CableCARD

Fight for your right to (third) party

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lays down the law, big changes are made awfully fast. That was the case a few years ago when the United States cable television industry was forced to implement CableCARD technology in accordance with the FCC's ruling on integrated set-top boxes.

You see, CableCARDs give the consumer the ability to use third-party devices. This reduces cable television companies' power, since they were previously able to sell you both the hardware (set-top boxes) and software (programming). It was a clear case of monopoly, and the FCC made sure CableCARDs would reduce this mischievous business practice.

CableCARDs use specially designed televisions. These sets are referred to as "digital cable ready," or DCR. They're actually shipped with a slot for the CableCARD, and they have a built-in cable tuner. The card itself acts as a skeleton key to the channels within your subscription, and it can also access selected services from the cable company.

Some of the popular features associated with CableCARDs include the following:

• No Monopoly: Avoids the overcharging from cable companies for both the set-top box and the programming; promotes greater competition.
• On the Cheap: Although a special television must be purchased, ditching the cable company's set-top box usually leads to a lower monthly fee.
• All the channels and a lower cost? Isn't that all you need to hear?

There are some drawbacks to the CableCARD, however:

• Poor Communication: The CableCARD is not much of a talker, meaning that it cannot remotely inform the cable company if something is wrong. That means long calls and visits by the cable company's technicians.
• Absent Support: High-end television manufacturers aren't buying it. Only a small group is currently producing TVs with the necessary built-in slots.
• Video (store) on Demand: You'll be driving to the video store a whole lot. Because CableCARDs are just one-way communicators, they cannot access pay-per-view programming.
• Kung Fu Fighting: The FCC, cable companies, TiVo, no one is really 100 percent comfortable with CableCARDs or the way they'll be implemented. Overall, it's a very controversial technology, and might be considered a TV junk bond.

Some answers to these problems may be coming soon. The next wave of CableCARDs is on the way, and like the Internet's new interactive age, it has been dubbed "2.0."

CableCARD 2.0 will offer the following new features:

• Supports pay-per-view programming
• Up to five channels tuned at one time
• More support is likely, since many hardware manufacturers have held off implementing the slots into television sets before the release of CableCARD 2.0

And that's the main drawback - at the moment - to investing in CableCARDs. Unlike your PlayStation 2, which can play all of your old PS1 games, DCR TVs from the CableCARD 1.0 age will not be able to use CableCARD 2.0 technology. That makes for a feature that is, like a President at the end of two terms, "lame duck."

Many of these issues should be resolved with the release of CableCARD 2.0, sometime in 2007. The success of the technology, like any hardware, will depend on the support it receives, especially from television manufacturers.