[mythtv-users] What does the future hold for the CableCARD?

[Dick Steffens]

On 12/15/2016 02:53 PM, Gary Buhrmaster wrote:
> <...>
>
> Comcast CSRs are notoriously bad at understanding the
> technical details.

True. Last summer we thought we were moving and turned in our cable card 
and discontinued our Comcast service. Late in the summer we found we 
were not moving, and reinstated our Comcast service. (Long story. I 
won't bore you.) When we rejoined Comcast I got back the old primary 
email address, but everything else changed. To get the channel lineup we 
wanted we ended up with an X1 box. Over the few months since then we've 
learned a few things. The CSR who set us up gave me a device that was 
supposed to allow the IR signal from the new X1 remote to get to the X1 
box behind a solid cabinet door. While the X1 remote does send IR 
signals to the TV, it's communication with the X1 box is by radio, so 
the IR device was unnecessary. In fact, there was no place on the X1 box 
to plug it in.

There's an Ethernet port on the X1 box, but after some problems that 
were resolved with a replacement box, we learned from a second line tech 
(or higher -- not sure which, but not front line) that nothing is 
supposed to be plugged into that Ethernet port. All communication comes 
through the cable TV cable.

We had a service outage a few weeks ago. During that time we were not 
able to view recorded programs. That's when we learned that the X1 box, 
while called a DVR, has no local storage. It's all in "the cloud."

The first few weeks we were on the new service I was able to use their 
website to do programing, pretty much in the same way that I used to use 
MythWeb. Then, with no warning, the old site was replace with a fancy 
Xfinity Flash site. Much of the functionality of the old site was not 
carried over onto the Flash site, and the number of channels and time 
slots was greatly reduced. It is not currently possible to display only 
favorite channels, so we're stuck with looking through all 500 plus 
channels. Also, I have been unable to install the needed version of 
Flash on my Ubuntu versions of Firefox or Chromium. I have solve this by 
continuing to use my Myth box to look up schedules on MythWeb, and using 
Chrome on a Windows 7 virtual machine to schedule recordings on the 
Xfinity website. While not ideal, it works.

<...>

> Given the large number of TiVo users (and TiVo is
> the 25,000 Kg elephant in the room), elimination
> of CableCARDs quickly is not going to happen, but
> in the long run everything changes.  In the long run
> will TV (as you experience it today) even exist?

So, I could go back to MythTV on a CableCARD, but from the sounds of 
things, I may end up back on the X1 box eventually. I guess it will 
depend on how often some GLITCH* comes up that really annoys me.

(*) An adjunct professor I had once at Boston University in the late 
'70s was an IBM employee. He said that GLITCH came from the Apollo 
program, when a failure of an onboard IBM computer almost caused the 
loss of the spacecraft and the astronauts. He said GLITCH is an acronym 
for Greatest Lemon In The Company's History. I've tried to find 
documentation for this, but have so far been unsuccessful.** However it 
makes for a good story.

(**) Okay, Mr. GOOGLE tells me otherwise. However, when I GOOGLE:

     GLITCH "greatest lemon in the company's history"

I get three hits. The first one is from me posting this anecdote on this 
mailing list in October, 2015. Does that count as a supporting 
reference? :-)

The second tells of the term appearing in newspapers the day after the 
near tragedy.

-- 
Regards,

Dick Steffens