Hdtv CableCard

Look accepted the specifications list of many of the current crop of Hdtvs and you will see the term CableCard listed on many of them, but what is Hdtv CableCard?

Quite simply, it's a very elegant recipe of receiving Hdtv from a cable provider.
Instead of supplying you with a set-top box to receive and decode its Hdtv
transmission, the cable provider gives you an Hdtv CableCard which simply slots
into your Tv. The card decodes the channels that your subscription allows your
receiver or integrated Hdtv does the rest.

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The benefit is that an Hdtv CableCard takes up much less room than a set-top
box, doesn't need its own power supply, and reduces the number of cables you
need for cable Hdtv. Another benefit is that if you move house and have to
switch providers, you don't need to learn how to use a brand new set-top box. You
just relinquish your existing card and get a new one from your new provider,
everything else stays the same.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of Hdtv CableCard is in the photo quality. Cable
companies are not known for the high potential of the components they put into set-
top boxes. Most consumers can't tell the divergence in the middle of a decent photo and a
very good one. So cable fellowships tend to go for features rather than quality. With
CableCard your equipment - the Hdtv tuner or integrated Hdtv does the scaling
and display, so you select how good the image potential is. If it matters to you, you
can buy a good tuner or integrated Tv and benefit from best scaling and display.

The disadvantage of Hdtv CableCard is that it is currently one-way, so cable
services which need interaction, such as pay-per-view, on-demand services,
sports season tickets and schedule guides don't work. For those you'll still need a
set-top box.

A two-way version of CableCard is currently in development.

Hdtv CableCard