Barb’s Connected World

Posts Tagged ‘CableCARD’

Some of you may remember that back in December 2006, Microsoft and AMD shipped me a Velocity Micro Cinemagix Pro Cinema Entertainment System.

This AMD Athlon X2 system with an ATI x1950 dual DVI card, 2 gigs RAM and huge hard drive was a wonder. Microsoft installed Windows Vista x64 Ultimate and Office 2007 and I was in, well, computer heaven. It was exactly the box I’d spec out myself. Perfect in every way. And certainly the fastest computer I’d ever had in my home.

It was perfect then, but today it is more than perfect. It returned last week after visiting the Velocity Micro factory where it received a BIOS upgrade and a tune up. Why send it back for a BIOS upgrade? The only thing missing was Digital Cable Tuner compatibility (to use CableCARD technology to view and record high definition TV). That feature was not available at the time I received this computer, but IT IS NOW.

To use CableCARD technology with Windows Media Center in Windows Vista, you need five pieces:

1. A machine with a certified (by CableLABS) DCT BIOS
2. A video card with HDCP compliance
3. A monitor or TV that is HDCP compliant
4. A Digital Cable Tuner (formerly called OCUR device)/DCT (or two if you want to watch and record at the same time)
5. A CableCARD from your local cable company.

Velocity Micro is offering this amazing machine with either an internal or external DCT. (You can add a second tuner as well).

I’ve got two external DCT’s attached to this machine and I’m in, well, high definition TV heaven.

If you’ve been waiting for the ability to watch and record high def TV on a kick-ass machine, run, don’t walk to Velocity Micro and customize one of these. Even if you aren’t into high def, this is one great computer.

Last week I shipped my screamer VM box back to the company for the upgrade needed to enable cable card support (and to get a few things fixed – busted USB port and screw down the hard drive cage).

I am so missing this computer but when it comes back, it will be without question the meanest, screaming-est pc on the planet.

I wrote about this great pc on this blog last year. I can’t believe how much I miss it. So c’mon guys, I’m going into screamer withdrawal.

Just received an email from Chris Morley at Velocity Micro that they are shipping these awesome machines at last!

I’m still enamored of the custom box I received and think it’s an awesome Media Center box not to mention a screamer of a Vista machine.

If you’ve been waiting for the ability to use a cable card and get high def in the US via Media Center, it’s finally here.

Here’s the computer I have here.

Looks like Velocity Micro is gearing up to sell OCUR/Digital Cable Tuner Vista machines for high definition Cable TV via CableCard.

http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=89 for AMD

I have this computer here, sans DCT. It’s definitely a winner.

http://www.velocitymicro.com/wizard.php?iid=96 for the Intel version.