7 replies to this topic

[kaotik]

Hello,
I was just wondering if there is a PCI cablecard equivalent available in Australia yet?
thanks

[logifuse]

No, & I doubt there ever will be. Foxtel doesn't allow use of any tuners other than their supplied STUs/PVRs.

Justin

[aanda6]

No, & I doubt there ever will be. Foxtel doesn't allow use of any tuners other than their supplied STUs/PVRs.

Justin

Actually the cards are readily available in Australia from retailers such as Digital Now. Justin is however correct that Foxtel only allows you to use their supplied STU's and unfortunately the workaround that many were utilizing has been xxxx down. Hopefully someone will come up with another alternative.

[logifuse]

Actually the cards are readily available in Australia from retailers such as Digital Now. Justin is however correct that Foxtel only allows you to use their supplied STU's and unfortunately the workaround that many were utilizing has been xxxx down. Hopefully someone will come up with another alternative.

Cablecard isn't just a generic term for a cable (or satellite) TV tuner &/or CAM, it's the official name for cable TV broadcaster supported CAMs that they supply & support. They actually have laws in the US (how progressive is this!) that require the cable companies to allow receiver equipment other than their own to access their networks. That means you can have a TV/STB/PVR that you plug a Cablecard CAM in to, a PC based tuner with the Cablecard CAM, or you just get them to supply you an all in one a box (as Foxtel do here). It was a flow on from a ruling that allowed you to supply your own phone to connect to a phone line.

News Corp/NDS have fought this all over the world. I remember talk of an NDS CAM after News/NDS had a ruling against them in Italy (where they were supplying the full package like Foxtel does here), but it never seemed to appear.

Justin

[kaotik]

hmmm
So the cards here will not work?
Or will they work for a little while until foxtel catches on?

[logifuse]

Some people had them working, but the last major encryption upgrade from Foxtel broke them (November 11 last year). See: http://www.pcmediace.../page__st__2295

AFAIK, it's still the same 7+ months later.

Justin

[aanda6]

Some people had them working, but the last major encryption upgrade from Foxtel broke them (November 11 last year). See: http://www.pcmediace.../page__st__2295

AFAIK, it's still the same 7+ months later.

Justin

Justin,
The op did not ask for an actual "cable card" but was asking if there was an Australian equivalent, which there is. Even if they do not presently work.

[logifuse]

The equivalent to a Cablecard would be a CAM supported &/or supplied by Foxtel. That's my point - it's a term that has a specific meaning, but it incorrectly gets applied to the tuner cards.

So while there are alternatives, they're actively not supported by Foxtel (by that I mean Foxtel actively try to kill off their access), they currently don't work (& haven't for 7 months), & if they do get to be working again, they'll likely be killed off again very quickly.

I know it sounds like I'm arguing semantics here, but if someone reads about Cablecards in the US & thinks "that sounds great, I presume I should be able to do that here", they need to know straight off that the idea simply doesn't translate because unlike the US, the cable company here (Foxtel) flatly says no. At best, you're looking at workarounds that may work for a while, at worst you've spent $300 on something that is useless.

Justin