Slashdot Mirror
Digital Cable HDTV Tuner Card Reviewed
Jack Kolesar of AMDPower writes "We have posted a review of a PC HDTV Tuner card that can receive QAM (Digital Cable) signals along with traditional 8VSB signals. This appears to be the first PC Card which can accomplish this task. Further, the software also comes with a utility to downsample HDTV content to DVD and DivX. "
Prior to the instant server death? Or know the product name since its not referenced in the summary, so I can look for something on it?
"Would you, could you, with a goat?" Dr Seuss
Why can't this happen, linux "adopts" or "implements" Windows driver model, so that Windows drivers for devices like this can be installed and used?
I know some of this exists for the wireless networking stuff, and nVidia and ATi's linux efforts are pretty much recompiles of the windows drivers..
Hell, even forget Windows driver model.. Come up with a new, universal model. Hardware companies only need to write and test one driver which you go ahead and use under Windows, Linux, BSD, OS/X, whatever..
Thats my idea anyways. Something to take the world one step closer to my dream where the OS installed on your machine doesn't mean shit, since they all implement the same API's, run the same binaries, and use the same drivers. Less glory for the kernel hackers, perhaps.
This is what bothers me about linux' monolithic approach. It's like NIH syndrome to the extreme. Every driver for every piece of hardware has to be rewritten by scratch and approved by Linus to make it into the kernel. It's a longer process than submitting your drivers to MSFT to be "digitally signed" and stuck on Windows Update.
As for this card, there's likely proprietary trade secrets and bullshit in there and the specs will never be released. They're probably under contract to enforce the "no copy" bit and macrovision output and all that BS. That stuff could be changed in an OSS driver, so that driver can't exist. That's why no TV out from ATi for linux - legally they have to ensure that anytime a DVD is played, macrovision on the TV out is enabled..
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
What about decrypting it in software?
I know there were tons of software descramblers for Nargavision, or whatever that was called.
Can a digital cable signal be decrypted? How strong is the encryption? As old as it is, I'd imagine the first digital set top boxes couldn't have had too much horsepower, so the scheme must be relatively simple to decode that much data on-the-fly..
Could "decoders" (password hashes?) be bought and downloaded from the cable company?
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Actually, I've been thinking about modifying a few cable modems to intercept the QPSK OOB signal on digital cable, and spoof it. Have 2 cable modems, with some splitters and filters in between them, so that we can get QAM to the set top box, but the first cable modem could listen/talk to the headend, and the second cable modem could listen/talk to the cablebox.
For instance, docsis cable modems would seem to be able to ahndle this, assuming they have a frequency agile tuner (most do, I believe), and aren't one chip solutions (RCA ones come to mind).
Anyone care to comment?