I finally got digital cable (Cox OKC) about 2 months ago. I went with CableCARD (Scientific Atlanta if it matters) to save ~$3/month and because I didn't want to use their STB and remote. The Cox installer told me it would most likely suck (as did other people). And it did. I knew almost immediately that it was not gonna work but put off switching to a STB till now. Football is almost here. :D

So, it really doesn't matter at this point but I'm really curious...

Is CableCARD tech. simply worthless ?
Is it Cox that doesn't know how to use it?
Is it my Sony tv?
All the above?

I apologize if there is some giant thread discussing how great/crappy CableCARD is as I couldn't find it. :)

CableCard technology is pretty flaky. Depending on who you are, you may be more inclined to blame the concept, the hardware implementation, or the support provided by the service provider. There is no definitive answer to your question -- all you can hope for in response is to witness an argument between the various factions disagreeing about what the answer actually is.

And yes, there are existing threads within which you can check out those arguments already. Here's one: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=557810

1)CC works... but with limitations.
2) It's an "adequate" solution.
3) Cableco's and techs are either ill informed or technically incompetent.
4) When CC2 is available, you'll need a new TV take advantage of the bi-directional capabilities.... or get an external STB.

Thanks for the link to that thread bicker1. Must have been the plural that did me in. ;)

CC works just fine for me, but I'm not one of those who needs a guide, PPV, MOD, etc. I think most people rail against it because it doesn't allow for all the features they are used to.

There was an intresting discussion on this just today on Broadband Reports.

Comcast: CableCARDS Really, Really Complicated (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-CableCARDS-Really-Really-Complicated-86688)

The cards apparently require a special visit from a Comcast astrophysicist to install, and even they can't seem to get the things working within four hours. The Washington Post blog notes that Comcast blames the complexity of the third-party devices that require the cards (such as TiVOHD) for these installation headaches:

Personally I am waiting for CC-2 technology to be in order. I gave up eairly adopting years ago.