[mythtv-users] CableCard???

[Chris Ribe]

> And, given time, as technology matures and the price of HDTV-sized-video
> encoders drop, we'll be able to capture via component after the cable
> box decodes the signal.

I wouldn't count on this ever happening.  There is no market for
analog high def encoders in the professional sector, so the technology
has nowhere to trickle down from into the consumer market.

The problem (in my eyes) is that all high def video begins life as
digital video.  Thus, the cheapest and easiest way for anyone who
holds the necessary permissions to get the content is in digital form.

The market for analog capture is thereby limited to those end users
who chose not to respect the whims of content producers (which
Congress is quick to grant them as right).

So, who is going to pay for the development of a low cost analog high
def encoder chip? I hope someone does, but the clock is ticking.  It
won't be long before those ubiquitous Y/Pb/Pr outputs start to
disappear from new products.