Q: What is CableCARD?
A: "CableCARD is a plug-in card approximately the size of a credit card that allows consumers in the United States to view and record digital cable television channels on digital video recorders, personal computers and televisions without the use of other equipment such as a set top box (STB) provided by a cable television company. The card provided by the local company for a nominal monthly fee is a PCMCIA card and looks exactly like those used with laptops."
Source: Wikipedia.org
Q: How does it apply to S1Digital Media Centers
A: With a CableCARD (or Digital Cable Tuner) installed in your S1Digital Media Center, you can watch, record and stream (to a Media Center Extender) all your cable TV channels that you subscribe to, including premium HDTV (such as HBO-HD, Showtime HD, Discovery HD, ESPN-HD, HDNet, all your locals, etc). You no longer need a set top box. Your cable connection connects directly to the Digital Cable Tuner.
Q: How many DCTs can I have in one Media Center?
A: You can have up to two DCTs per Media Center (allowing you to watch/record/stream two different channels simultaneously)
Q: Are the DCTs internal or external?
A: The DCTs can be either internal or external. Both connect via USB. We include internal tuners because everything is much neater that way (you don't need big external boxes for the CableCards).
Q: How do I get CableCards from my cable company?
A: You will need to call your cable company and ask them for a cable card (or two) and schedule an appointment. Most cable providers will do a "truck roll" (i.e. a technician willcome to your home to install it). It is not as simple as placing the CableCard into the Media Center. The technician will usually have to call back to the cable company's office and get the CableCard activated before you can use it.
Q: Can I watch live/recorded TV in another room?
A: Yes, if you have Media Center Extenders (such as the Xbox 360), you can stream live and recorded TV to another room over your home network. You can even watch your HDTV channels.
Q: Can I watch recorded TV on another PC?
A: No. You can only watch recorded TV from a DCT in Media Center on the system a recording was made on or an Media Center Extender.
Q: Can I store recorded TV on a network hard drive/Network Attached Storage (NAS)/Windows Home Server?
A: Yes, you can copy recorded TV to another hard drive and thenplay it on the Media Center that originally recorded the show and Xbox 360s, but not on any other PC.
Q: What types of TV connections can I use?
A: You can connect to a HDTV via HDMI, DVI or component cables. If you connect via HDMI or DVI, your TV's input must be HDCP compliant.
Q: Can I upgrade my existing S1Digital Media Center to use CableCARD?
A: It is unknown at this time whether we will be able to offer upgrades. We are investigating and will let you know shortly. If upgrades are not available, we will offer a discount to existing customers.
Q: Can I buy DCTs for use in on my own PC?
A: Unfortunately, you can only buy DCTs with a pre-built system. You cannot buy standalone DCTs.
Q: Are there any other other sources of information?
If you have any additional questions, please contact us.
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