
F.C.C. Proposes Changes in Cable Set-Top Box Market - pavornyoh
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/technology/fcc-proposes-changes-in-set-top-box-market.html?ref=technology
======
nsxwolf
I don't want a better set top box. I don't want my Apple TV to work like a
cable box with channels. I don't want the cable experience at all, which is
why I'm not a subscriber.

This just sounds like CableCARD part 2.

~~~
rhino369
Presumably it would just be an app on AppleTV. So why would you care if it was
available or not?

~~~
nsxwolf
I didn't say I cared if it's available. If this is an exciting idea to someone
else then I hope it works out for them.

Back when CableCARD was a new idea, I was excited. It was the right time for
such a thing to exist, but it never took off. Missed opportunity. But I think
the opportunity is lost now and we'd be better served moving on to a new
model, something that builds off the streaming boxes we have now (though the
UX needs a lot of work, and possibly a new paradigm nobody's thought of)

~~~
tw04
I think most people would pass on cable if given the option, but I don't see
them letting go of their stranglehold on the major sports in the US anytime
soon. I guess if you aren't a sports fan it's probably not a big deal.

~~~
ascagnel_
The major sports are starting to come around. The MLB spun out their streaming
product (into MLBAM) and signed a deal with the NHL to stream the game
broadcasts and both are actively working on renegotiating the streaming deals
with their member clubs to get rid of local blackouts.

------
baggachipz
By the time any decision is rendered on this, it will most likely be moot.
More and more programming is migrating to streaming services; a couple years
from now (this would probably take that long with the public comment period,
etc.) will make cable box lock-in a thing of the past for most consumers.

------
BorisMelnik
They are probably getting a lot of pressure from the cable companies on this.
It is getting to the point where any home I visit uses Roku / Apple TV or a
smart TV as their primary viewing option.

~~~
sethhochberg
In the NYC market (and possibly others) TWC has been heavily promoting a new
program which lets you get live TV via a Roku device with no cable boxes at
all. They know it is coming.

------
aexaey
Did STMicro got an advance notice of this proposal?

[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-
to...](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/stmicro-to-
cut-1-400-jobs-close-set-top-box-unit-as-sales-wane)

------
NelsonMinar
Is CableCARD support still required in the US? Why hasn't that been sufficient
to break the cable monopoly on the set-top box?

~~~
awinder
CableCard has a lengthy / costly certification process for device
manufacturers, and has always had this problem where the cable companies
technically support it, but it can be pretty arduous for the average consumer
to get proper support from their provider to get their devices online. The
first part really thinned out the herd in terms of offerings, and the second
part made sure to limit the audience of people who actually went for those
devices. I rocked a windows htpc with a cablecard adapter for a while, and I'm
on tivo now, but I'm not sure that would have happened if I wasn't persistent
and had done a bunch of the research on my own.

~~~
NelsonMinar
Yeah I have a CableCARD in my Tivo myself and am terrified of what happens if
I ever have to replace it. But this failure of CableCARD suggests FCC
regulation isn't sufficient to disrupt the cable company monopoly. I wonder if
this new push on set-top boxes will be any different?

~~~
ascagnel_
Cable Card was hamstrung because the FCC left design and implementation
largely in the hands of Cable Labs, which was owned and operated by a few of
the larger cable companies. It was intentionally design-by-checkmark; it met
every one of the FCC's rules, but was overcomplicated and hard to use. It was
designed to fail.

That said, if you can get it working, it beats the pants off of any cable box.
I have an HDHR box with a Cable Card in it, and I can use it both via DLNA and
on my Apple TV.

------
wmf
CableCard, Tru2Way, and DCAS all failed. Why did that happen and why would
this time be different?

~~~
laveur
I think we are far more advanced then we where. We no longer require hardware
to handle this, and that many people want an open standard that can be easily
implemented.

