Comcast/Mythtv (OT?)

[Tom Metro]

Jarod Wilson wrote:
> Tom Metro wrote:
>> The whole Firewire interface to STBs seems real rickety and
>> unreliable right now, but maybe it'll get better.
> 
> Part of the frailty I'm seeing is on the part of the firewire
> interface on the cable box. If you poke it in a way it doesn't like,
> it disappears off the bus, and requires a full power off to restore
> functionality...

That's the aspect I was referring to. Even if the Linux side of things 
works perfectly, we're still dependent on the firmware in the STB 
working correctly, and a while ago when I was looking at the MythTV 
user's list there seemed to be a lot of people complaining about flaky 
STB behavior.

What makes me skeptical that this situation will improve is that there 
isn't a mainstream use for the Firewire port on STBs. So the firmware 
doesn't get adequately debugged, and the cable companies don't have 
motivation to get it working reliably.

Contrast that with the potential for clear QAM. Any consumer who buys a 
modern TV with a tuner becomes a potential advocate for clear QAM once 
they discover that their brand new wall mounted TV needs to have a cable 
company STB dangling off of it, and another IR remote.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/