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I just had a CableCARD installed in my Ceton tuner yesterday.  I had previously gone through the setup with a CableCARD I had picked up on ebay, but obviously I could not activate it on the FIOS network.  I just went through the entire setup and, even though I did not activate the CableCARD, I was still able to download the guide data for FIOS in my area.  According to the Ceton installation instructions it says that guide data cannot be downloaded until the card is activated, which is apparently not true.

I removed the card after going through the lengthy install process.  I also have four ATSC tuners connected to my HTPC so it took some time to search through all of the channels for the TV signal setup.  When it came time to setup the CableCARD I was pleasantly surprised that it skipped past the initial setup phases and jumped right to the CableCARD screen.  The Verizon tech copied down the info and headed out to his truck to connect to the mothership with his laptop.  He had to come back and recheck the data because it was asking for a POD entry that confused us both.  I assume he contacted the home office and got it straightened out because I had live TV from FIOS up and running in about 15 minutes.

The point is, if you want to streamline your Ceton installation, go ahead and run through the complete setup before the CableCARD installer arrives.  When it asks you if you want to set up a CableCARD just say Yes and then click Next.  The actual card activation is never verified and it will let you download your guide data.  When you get the CableCARD just insert it and begin the TV signal setup.  You’ll be prompted again if you want to set up a CableCARD.  Click on Yes and then Next and you’ll be taken to the CableCARD info screen where the tech can get the info he needs to activate the card.  When activation is finished you’ll be prompted to scan for more channels.  You can either say yes or decline and exit the setup.  I ran the extra scan ahead of time so I didn’t see the need to do it again.

One caveat is that I did have a CableCARD uinstalled in the tuner for the initial setup so I don’t know how it would affect the process if you do it without a card installed.  I don’t see how it would cause any problems so give it a shot and see how it goes.  It will make the actual installation and activation much quicker and easier.

FWIW, the tech had never done a CableCARD install in an HTPC before so he was intrigued by the setup.  I gave him a quick tour of Windows Media Center and showed him a Blu-Ray streamed from my server.  I then took him upstairs and showed him the FIOS feed through the Ceton via one of my media extenders.  Needless to say, he was more than just a bit impressed.  I could see his eyes light up with each new feature I demonstrated.

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I would never cut off my primary TV provider simply because the other methods of receiving TV are either unacceptable or inconvenient, except for OTA.  I record 99% of everything I watch, with the exception of live sports programming.  Last time I checked, when you watch a show on Hulu or other online service, the shows still contain commercials and don’t provide a method to fast forward past them.  With my HTPC and Tivos, I can skip past the commercials, which reduces the time I spend in front of the TV by about 18-20 minutes for every 1-hour program.  I watch a lot of TV so having the ability to cut my viewing time by almost a third is a no-brainer for me.

Watching a show on anything smaller than a 35-40″ HDTV is no longer enjoyable for me.  I’ll admit it, I’m spoiled.  I got into HDTV for the whole home theater experience, including topnotch surround sound.  The idea of watching TV on a smart phone or tablet is completely repugnant.  The younger generation sees this as being cool and like the convenience of it all.  My tastes are a little more stringent.  I don’t just watch TV, I get immersed in the experience.  If you can’t get the maximum enjoyment out of it then you’re just wasting your time in front of the boob tube.  My wife still doesn’t understand the difference it makes to me.  All she sees is just TV.

I’ll confess I use Bittorrent sites to acquire a couple of shows from Showtime and a few other channels that I don’t subscribe to.  I’m about to drop HBO, which costs me an absurd $22.99 per month from Verizon, so I’ll probably start getting those shows from BT sites as well.  HBO only has a couple of good series each season, and only on Sunday nights.  I get far more movies per month from NetFlix at a much lower cost, including HBO and Showtime series on Blu-Ray.  I rarely bother with standard DVDs anymore.

I haven’t warmed up to any of the online streaming services yet, mostly because the picture quality and audio I’ve experienced isn’t yet comparable to what I can get on FIOS or Blu-Ray.  Again, I’m just picky about what I watch and listen to.  Call me an elitist or a snob if you must.  I just know what I like.

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I would never cut off my primary TV provider simply because the other methods of receiving TV are either unacceptable or inconvenient, except for OTA.  I record 99% of everything I watch, with the exception of live sports programming.  Last time I checked, when you watch a show on Hulu or other online service, the shows still contain commercials and don’t provide a method to fast forward past them.  With my HTPC and Tivos, I can skip past the commercials, which reduces the time I spend in front of the TV by about 18-20 minutes for every 1-hour program.  I watch a lot of TV so having the ability to cut my viewing time by almost a third is a no-brainer for me.

Watching a show on anything smaller than a 35-40″ HDTV is no longer enjoyable for me.  I’ll admit it, I’m spoiled.  I got into HDTV for the whole home theater experience, including topnotch surround sound.  The idea of watching TV on a smart phone or tablet is completely repugnant.  The younger generation sees this as being cool and like the convenience of it all.  My tastes are a little more stringent.  I don’t just watch TV, I get immersed in the experience.  If you can’t get the maximum enjoyment out of it then you’re just wasting your time in front of the boob tube.  My wife still doesn’t understand the difference it makes to me.  All she sees is just TV.

I’ll confess I use Bittorrent sites to acquire a couple of shows from Showtime and a few other channels that I don’t subscribe to.  I’m about to drop HBO, which costs me an absurd $22.99 per month from Verizon, so I’ll probably start getting those shows from BT sites as well.  HBO only has a couple of good series each season, and only on Sunday nights.  I get far more movies per month from NetFlix at a much lower cost, including HBO and Showtime series on Blu-Ray.  I rarely bother with standard DVDs anymore.

I haven’t warmed up to any of the online streaming services yet, mostly because the picture quality and audio I’ve experienced isn’t yet comparable to what I can get on FIOS or Blu-Ray.  Again, I’m just picky about what I watch and listen to.  Call me an elitist or a snob if you must.  I just know what I like.

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All I know is come this Wednesday Verizon is going to lose about $50 per month from me.  That’s when I get my CableCARD installed for my Ceton tuner.  I’ll end up dropping three CableCARDS, two standard def STBs and one HD STB.  I will also be dropping HBO after discovering it had gone up to a whopping $22.99 per month.  Some people can get basic cable for less than that!

I like the few shows I record off HBO but I never watch any of their movies since I have a NetFlix subscription (also for less money).  There isn’t anything on HBO I can’t download for free or get through NetFlix.  With so many online choices these days it’s a wonder TV providers can stay afloat with what they charge.  I think I get well over 300 channels with my subscription, but I doubt I watch more than a dozen of them.  Rather than lump so many useless channels together in a single package I’d rather see the providers offer more meaningful groupings of channels that I’d actually watch.  I think people are simply fed up with paying so much for a product they don’t use that often.

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All I know is come this Wednesday Verizon is going to lose about $50 per month from me.  That’s when I get my CableCARD installed for my Ceton tuner.  I’ll end up dropping three CableCARDS, two standard def STBs and one HD STB.  I will also be dropping HBO after discovering it had gone up to a whopping $22.99 per month.  Some people can get basic cable for less than that!

I like the few shows I record off HBO but I never watch any of their movies since I have a NetFlix subscription (also for less money).  There isn’t anything on HBO I can’t download for free or get through NetFlix.  With so many online choices these days it’s a wonder TV providers can stay afloat with what they charge.  I think I get well over 300 channels with my subscription, but I doubt I watch more than a dozen of them.  Rather than lump so many useless channels together in a single package I’d rather see the providers offer more meaningful groupings of channels that I’d actually watch.  I think people are simply fed up with paying so much for a product they don’t use that often.

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If your picture isn’t looking as good as you’d like, have you tried tweaking the settings via Media Center?  You can adjust the critical settings (i.e., contrast, brightness, color, etc.) using the built-in MC utility.  If Media Center is your primary method of watching TV then you might want to get a calibration disc, like Digital Video Essentials, and calibrate the settings via Media Center for the optimum picture.  I believe the adjustments can be made as part of the TV setup option.  Chances are your current video card is fine. 

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If your picture isn’t looking as good as you’d like, have you tried tweaking the settings via Media Center?  You can adjust the critical settings (i.e., contrast, brightness, color, etc.) using the built-in MC utility.  If Media Center is your primary method of watching TV then you might want to get a calibration disc, like Digital Video Essentials, and calibrate the settings via Media Center for the optimum picture.  I believe the adjustments can be made as part of the TV setup option.  Chances are your current video card is fine. 

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The Asus HDAV 1.3 can bitstream HD audio via HDMI or via analog outputs using the daughter card that comes with the deluxe version.  It comes with a special version of TMT2.X specifically designed to work with the HDAV 1.3.  I believe TMT3 will also work with it.  The HDMI output from your graphics card is routed through the HDAV card and the audio is transmitted via HDMI along with the video signal.  I’m not sure if you can use just the audio output without running the video through the card as well.  You can check the Asus website for details on the card.  There’s also a long thread at the AVS Forums that discuss both this card and the newer slimline version.

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The Asus HDAV 1.3 can bitstream HD audio via HDMI or via analog outputs using the daughter card that comes with the deluxe version.  It comes with a special version of TMT2.X specifically designed to work with the HDAV 1.3.  I believe TMT3 will also work with it.  The HDMI output from your graphics card is routed through the HDAV card and the audio is transmitted via HDMI along with the video signal.  I’m not sure if you can use just the audio output without running the video through the card as well.  You can check the Asus website for details on the card.  There’s also a long thread at the AVS Forums that discuss both this card and the newer slimline version.

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Does your receiver have HDMI inputs and component outputs?  If so, you should be able to use the HDMI output from your HTPC for the digital audio and video and then have the receiver convert the video to analog and send the output to the TV via component connection.  I would think most receivers that have both types of inputs and outputs should be able to convert them to the proper signal if they have the switching capability.

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Does your receiver have HDMI inputs and component outputs?  If so, you should be able to use the HDMI output from your HTPC for the digital audio and video and then have the receiver convert the video to analog and send the output to the TV via component connection.  I would think most receivers that have both types of inputs and outputs should be able to convert them to the proper signal if they have the switching capability.

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Don’t expect to see the SD tuner before the end of the year.  It still has to undergo many months of beta testing before it can be released into the wild.  I read elsewhere that the next shipment from Ceton should satisfy the remaining pre-orders and have enough left over to fill new orders.  Check the threads at the Green Button for updates as they seem to be on top of things with regards to the Ceton shipments.  Jeremy from Ceton has been providing updates to keep everyone informed of the current status of things.

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Don’t expect to see the SD tuner before the end of the year.  It still has to undergo many months of beta testing before it can be released into the wild.  I read elsewhere that the next shipment from Ceton should satisfy the remaining pre-orders and have enough left over to fill new orders.  Check the threads at the Green Button for updates as they seem to be on top of things with regards to the Ceton shipments.  Jeremy from Ceton has been providing updates to keep everyone informed of the current status of things.

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Well, I got my Ceton CableCARD tuner on Friday the 13th and received this letter from Verizon the day after.

[quote]August 12, 2010

Dear Verizon Customer:

As part of our ongoing dedication to provide excellent service, Verizon continues to enhance and maintain its network to deliver you premium service.  We are writing to inform you that Verizon will be performing maintenance on its FiOS TV network on or after September 15, 2010, which may impact your ability to use your CableCARD compatible devices to access Verizon’s FiOS TV service.

It is important to read this notice in its entirety to avoid any potential service interruptions.

Certain older televisions and other consumer electronics devices may fail to properly communicate with the CableCARD and lose the ability to tune most FiOS TV channels after the network maintenance is complete.  Please contact Verizon to discuss alternative equipment options to avoid any potential service interruption.  We can be reached Monday through Friday from 8am-6pm at 888-329-5568.

Also, CableCARD compatible TiVo used to access FiOS TV should not be impacted but you should ensure that your TiVO box has recently connected to the TiVO service.

Thank you for choosing Verizon as your entertainment provider.

Sincerely,

Verizon[/quote]

The way I’m reading this is that whatever Verizon is doing to the FiOS service may only affect older CableCARD devices and not any current ones like the latest TiVos or Ceton tuners.  I’ll be giving them a call on Monday to find out more details as well as set up an appointment for getting a CableCARD installed in my Ceton tuner.

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Well, I got my Ceton CableCARD tuner on Friday the 13th and received this letter from Verizon the day after.

[quote]August 12, 2010

Dear Verizon Customer:

As part of our ongoing dedication to provide excellent service, Verizon continues to enhance and maintain its network to deliver you premium service.  We are writing to inform you that Verizon will be performing maintenance on its FiOS TV network on or after September 15, 2010, which may impact your ability to use your CableCARD compatible devices to access Verizon’s FiOS TV service.

It is important to read this notice in its entirety to avoid any potential service interruptions.

Certain older televisions and other consumer electronics devices may fail to properly communicate with the CableCARD and lose the ability to tune most FiOS TV channels after the network maintenance is complete.  Please contact Verizon to discuss alternative equipment options to avoid any potential service interruption.  We can be reached Monday through Friday from 8am-6pm at 888-329-5568.

Also, CableCARD compatible TiVo used to access FiOS TV should not be impacted but you should ensure that your TiVO box has recently connected to the TiVO service.

Thank you for choosing Verizon as your entertainment provider.

Sincerely,

Verizon[/quote]

The way I’m reading this is that whatever Verizon is doing to the FiOS service may only affect older CableCARD devices and not any current ones like the latest TiVos or Ceton tuners.  I’ll be giving them a call on Monday to find out more details as well as set up an appointment for getting a CableCARD installed in my Ceton tuner.

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