What does Switched Digital Video mean for the DHG-HDD500?

[Yosho]

Does anybody using this unit with a cablecard know anything about the switched digital video standard?  Anyone seen this article:

http://hdguru.com/how-the-cable-industry-plans-to-cheat-10-million-hdtv-owners/233/

From what I can find out this stands to render this device and all other cablecard devices except for the TIVO S3, useless for digital cable, i.e. channels will be lost or blacked out when SDV is implemented.  Does anyone know anything about this, if Sony has a firmware update that can accommodate the adapter provided by the cable companies, or if the FCC intends to enforce the law requiring the cable companies to provide programming to cablecard subscribers?  I can't find out anything about this wrt the DHG-HDD250/500.

thanks.

[spiff72]

I doubt that the Sony box will ever work with an adapter.  Sony is very unlikely to offer any support for a discontinued product (a firmware update would be needed).

[Yosho]

They made a firmware update to fix the 161-6 errors with scientific atlanta cable cards.  Wasn't that after they were discontinued? 

[frank70]

That was a hardware fix, not a firmware fix.

[Yosho]

It was both an electrical adjustment and a firmware upgrade to version 13.  I had it performed a year ago.  It even says in the original spiff space faq:

161-6: This seems to be a hardware problem with the Sony DVR and a CC.  The only fix at this time is to send the DVR back to Sony for a electrical modification and firmware update.

And it's not just these DVRs there is a long list of other products by Sony and others that would need a firmware update and tuning adapter.  And according to the Cable Labs website, they all are compatible with the tuning adapter specs (TRIF).  The list can be found here:

http://www.cablelabs.com/udcp/downloads/OC_PNP.pdf

So I'm still curious as to why anyone thinks a firmware update is impossible.  I'd be interested more in facts than speculation, though.

[frank70]

Not impossible, just no commercial incentive for Sony, so highly unlikely. When's the last time you saw Sony post a firmware upgrade on their web site? True, someone pried one out of them to the latest version (which predates the unit being discontinued), but it took a concerted effort just to get that.

[Yosho]

Ok, you do realize that this is an issue about cablecards, and not just about the DHG-HDD DVRs, right?  Sony is still selling products that use cablecards today.  They haven't all been discontinued.  If the switched digital video standard goes into effect, all of these products will be disabled.  Plus there is a federal mandate on the Cable providers to keep providing service to customers with cablecards, and Time Warner just got fined in Oct. for anti-competitive practices related to switched digital video.  So, while I'm sympathetic to the cynicism, you're not really giving me anything but speculation.  I really don't think it's going to make sense for Sony to sit around and do nothing for any of their products.  It may be that cablelabs will design everything.  I don't know, I'm looking for anyone who's heard anything concrete.

[HelenJames]

I think this topic was discussed loads of time before at this forum