[Articles] CES 2010 Exclusive Update: SiliconDust

[CT Droid]

 

 

Cocoontech visited the SiliconDust booth during the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas, NV.  SiliconDust is best known for their HD HomeRun boxes but, as shown in THIS CocoonTech news update, is coming out with an exciting new product.

Shown below is a prototype HD HomeRun Device WITH a Cable Card which supports subscription (encrypted) TV from your cable company.

I spoke with Jason of SiliconDust and he described the features of this new product.

The actual product will have one cable input and two tuners and will be capable of using a "cable card" (it's the PCMCIA card in the above photo) that the cable company is required to provide to their customers.  This gives the board access to the content protected, encrypted channels, thus eliminating the need to have a cable company's specific cable box.

Compatible applications will depend on the various content protection flags implemented by the cable provider.  Currently only Windows Media Center with Windows 7 is approved to access this content protection..  SiliconDust has no word on getting their application approved for SageTV, but they do have a meeting with them later during the CES show to discuss integration of their products with this software.

The production box will have an ethernet interface and will interface with software products via your home network.  SiliconDust will start beta testing in April and estimates a selling price of $249.

SiliconDust was awarded a CES 2010 Innovations award for their products.

More information can be obtained at their website at silicondust.com.

 



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[Smarty]

I pay the cable bill, yet they still tell me how I can display my content....no thanks...keep it.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Here is an update on SageTV's status on their integration with the SiliconDust cable card:

I received an Email from SiliconDust's President/CEO asking how the endeavor was progressing with SageTV's integration and he stated:

After spending a week at CableLabs last week - we learned even more about what we already suspected.
Windows 7 - Media Center - is the only authorized / approved DRM currently available for copy protected content

For others, like SageTV, to be part of the new CableCARD wave - they will need to work directly with CableLabs to become an authorized DRM

There is nothing, but the process and their own internal roadmap, stopping others from becoming authorized to interact with copy protected content.

He also mentioned that SiliconDust was on TWITTER as well.

 

[sic0048]

I wonder how much that "authorization" from CableLabs costs? I'm sure they don't do it for free.