re: Next gen Apple TV could have the ability to control your existing cable boxes

quote:

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Ceton and Silicon Dust both offer devices that integrate with Windows Media Center. They offer six tuners with DVR capability and operate with a cable card so premium content can be streamed to any TV in the house. Windows Media Center also provides the TV listings free as part of the package. They sell for a fraction of what Apple is proposing to charge.

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WMC is the most advanced media software in existence (particularly when including the 'extras' abilities and the things like PowerDVD and Ceton's media center software that can be run from inside it). The Ceton cable card devices blow my mind. When I get out of this place (DirecTV is paid for in my lease), I will be buying their ETH6 (or maybe the Silicon Dust model, but probably Ceton as it stands today). Spending money on a set-top box and DVR every month is ridiculous when you can pay $1-3/month and set your system up yourself. The up-front cost is significantly more, but you can make it to where you break even by the 18 month point pretty easily (and super effectively).