Ever since
CEDIA Windows Media Center enthusiasts have been anxiously awaiting the announced
firmware update for the ATI Digital Cable Tuner and the Advisor Utility. While the firmware will finally relax the DRM on recording made with the Digital Cable Tuner and enable support for Tuning Adapters, the
Advisor Utility will make it so anyone can add a Digital Cable to Tuner to their Windows 7 PC. Although a hard release date was never announced for either of these, it was fully expected that both would be available at the same time as
Windows 7. Now Microsoft has posted over at The Green Button letting us know that we can stop checking as neither will be released today. To add insult to injury no new date was given, only that it would be available as soon as possible. So yeah, big time bummer for Media Center fans.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter F @ Oct 22nd 2009 2:59PM
You've got to be kidding me.....
TheSkinsfan1 @ Oct 22nd 2009 3:15PM
lame. very very lame.
Sica @ Oct 22nd 2009 3:18PM
While my cablecards gently weep...
Nate @ Oct 22nd 2009 3:32PM
Not cool
xemumanic @ Oct 22nd 2009 3:44PM
I betcha it was supposed to come yesterday with the Netflix and Internet TV additions.
BarkingGhost @ Oct 22nd 2009 4:02PM
Political delays as Microsoft has always bowed to the wishes of the RIAA and MPA.
cypherx @ Oct 22nd 2009 4:14PM
If it involves the cable industry in any way, it will be delayed with no date given. Since this device connects to a cable plant and tunes channels, the cable industry is somehow involved and voila - delay!
Remember that new Comcast DVR UI posted on here in Jan 2008's CES article? Yeah it's almost 2010 and nothing even close to that is being shown. Again, cable has their hands in it.
Tru2Way deadlines? Of course they are not met. The Cable TV industry is at it again...
What a horribly slow industry.
AVDude @ Oct 22nd 2009 4:26PM
The firmware is floating around, now if someone would just leak it....
Joe H @ Oct 22nd 2009 4:53PM
Is anyone really surprised about this? I mean the firmware was supposed to be done like a year ago, wasn't it?
jerky33 @ Oct 22nd 2009 5:47PM
Brutal, frickin brutal!
Thank god for that article outlining how to install a DCT into any DYI pc.
Personally the relaxed DRM and other features are more of a piece of mind for me rather than something I'm actually looking to use at this point as I don't have a real need to move copy protected media off of my HTPC, plus my service provider has not rolled out any SDV in my area, and as far as the Advisor Utility is concerned, I always have the DIY procedure posted on this site.
Steven Sevchuk @ Oct 22nd 2009 6:17PM
Way to get my hopes up, and then TROUNCE them!
I just upgraded from Win 7 beta to Win 7 and BAM, all of my high-def content recorded off of my ATI DCT was no longer viewable. This firmware would've been NICE when they released Vista.
Peter F @ Oct 22nd 2009 7:04PM
This better not go the way of the DirecTv and Dish tuner...... no date...
Jim Mallory @ Oct 22nd 2009 8:56PM
Lame, Lame, Lame. I would be very surprised the Cable Companies had anything to do with this. They had to be on board with DIY, SDV, and relaxed-ever-so-slightly DRM for Microsoft to make the announcement at CEDIA. It wouldn't stop the firmware update This sounds like a less second show stopping bug that they thought might have been fixed by now. Doesn't sound like the coders made it.
No new date isn't a surprise. If you had Microsoft's history of not making announced dates, you wouldn't announce any dates either.
dagamer43 @ Oct 25th 2009 11:24AM
I guess I'll continue running my DIY CableCard HTPC until the firmware and Advisor Utility are released.
Ronald Kushner @ Oct 22nd 2009 10:55PM
Oh yeah, well, at least now at Microsoft they fire the people who miss deadlines and delay products...
Kyle B @ Oct 23rd 2009 10:13AM
Oh, so the cable company wants to get in the way of a great product? Fair enough, I won't pay for cable. I'll just download shows off torrents instead.
Great business decision guys.
QuambaFu @ Oct 23rd 2009 1:53PM
We(media center users) are used to this type of crap. It shouldn't surprise us. It's a great product but everything is so dependent on outside(of MS) forces that we can never get solid dates or solid product announcements ever!
When you hear a rumor about Media Center don't ever expect it to come to fruition. It's like a string of broken promises from your favorite politician.
That being said, I'll stick with media center as there is nothing that can touch it's functionality.
RAL2070 @ Oct 25th 2009 7:25AM
I think Media Center does not drive significant enough revenue at MS to be important to them. They make money out of XBox live memberships & downloading premium content for the XBox. Why would they want to make it any easier to put premium content on multiple screens with no monetary gain to them?