuners?

For information about the Ceton Multi-Channel Cable TV Card and its availability, see the Ceton website (http://cetoncorp.com/ProductsWMC.php).

 

 

About the Author

Joe Chauvin is the Program Manager on the Media Center team responsible for US Digital Cable support. He has been at Microsoft for almost 15 years, and has been on the Media Center team since before the first version was released. Prior to joining the Media Center team, he worked in the DirectX and MSTV groups.

 

Published Oct 02 2009, 09:38 AM by PeteBrownMSFT

Comments

 

JohnW248 said:

If I update the firmware on my ATI Tuners while running Vista Home Premium, what would be the procedure to add the SDV support when I upgrade to Windows 7?

October 2, 2009 8:13 AM
 

FSUGrad1999 said:

Well this was good to know...  I didn't realize I was going to need to two tuning adapters (one for each ATI tuner)...  I already have my cable split 5 ways (modem, HDHomerun dual QAM, and two ATI tuners), so two more is just too much of a cluster...  I'll be selling my ATI tuners and grabbing the Ceton as soon its avail..  until then, I expect to start losing channels here and there...  I think Charter is already starting to make the switch in my area...   :(

October 2, 2009 9:12 AM
 

superswiss said:

I'm pretty sure the Cisco Tuning Adapter supports two tuners, so you need one Adapter per pair of tuners. The Motorola Tuning Adapater supports even more tuners. I don't know that max, but it's been said that the CETON 6 Tuner Card only needs one Motorola Tuning Adapater, so it supports at least 6 tuners.

October 2, 2009 9:19 AM
 

bjdraw said:

While the Ceton tuner can make use of the multi-channel capabilities of the Tuning Adapter the ATI tuner cannot. So while the quad Ceton tuner requires 2 Cisco TAs, four ATI tuners would require four.

October 2, 2009 11:02 AM
 

bjdraw said:

Joe,

You say that the Copy Freely flag is determined by the broadcaster, but it is actually set by the cable operator. The best real world example of this is when provider mark HD.net as Copy Once when Mark Cuban has publicly stated that he wants it marked Copy Freely.

Ultimately it is the cable provider who sets the flags, which can very a lot depending on the company and the market. Those who use the Copy Once flag state it is because of contractual reasons, but there are reasons to believe that this the whole truth.

The bottom line is that while HD.net is marked Copy Freely only on one system, it isn't on other another, so lets not confuse who customers should complain to.

October 2, 2009 11:06 AM
 

kotipoby said:

Joe,

Thanks for the update.  I am suprised the firmware update will be through Windows Update.  The 1.17.1 update was a seperate download from ATI.  I have been going to ATI everyday since 7/7 to see if it was posted.  It is a bummer that the SDV adapter takes a seperate coax input (and power I assume) for each tuner.  2 more "wall warts" I have to worry about, but this is much, much better than nothing.  I hope the CETON is out before my cable provider starts switching to SDV.

KEEP THE COMMUNICATION COMING!!  We are hungry for this type of information.

October 2, 2009 1:37 PM
 

jchauvin [MS] said:

Sorry about the confusion.  Broadcaster was improperly used as a generic term to collectively represent the cable provider, broadcaster and content provider.

It would have been better to say "marked as Copy Freely", and left off the broadcaster, since the digital cable tuner just follows the rules per the specification, and does not make the distinction based on who set the flags that way.

- Joe

October 2, 2009 3:06 PM
 

FSUGrad1999 said:

Kotipoby,

I'm right there with you on the wall warts....  I'm hoping the Ceton will be out before they start switching....   I wasn't all that interested in the Ceton card (for me) until I heard about the different TA requirements...  now I'll definitely switch to it to avoid splitting my cable a zillion times...  having to plug all those AC/DC adapters in is a mess too.  But- like you said... better than nothing!

October 2, 2009 3:38 PM
 

bigpunk said:

Joe

What will the Digital Cable Advisor check for?

The reason i ask is because i use a headles Media Center Server with Extedners only I dont connect the computer to a TV so i dont have a HDCP Video Card. And if it does look for an HDCP Video Card will there be a way to enable it on computers with out HDCP ie Reg hack?

October 2, 2009 4:57 PM
 

teddyboy16 said:

Part of the cable card compliance is that you have an hdcp video card. If the tool is looking for that, there is probably no way around it. I don't think Microsoft would support a reg hack to get around it if there is such a thing. Rather then get around it, you could buy an hdcp card for less then a hundred bucks that are fanless. You need to have a video card in your machine anyway for it to function...

October 2, 2009 5:18 PM
 

kingwr said:

Bravo!  The most informative and useful information ever posted by MS folks on this site.  Joe needs a weekly blog!

October 2, 2009 7:41 PM
 

AndresE said:

I have actually tested the tuning adapters and you need 1 tuning adapter for each ATI tuner.  

The Ceton multistream tuner will support 4 streams and will require 1 tuning adapter for every two streams so you will need 2 tuning adapters to support all 4 streams on the Ceton tuner when it's available.

October 2, 2009 9:28 PM
 

m500sesp said:

So with this update I will not need the special Bios?

As long as my pc meets the requirments from the new WMC tool coming out on the 22 I would be GTG with an ATI DCT.

So I would not need an SDV "box".

Are things changing then with PlayReady?  Maybe an update for that as well?

October 5, 2009 8:37 AM
 

sackohammers said:

Thank you for posting this very informative FAQ.  I had been looking in the various threads for the info.  This saved me a lot of time and answered some questions about the TAs.  I also found the reader comments helpful.  This FAQ should be prominently displayed somewhere on this site (I found it through a search - the 6th result).

October 5, 2009 10:36 AM
 

tdramble said:

7 releases tomorrow, will the firmware?  I am waiting to install windows 7 until this firmware releases, that way I have an all in one project.  Will it only be posted as a windows update?  If so, I will not know when it get's posted.  Hopefully it's release gets blasted all over TGB.

October 21, 2009 5:08 PM
 

Mike L said:

Joe....    Any update you can give us on the release of 1.19.1?    Like when and where we will be able to get it?

Thanks...

October 22, 2009 6:01 AM
 

Mike L said:

Joe and Pete....  Were all still hanging.   Can you please give us a release date.   This is holding me from installing my RTM of windows 7... I just don't want to give-up 2TB of recordings and start all over, to only have to do it again when the update comes out.

Thank you.

October 28, 2009 11:32 AM

About PeteBrownMSFT

Pete Brown lives in the Midwest with a wife, two kids, three dogs and one cat. He runs Blue Monkey Communications and has been working with Windows Media Center for the past five years.


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