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MARCH 14, 2005
By Stephen H. Wildstrom CableCARDs for Satellite TV? A reader questions whether direct broadcast systems have a way, like cable systems do, of bypassing the set-top box. The answer: Not really
Reader George Harrison asks: Re: "Drowning In Remotes? Thank Cable Operators" (BW, 2/28/05), does the CableCARD concept include satellite (i.e., Dish, DirecTV), or is it strictly limited to cable? A: Satellite works somewhat differently than cable. Essentially, satellite set-top boxes already have the equivalent of a CableCARD -- it's the SmartCard that fits in a slot in the box and authorizes you to receive the channels you get. That's why you can buy your own satellite receiver and set it up for service. Unfortunately, the satellite operators did a poor job designing the security of the cards and have been plagued with counterfeits. The cable industry is trying to be more careful. NO SOLUTION. But the Federal Communications Commission's "plug-and-play" regulations, which are based on a detailed agreement between the cable and consumer-electronics industries and which lay out the ground rules of how CableCARDs are to be implemented, do not apply to direct-broadcast satellite services such as Dish Network and DirecTV. So the satellite broadcasters are under no obligation to provide a CableCARD-like solution for TV sets and other gear. In theory, the satellite operators could work with consumer-electronics manufacturers to allow TV sets or digital video recorders to connect directly to satellite systems. But even if there were a single standard for satellite broadcasts as there is for digital cable, the market is probably too small for such products to be economical.  Wildstrom is Technology & You columnist for BusinessWeek
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