Only 3,000 CableCards deployed in previous three months

MSOs Deployed 3,000 Standalone CableCards In Last Three Months [Multichannel News]

According to the latest report from the cable industry's trade association, NCTA, only 3,000 standalone CableCards were put into service by the ten largest cable providers in the past three months. 

During the same period over 700,000 CableCard-enabled set-tops were deployed. To this point, over 30 million of the CableCard set-tops have been deployed compared to only 585,000 standalone CableCards.

CableCards can be used in devices like TiVo DVRs, but have simply not caught on among consumers as much as set-tops. In 2007, the FCC implemented a ban on "integrated set-tops" in the hope of increasing the amount of standalone CableCards and the devices that use them. 

Despite the relative lack of interest among consumers for standalone CableCards, the FCC has recently implemented new CableCard requirements and is considering a proposal called AllVid, which would require all providers to use a different third-party hardware device with common technical interfaces.

Comments

[Roger Chui]

Hey, Michael, if you're looking to lower those numbers even further you could offer boxless HD in Lexington too!

[Mike Colehouse]

These numbers surprise anyone??? When Cable Labs makes it damn near impossible to get a device approved there is no incentive to develop such devices. Not to mention Tru2way is up the creek and AllVid is the "strategic direction". All of the other products require a relative costly upfront investment which can be justified by the amortization over a couple years. Most consumers don't want to bother.

[Paul Cahill]

TIVO rules the DVR and to be honest, Insights on demand menus and guide sucks compared to tive, but I just can't justify the TIVO cost. I wish some cable company would buy them.

[Aaron B]

As a CableCARDs go they let you get all the same broadcast channels and programs in SD and HD that are offered by the cable company. The trade-off though is that if you use a third party device like a TiVo, or any other CableCARD ready device you loose the video on demand from the cable company.

I have a few TiVo DVR and use CableCARDs but I also have the insight DVRs. A year ago I would have said "pfft, ill skip the insight DVR" but I am on the verge of canceling all the TiVo boxes but one. Eventually I would like to be able to cancel them all, if only the search functions allowed me to search by actor, director, ect. *hint hint hint*

[Mike]

I'd be all over a cable card for my three-tuner HDHomeRun Prime, if getting the service level that actually made it useful would not DOUBLE the cost of my Insight cable bill.