Alienware Won't Sell Consumers CableCard PCs

An anonymous reader writes "Alienware doesn't think CableCard is ready for the mass market. The Dell subsidiary is coming out with some high-end Media Center PCs but won't sell them directly to consumers because the HD-enabling CableCard 'requires the expertise of a reseller and installer.' CableCard was supposed to be the savior for Windows Media Center, which has been held back by its inability to support high-def content. Alienware made its mark selling tricked-out computers to gamers, so it's telling that the company doesn't think its traditional geeky customer can handle CableCard without professional help."

Comments

It's telling, but of what?

[bigstrat2003]

Is this an indicator that CableCard really is awful, and should be avoided like the spawn of Satan?

Or is this an indicator that Alienware has been completely absorbed by Dell, and has nothing left of what once made it good?

I'm gonna go with the latter here, although the former may be true as well.

Re:It's telling, but of what?

[DaHat]

I thought it was an indicator of the paranoia of the content holders that refuse to let their pretties be broadcast in hi-def without some degree of onerous protection.

Re:It's telling, but of what?

[garcia]

Is this an indicator that CableCard really is awful, and should be avoided like the spawn of Satan?

Or is this an indicator that Alienware has been completely absorbed by Dell, and has nothing left of what once made it good?

Its an indicator of both of those things including the simple fact that Dell doesn't want to deal with any customer calling up to complain about the thing not working. Regardless of how many people can actually get it to work just fine, means that a good number of people won't and will call up and waste their CSRs call time fixing problems caused by clueless owners.

Re:It's telling, but of what?

[Xichekolas]

More likely an indicator that Alienware no longer caters to it's original knowledgeable geek crowd.

I don't personally know anyone technically savvy that actually buys Alienware stuff. It's top of the line for sure, but if you are technically savvy you can build your own equivalent system for much cheaper. Alienware caters to the hardcore gamers that aren't necessarily able to correctly install a cpu/heatsink.

Before someone mods this flamebait, let me make clear that I'm not saying every Alienware customer doesn't know how to do this stuff, I'm just saying that due to the price premium it's more likely that most do not (or they would be building it themselves), and if the CableCard involves opening the machine, it would be a tech support nightmare for them to support these non-knowledgeable users.

Re:It's telling, but of what?

[__aawkdb2598]

I bought an Alienware PC (I'm using it to type this post) a few years ago. I'd agree with GP, though perhaps with a slightly different choice of words.
Now, I literally would not buy from them if you payed me money to do it. It's just not worth it. "Best support in the industry"? Bull. My computer was an absolute lemon and Alienware did nothing to fix it except lead me around until my warranty expired. Plus they falsified my support records. Failing videocard? Only a few months old? Went down on the books as "Customer had loosely plugged in video card. Fixed." More like "Video card defective, about to explode." Which it did, right after my warranty expired. I've had just about every type of problem you can imagine with this machine, and Alienware has treated me like crap the whole time.
I'd never buy from them again, and the fact that Dell bought them cheapens Dell in my eyes, not the other way around.

Re:I must be missing something

[Zondar]

There are many many horror stories out there from Tivo 3 and Tivo HD users about cable installers making 3, 4, 5 or more trips to get them working, or going through stacks of cards just to get two to work... The cablecard setup procedure *should* be as simple and seamless as a DirecTV authorization or a cable box authorization, but something's broken either in the process or the architecture.

AlienWare

[Enderandrew]

AlienWare markets to the rich enthusiast community who enjoy gaming, but who aren't geeky enough to build their own rigs. Perhaps the same holds true for the home theater PC market. The knowledgable, geeky crowd can build their own LinuxMCE box on the cheap with MythTV. The crowd that doesn't feel comfortable with such things wants to just buy it and have it work. If CableCard requires extensive knowledge, then perhaps they've placed themselves outside of any real niche market.

Re:AlienWare

[kaiborg]

mod parent up!

Alienware isn't for computer enthusiasts, it's for spoiled kids that think they know something about computers because they can recite technical specifications off of a website. Truth is, Alienware doesn't put anything in their systems that you can't buy and install yourself for half the price.

Re:AlienWare

[vux984]

Truth is, Alienware doesn't put anything in their systems that you can't buy and install yourself for half the price.

Not entirely true. At one point in time at least, they were one of the very few places to get a really performance oriented gamer friendly laptop.

The offerings from HP, Toshiba, IBM, etc at the time simple weren't in the same league and/or the options were extemely limited, and you usually had to compromise more. Building it yourself was pretty much not an option (and still isn't).

But as for their desktop line, yeah, it was nothing you couldn't build yourself for less. I don't disagree with you there. But that's true of every brand-name PC-builder.

Alienware isn't for computer enthusiasts,

Right. Computer enthusiasts build their own.

it's for spoiled kids that think they know something about computers because they can recite technical specifications off of a website.

Say what? No. Its for *gaming enthusiasts* who want to buy computers that are going to be good for playing games, without having to become a 'computer enthusiast' to do it.

Not everyone who wants silky smooth responsiveness in state of the art games wants to know how to swap a CPU, install an aftermarket heatsink, set memory timings, or choose a power-supply. They just want to play. Alienware satisfied that niche quite nicely.

Re:Um

[LordKazan]

it is supposed to be the tuning and decryption module provided to consumers to allow them to use their premium digital cable services, including all HDTV (because pretty much nobody broadcasts unecrypted QAM). It was mandated a decade ago and CableLabs has figured out how to delay a decade and when they finally make it available they don't even comply to the law because it cannot really be used by anyone making home-brew systems.

I couldn't be bothered to read the whole summary..

[benhocking]

So I thought it was an indicator that people who "install... Windows ... [need] ... professional help," although maybe I'm taking part of that out of context.

Re:I must be missing something

[MBCook]

I've got a Series 3 ( fanstastic device). I've read those stories. I offered to install the cards myself. I'm smart enough to stick two cards in two slots and call the numbers on them in. Heck, TiVo included a nice guide on how to install them... for the installers. That's how frequently cable cards were used last year when the Series 3 came out.

I had some decent luck. When I called Comcast after getting my S3 the person who answered the phone actually knew what a cable card was (which was an improvement of some of the stories I've heard). I set up an appointment and a week or so later when it arrived I got my cards. They did function to a certain degree (the channel mapping worked, for example).

That said, I couldn't watch certain channels (Discovery HD being the one that really got me). They twice sent out technicians to check signal level and other things. I had to confirm everything with them, and they discussed replacing the cards and everything. That's what the third guy came out to do.

He figured it out in 30 seconds on a hunch.

I didn't have HDTV. I could watch local HD channels thanks to the must-carry rules, but they hadn't enabled HDTV on my account, so the channels (which had great strength) were black (because they weren't authorized).

This despite how I upgraded my package. "I just got an HDTV and would like HDTV service." "So this will give me all you HDTV channels that aren't premium like HBO?", "And I'll get Discovery HD, right?"

I love HDTV. I especially love how Comcast really can't screw up the picture quality like they can with all my analog channels. But they managed to mess up putting two identicle PCMCIA cards into two identical slots and clicking the appropriate box on their sales screen for the package I specifically asked for.

I got off REAL easy compared to some others. This may be due to lack of complete and utter incompetence on my local Comcast's part. This may be due to me waiting a month or two after the S3 came out to buy it (so others already went through things). This may have just been the best luck I've ever had with Comcast.

I've setup at least a half-dozen DirecTV receivers over the years. Easy a pie. There is no technical reason I couldn't do the cable card install myself. The only reason I can think of would be they wanted the service charge. Worst case scenario, it didn't work and they had to send a guy out anyway. I'd have taken that risk.

Worse than the hassles of getting the cards installed are the prices for the things. I'm being charged a few dollars a month for each card, despite the fact both are in the same device (and there are two only because Comcast isn't using multi-stream cards, I'm guessing so they can charge more). Some people don't get charged at all (at least for the first TV). Some people get charged $10 or more per month per card. From what I remember reading it isn't consistent in operators. It seems to be up to the local Comcast, Time Warner, or whatever office how they want to handle it.

Considering those problems, the worries about copying (which is why the SATA port on the S3 hasn't been active and TiVo2Go and Multi-Room Viewing don't work, stupid Cable Labs) I'm not surprised they aren't rushing to let Windows Media Center boxes work, let alone Media Center boxes built by individuals and not companies like Alienware.

Cable card in brief and explanations

[ThundrNeon]

Alienware isn't selling Cablecards for a few simple reasons. 1. Installation requires your local Cable company to come out and install the card as they have to do specialized setup similiar to when you first get digital cable turned on in your place for the first time. 2. Cable card is supported in very few select large cities/metropolis. 3. Even in cities where Cable Card is supported it often cannot be installed properly and does not sync up to channels properly from the cable company. (I remember this from an older slashdot article that was reviewing HTPCs, if I can find the article I will link it) For the Record a Cable Card is a Card designed to fit in either a TV or a PC with a Cable Card slot. It acts as a Digital tuner and is designed to replace set top digital cable boxes.

Re:Cable card in brief and explanations

[forty7]

It's quite clear from your list of "reasons" that either you've never actually used a CableCARD, or you're a cable company shill.

By way of refutation:

1. Installation only requires your cable company to come out because they say it does. The entire installation procedure consists of:
   1. Insert card.
   2. Call in pairing information. This consists of a couple of numbers found on a screen automatically displayed by your host device.
   Any deviation from those steps is almost certainly due to the incompetence of your cable company.
2. CableCARDs are supported everywhere by every cable company (with a few rare exceptions. The FCC mandates that cable companies (including Verizon for their FIOS service) will provide CableCARDs to any customer who asks for one.
3. Again, this has more to do with the cable company's incompetence that it does with the general bugginess of the CableCARD technology. It's true that the newer M-Cards are known for being more buggy than their older counterparts the S-Cards, but even this is somewhat overexaggerated.

I've been using CableCARDs in various host devices for the past year and a half, and I've never had any trouble with the cards themselves. I've had three separate installation experiences with two different cable companies, and while the most recent experience was an absolute horror story, that was entirely due to the company's screwed-up policies and unknowledgable install techs. The other two installations went perfectly.

Most of the purported "problems" with CableCARDs are cable company FUD, pure and simple. It's true that you lose support for VOD, PPV, and interactive program guide, but for many cable customers, these aren't a problem (especially those whose CableCARDs are installed in third-party DVRs). But it's a huge problem for cable companies, who generate tons of revenue from those features.

I tried to use CableCard....

[Above]

My TV supports CableCard, so I tried to use it. Before I moved I got it working. First trip, dead cable card. Second trip, tech brought an HD Box rather than a cable card. Third trip, bad cable card. Fourth trip tech brought two, one worked, one did not. The one that worked finally was set up and worked.

But of course, the Cable Company decided not to provide ANY guide info via the Cable Card interface, so the cable card showed nothing. But it worked.

For two months. When it died. They brought two more that didn't work, I told them no more.

So I moved to a new location, and a supposedly better cable company. When I got here they didn't have any, and I was told they had no eta. I called back three times, unable to even make an appointment to get one installed because "they don't have any".

Nevermind even if I wanted one I would have to take a day off work and wait for an "installer" to insert a PCMCIA card and phone in two numbers.

I am convinced of two things.

1) Cable card manufacturers, Motorola in particular, seem to make junk. Having multiple DOA cards (that are supposedly new) is just amazing in this day and age. Junk, junk and more junk.

2) Cable companies don't want to support it. Maybe #1 justifies a installer, I don't know. But I should be able to pick one up at my local store, install it myself, put the numbers in a web site and be good to go in a few minutes. I should get guide info. They don't do it because they want you to get their two way box, not because it's hard or expensive.

Cable companies didn't want cable card, so they have managed to kill it by making it as broken as possible while still offering it.

Re:I must be missing something

[RpiMatty]

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/ocur
Maximum PC ran an article about trying to get a cablecard installed into an Alienware rig they got to review.
Didn't get it working. They were hoping the bugs would be worked out before consumers could buy them... guess that didn't happen.

Comcast Tech: Hey, this is ** from Comcast. I'm trying to hook up a customer's PC to our system, but I can't get it to work. Can you help me out?

From the article
Microsoft Guy: Yeah, well, we don't have our tiered tech support set up yet, but I can try to walk you through it. What are you hooking up?

CT: Well, he has two computers, one from Voodoo PC and one from Velocity Micro.

MSG: He's got both those machines?! That's $13,000 in computers!

CT: Yeah, he's reviewing them. He's an editor at Maximum PC.

MSG: Oh.... Sh*t, they're supposed to tell us before they send those things out to the press.

CT: Both these machines have internal OCUR cards, too; I've never worked with the internal cards before.

MSG: [Still unaware he's on a speakerphone] Yeah, those are really tricky. But don't tell the guy that, or he'll write it up. You're gonna start seeing Dells like that come through your system like crazy.

Re:I must be missing something

[Telvin_3d]

As someone who has worked in related retail I would like to comment on why they insist on a technician doing the install. They know that many of their customers can do it themselves, make no mistake about that. However, if they even give the option a large number of their customers will take that to mean that they should be able to install it, all evidence to the contrary. A certain percentage of the population is never going to admit that they need help. And let me speak from personal experience when I say that it is almost imposable to grasp the amount of damage that can be caused by someone who thinks they know what they are doing.

From a business point of view, it is easier, cheaper and less hassle to set up everyone than it is to deal with the repercussions of the few who screw up their own installation. As one of the people who could do it myself I don't particularly like it, but if I was running the business I would make the exact same call.

The lesser of both evils...

[thesandbender]

I don't like Microsoft. I don't like the fact that I can't install a server OS without installing a GUI component that I'll never use and that the security layers are becoming more abstract and obfuscated. But at the same time. Linux can be a pain in the farking arse. I have a MythTV setup that I've been running for almost six months. I'm connected to two Motorola DCT-6200's over firewire. For the entire time I've been running this system the firewire ports that are assigned to these turners will change. And this has happened on two different firewire controllers over a range of different kernels. MythTV won't pick this this up. It will just blindly try to fire commands out to a turner that doesn't exist and then ultimately lock up. I know ... it's opensource... fix it yourself. The problem is after 10-12 hours a day fixing other peoples problems sometimes I just want to come home and watch my favorite show without opening a terminal. And hence I'm ready to *pay* other people to fix this problem. Ultimately their time is cheaper than mine. My Mythbox is going on eBay and I'm getting Series 3 TiVO. This doesn't diminish my passion for Linux in the data center... but work is work and play is play and sometimes you just need to hang up your hate and enjoy the rest of your life.