Review: Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad CableCARD Tuner – Part I

[Meester.Rip]

So I bit the bullet and order 4 gig of DDR 1066 to replace my 800 in my gaming rig.

Now should I up my HTPC from 2 to 4gig if I get the CETON or up to 6 gig. I have a WHS box with 2Gb currently and I don’t know if taking that to 4 gig would be as useful as putting more in the HTPC.

[mikinho]

Sorry to keep apologizing and delaying but I’ve had a hectic couple 80-hour work weeks. 

I can’t commit to a specific day but Part 2 will be published this week.

[Nmarconi]

If this is going to be addressed in Part II, just ignore.  I am hoping to turn my xbmc machine into a wmc box with a copy of win7 64 ultimate that i have sitting around.  The current rig has a E8400 C2D in it and only 2 gigs of ram.  If i want to use the box with 2 extenders, will i need to double my ram?

[mikinho]

The E8400 is plenty powerful enough.  I consider the 2GB too little but others will argue.

Will you be using the HTPC console session or solely extenders?  If I have my console + 2 extenders in use my memory utilization ranges from 2.8 GB to 3.6 GB.  The console session’s ehshell.exe takes up almost double of what an extender session uses so if you aren’t planning on using the console session (i.e. the HTPC is headless) then you may get by.

[Matt]

To sucessfully pass the Digital Cable Advisor tool aren’t you required to have 4GB of RAM?

[img width=650 height=380]http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/blogs/CableChronicles/final.jpg[/img]

[Nmarconi]

Thanks, I was planning on using the HTPC at one tv, and an extender at another (and occasionally an extender on a 3rd tv (but never all 3 at once).  Sounds like i should go ahead and throw in another 2gb at the very least to be safe.

[joao12345]

Hi,
Just wondering…i know that certain type of recorded content can only be accessed by the HTPC housing the card the only exception to this are MCE extenders. Does the same limitation apply to media players i.e Western Digital WD TV (supports WMV9) or ASUS OPlay (supports WMV)? can these devices access the recorded media freely like an extender????

[Meester.Rip]

I plan on running at least 3 extenders come this fall. I imagine they will be hitting recorded tv more than live so I guess 4Gb is where I need to be. I wonder how much RAM is needed to support the 8 extender limit.

Also if I use the WHS app to move recorded TV off the HTPC is the network smart enough to route the data straight from the server to the XBOX or does the HTPC play it and does the extender watch it through a terminal service view?

[Andrew Van Til]

[quote=”Meester.Rip”]
Also if I use the WHS app to move recorded TV off the HTPC is the network smart enough to route the data straight from the server to the XBOX or does the HTPC play it and does the extender watch it through a terminal service view?
[/quote]

I believe that all streams are split on the server (7MC) which means it won’t play directly off the WHS.

[Matt]

[quote=”joao12345″]
Hi,
Just wondering…i know that certain type of recorded content can only be accessed by the HTPC housing the card the only exception to this are MCE extenders. Does the same limitation apply to media players i.e Western Digital WD TV (supports WMV9) or ASUS OPlay (supports WMV)? can these devices access the recorded media freely like an extender????
[/quote]

Niether of those are certified Media Center extenders. They basically just pull whatever files it find on the network across, using your PC a file server. Further, neither support the newer WTV format that Media Center 7 uses.

A MCX (Media Center Extender) is actually a special thin client type device that relies on the Media Center PC as a host for a special MCX user interface session on the PC. To the system it behaves almost like another user is logged on, ala Remote Desktop. So it is much more than just a file server. This also means it is more secure and is in essense just an extension of the main PC, so copy protected content can be played.

[captain_video]

I just had a CableCARD installed in my Ceton tuner yesterday.  I had previously gone through the setup with a CableCARD I had picked up on ebay, but obviously I could not activate it on the FIOS network.  I just went through the entire setup and, even though I did not activate the CableCARD, I was still able to download the guide data for FIOS in my area.  According to the Ceton installation instructions it says that guide data cannot be downloaded until the card is activated, which is apparently not true.

I removed the card after going through the lengthy install process.  I also have four ATSC tuners connected to my HTPC so it took some time to search through all of the channels for the TV signal setup.  When it came time to setup the CableCARD I was pleasantly surprised that it skipped past the initial setup phases and jumped right to the CableCARD screen.  The Verizon tech copied down the info and headed out to his truck to connect to the mothership with his laptop.  He had to come back and recheck the data because it was asking for a POD entry that confused us both.  I assume he contacted the home office and got it straightened out because I had live TV from FIOS up and running in about 15 minutes.

The point is, if you want to streamline your Ceton installation, go ahead and run through the complete setup before the CableCARD installer arrives.  When it asks you if you want to set up a CableCARD just say Yes and then click Next.  The actual card activation is never verified and it will let you download your guide data.  When you get the CableCARD just insert it and begin the TV signal setup.  You’ll be prompted again if you want to set up a CableCARD.  Click on Yes and then Next and you’ll be taken to the CableCARD info screen where the tech can get the info he needs to activate the card.  When activation is finished you’ll be prompted to scan for more channels.  You can either say yes or decline and exit the setup.  I ran the extra scan ahead of time so I didn’t see the need to do it again.

One caveat is that I did have a CableCARD uinstalled in the tuner for the initial setup so I don’t know how it would affect the process if you do it without a card installed.  I don’t see how it would cause any problems so give it a shot and see how it goes.  It will make the actual installation and activation much quicker and easier.

FWIW, the tech had never done a CableCARD install in an HTPC before so he was intrigued by the setup.  I gave him a quick tour of Windows Media Center and showed him a Blu-Ray streamed from my server.  I then took him upstairs and showed him the FIOS feed through the Ceton via one of my media extenders.  Needless to say, he was more than just a bit impressed.  I could see his eyes light up with each new feature I demonstrated.

[Meester.Rip]

Careful who you show it to. You’ll get that one in-law that will try to take your idea and implement it with the old Dell box sitting in his closet over a 11.B wifi and blame you when it all doesn’t come together and work on the new $5K TV he bought to show it all off….. Yeah, I’ve been down that road.

[Ugadata]

Or seeing the dollar signs in the eyes of the Cable Provider pondering the additional income for “Third Party Equipment Connection Charges”.

[captain_video]

[quote=”Ugadata”]
Or seeing the dollar signs in the eyes of the Cable Provider pondering the additional income for “Third Party Equipment Connection Charges”.
[/quote]
That wouldn’t be much of an incentive when you consider that the installation of a Ceton card in my house will eliminate the need for three additional CableCARDs and two standard and one HD set top box.  I’m pretty sure many people buying the Ceton are thinking along the same lines.  We’re not trying to completely cut the cord, just soften the impact on our monthly budgets.  I’m pretty sure most of us signed up for cable or FIOS with the idea of getting the programs we want and didn’t go into it with the notion of having to rent extra hardware.  It was a necessary evil at the time but that time is quickly drawing to an end.

[jrandeck]

[quote=”Matt”]
To sucessfully pass the Digital Cable Advisor tool aren’t you required to have 4GB of RAM?
[/quote]

I believe the items on that page are recommendations and not requirements.

[Author]

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