Media Center Cable Cards free from OEM requirement

Want to watch/record encrypted HD channels like HBO, Showtime, Discovery, Science (etc..) on your HTPC instead of your cable box? You can! If you have a Windows Media Center PC (either purchased or built), you can purchase a cable-card TV tuner and rent a cable card from your cable provider.

I've been waiting for this for a long time, but I'll probably wait a little longer after it has had a chance to soak on the market for a while. Plus it is CableCard, so no V-O-D or Pay-Per-View.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2009/05/cc_install24_lg.jpg

This just in from our team at Microsoft's MCE event at CEDIA -- the OEM requirement on CableCARDs has been officially lifted, freeing Joe Six Packs all over from having to buy whole systems. The photo above pretty much says it all -- enthusiasts (hey, that's us!) can add CableCARD tuners to their PC

Links:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/09/media-center-cablecards-freed-from-oem-requirement//
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-09-2009/0005091086

Do you know the cost?

the external version sales around the $250 range. The internal version also ebays around $200. Right now the market isn't very saturated.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=cablecard+tv+tuner+for+pc&cid=6451744689709286932&sa=button#p

Not terrible.

The prices will go down significantly at the end of the year/early 2010 as several manufacturers will have products out.