CableCARD

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CableCard Description

A CableCARD is a PCMCIA, Type II PC Card. The CableCARD is used in place of a set top cable decoder box, and plugs into the HD TV to provide the cable decoder function. Other terms include M-Card [Multi-Stream CableCard] or Digital Cable Ready [DCR].
The PC Card PCMCIA specification defines both the Electrical and Physical specifications for a 68 pin interface residing in one of 3 form factors, which differ only in thickness;
Type I: dimensions 3.3mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (TxLxW), Version 2.1 allows the length to increase 50mm to 135mm
Type II: dimensions 5.0mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (TxLxW), Version 2.1 allows the length to increase 50mm to 135mm
Type III: dimensions 10.5mm x 85.6mm x 54.0mm (Tall x Length x Width)

The implementation of this spec based on the ISA bus is termed the PC Card with a 8/16 bit data bus, 26 address lines, and no bus mastering. PC Card-16 cards use an 8-bit or 16-bit interface that operates at ISA bus speeds (10 MHz) using an ISA-like asynchronous protocol. All of the PCMCIA implementations use Plug and Play and have Hot Swapping capabilities. The 16-bit PCMCIA 'PC Card' will operate up to a maximum of 20MBps, or 160Mbps. The actual throughput will depend on the minimum cycle time and the transfer mode and will never reach the maximum throughput rates. Back to the main PCMCIA Bus page.

CableCard is a PCMCIA slot and PCMCIA card, a tuner card that can be inserted into a slot in the TV to replace a cable set-top box.

As of 1/5/2011 it's a bit hard to tell what will happen with CableCard or what the FCC is doing with the requirement. CableCard is based on an obsolete PCMCIA interface. If it comes with a leased or rented set-top-box, the consumer doesn't even know they have it, and if a person purchases a set-top-box they still have to call the cable company to get the CableCard installed or activated. ExpressCard is the replacement for the PC Card version of PCMCIA which CableCard is based on; in addition many PC Card based components just use USB as their new replacement, so PC Card based components are an obsolete interface. Although a smaller form factor is being used by the newer ExpressCard standard. Even the PCMCIA manufacturers association, which promoted PCMCIA has disbanded.

The FCC indicated in October 2010 that "since July 1, 2007, cable operators have deployed more than 22.75 million leased devices pre-equipped with CableCARDs, compared to only 531,000 CableCARDs installed in retail devices connected to their networks."

{PC Card CableCARD Index}

CableCARD Standard Organizations

The PC Card specification was released in 2001; version 8.0

CableCARD Interface 1.0 Specification, OC-SP-CC-IF-C01-050331; March 2005
CableCARD Interface 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCIF2.0-I11-070615; June 2007
CableCARD Interface 2.0 Specification, OC-SP-CCIF2.0-I20-091211; December 2009
Note although the latest CableCard specification is release 20, the revision stayed at 2.0.
However this revision incorporates the latest ECNs.

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association

OpenCable

Although some what un-related to the CableCard interface the FCC ruled the following in Oct. 2010
"Effective July 1, 2011, include both: (A) a DVI or HDMI interface and (B) a connection capable of delivering recordable high definition video and closed captioning data in an industry standard format on all high definition set-top boxes, except unidirectional set-top boxes without recording functionality, acquired by a cable operator for distribution to customers."

{CableCard PC Card Index}

PCMCIA Bus Interface ICs

STMicroelectronics {Multi-Stream CableCARD interface, DOCSIS 2.0+ cable modem chip with channel bonding}

IC Manufacturers {General Listing}

{PCMCIA CableCARD Index}

PCMCIA Connector Manufacturers

The PC Card uses a 68 pin connector, with two rows of 34 pins, with 0.05 inch spacing [1.27mm]. Female pins are used on the card side, male pins on the system end.
The power and ground pins are longer than the signal lines, allowing them to make connect first.

Connector Vendors;
AVX
DDK Electronics, Inc
FCI
Foxconn Electronics
Methode Electronics Inc.
Molex Inc.
OUPIIN America Inc.
Panduit

{CableCard PC Card Index}

PC Card, Pin Out

The table provides the pinout for the 16-bit PC Card.

There are three other card interface pin assignments that are used that differ from the PC Card Mode shown above;
CEA-679 part B [shown below]
S-Mode, S-Card [Single Stream Mode]
M-Mode, M-Card [Multi Stream Mode]. An M-Card will operate in Multi Stream Mode or Single Stream Mode.

CEA-679 part B, Pin Out

CEA-679C is a pinout variant of CableCARD [Consumer Electronic Association].
This pin out version does not seem to be widely used.

The table provides the pinout for the 16-bit PC Card, CEA-679C version.

{CableCard PCMCIA PC Card Index}

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