Anyone else getting a Ceton Quad-Tuner?

[James]

Am I the only one excited about the new Ceton Quad-tuner for HTPC's?

I've really been enjoying my HTPC, but one of the major shortcomings has been the ability to schedule series recordings of HD content, specifically things like HGTV shows, etc. (My girlfriend likes Curb Appeal, it's all about Holmes on Homes for me.) A normal ATSC/QAM tuner won't do this, because they are encrypted.

When the Ceton was announced I was really excited, I wanted to pre-order, but then I held off. I finally bit the bullet once Cannonpc.com started accepting pre-orders.

The card is a quad-tuner cablecard adapter, meaning it can decrypt all of the HD content I pay for, so I can schedule recordings on any channel, not just those sent in the clear. Up to 4 channels recording, or 3 recording, one playing back realtime, etc. I'm pretty stoked.

Anyone else getting one? They are released at the end of the month.

[James]

Update: It's been delayed due to part suppliers and shortages in their overseas manufacturing plants.

Man, I am still excited, but I really hope this isn't vaporware.

[Nater]

I'm probably just going to go with a TiVo for now. I really don't have the cash to build a proper HTPC and this card definitely isn't cheap. Ideally, yes I would like to have one.

[ua549]

It would be nice, but my cable company, Brighthouse, goes out of its way not to support cable cards. The last time I checked they had to be prepaid in full and special ordered with an estimated delivery time of 3 months. On top of that they required a pricey monthly fee for using a cable card in addition to the set top box that is required. My old TV had a cable card slot that I never was able to use.

[James]

It would be nice, but my cable company, Brighthouse, goes out of its way not to support cable cards. The last time I checked they had to be prepaid in full and special ordered with an estimated delivery time of 3 months. On top of that they required a pricey monthly fee for using a cable card in addition to the set top box that is required. My old TV had a cable card slot that I never was able to use.

Fun note: You could probably sue them, especially if there is no other option for cable providers in your area. FCC requires that they provide one card for a monthly fee less than or equal to the cost of renting a set top box from them. They also require that they offer the cablecard upon request, without any special restrictions.

[ua549]

We have our choice of 3 cable providers - Brighthouse, Knology and Verizon. Brighthouse meets the letter of the law, but doesn't stock cable cards. They must be ordered (to discourage their use). IIRC my set top box rents for ~$25/mo. My reference to the set top box was because decryption and/or frequency shifting is required for each TV. All of their digital channels are on frequencies beyond a normal digital tuner though there are a few channels below #100. The HD content is between #1000 and #1501.

[vertices]

Hmmm....I had a cablecard from Brighthouse about 2 years ago. It was only like $3 or $4 a month and they gave it with no hassle whatsoever. Maybe things have changed.

I had it because I had a HTPC that of course couldn't decrypt all of my HD content. So I could switch back and forth between HTPC and live HD. I then ditched the HTPC and just got a Brighthouse STB HDDVR to simplify things.

These new Ceton cards may just bring me back into the world of HTPC again. I'll have to see reviews once they are out.

[vertices]

Oh and my HDDVRs from Brighthouse are only like $17. Maybe prices are different in Tampa?

I pay $212 a month to Brighthouse. For that I get:

Phone with unlimited nationwide LD.
2 HDDVRs
1 HD STB
All the standard digital/HD channels
HBO
RoadRunner Turbo (currently 20 burstable to 30 with 2mbps up, going to 40x5 this summer)
Time Guard junk for service calls
Taxes

[James]

Nice.

*Edit: Still no word on the new ship date for this card. I'm kinda bummed about that.

[James]

Finally! I'll try and remember pics for the setup. heh

Your package is in the UPS system and has a rescheduled delivery date of 08/18/2010.

[MrDigital]

I don't even think Cablecards exist in Canada.

[James]

Update:

Forgot to take pics, but I'll get a second chance. Installed the card, installed the drivers, then went through the setup thinking I could use it as a ClearQAM tuner until the Cablecard arrives on the 25th, turns out that is not the case. It shows up as an ATSC (over the air) quad-tuner only, no QAM support.

So I'll be pulling the card and reinstalling my Hauppauge 2250 in the meantime.

-James

[Nater]

I honestly got tired of waiting the Ceton to deliver. I purchased a TiVo HD XL on clearance ($240). Obviously, it's not as flexible a solution as a full on Media Center PC, but it fulfills the task of getting me TV and being a far better DVR than the crappy cableco box.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to add a Western Digital WD20EVDS drive. There is something about the power management of this drive that causes problems with the Series 3 boxes, but it can be corrected.

Eventually, I think I'll get a Ceton tuner and move the TiVo to my bedroom.