Posted 09/21/2009 at 11:47:28am

   This isn't necessarily about the EPIA but the world of HTPC in general. We all need to push the FCC for a new open HD tuning standard. NTSC being open is what allowed the market to develop all kinds of AV technology. All of which could tune normal TV broadcasts. With the advent of HD broadcast, each cable/sattellite company has been alowed to use it's own closed tuning standards.

    Requiring the public to rent cable boxes, PVR, etc. strait from them while excluding vendors from making products capable of tuning into the channels they provide. All under the guise of preventing channel theft, when in reality leading to exclusionary marketing of their own products. 

    We should be able to build a HTPC using software like BeyondTv, SageTV or Media Center and be able to buy an off the shelf tuner to tune any channels that we pay for.

 Perhaps, CableCard 2.0 is the answer but IMNSHO the FCC needs to force all cable/sattellite providers to support one tuning standard and any vendor needs to be able to build support into their product for that standard. Unlike the current CableCard debacle where only pre-built BIOS certified systems are allowed.

 The end result is that you can't afford a cable card PC and it locks the average person out of building a HTPC to tune HD content. This is anti-competitive and will lead to less products being available in the HD tuning arena.

 We are all stuck with using the "analog hole" to be able to tune HD content. Come on FCC, it's one thing to allow protection to content - it's another to allow the cable/sattellite providers to force us all to buy not only their service but also their hardware. I hope that together we can all turn some heads.

 If you have time, write the FCC today to call for an opening of HD tuning standards to the public.