Boxee and Comcast: Keeping Network Tuners Working

When the FCC was considering whether to let cable operators encrypt the basic tier, one company with a lot at stake was Boxee, whose media players and add-on tuners could receive antenna and clear QAM cable channels. If local channels were encrypted, its customers would lose them. The agreement Boxee reached with Comcast shaped the protections the FCC adopted for third-party devices.

The agreement

Boxee and Comcast filed a joint proposal with the FCC. In the short term, Comcast would offer an HD digital transport adapter with an Ethernet port, which a Boxee device or other IP-enabled clear QAM device could control over the home network using DLNA. Press coverage called it an Ethernet DTA. In the longer term, the companies proposed licensing a way to build the adapter's function directly into third-party devices, so no separate adapter would be needed.

How it shaped the FCC's order

When the FCC allowed all-digital systems to encrypt the basic tier, it relied on a similar commitment from the six largest incumbent cable operators: offer either a networked box or adapter, or licensable security technology, so that IP-enabled clear QAM devices could keep receiving basic-tier channels. Those conditions were set to expire three years after the order unless extended. Boxee and the Consumer Electronics Association argued the protections should go further. See Cable Encryption and Clear QAM.

What happened next

Boxee stopped making the Boxee Box and was later acquired by Samsung. Its services were wound down after the acquisition. Meanwhile, encryption spread across large cable systems.

The episode is still a useful example of the trade-off at the heart of clear QAM: operators gained remote activation and theft protection, while owners of retail tuners depended on operators offering a way in. Today, many viewers who want to use their own equipment combine an antenna for local channels with streaming services. See Over-the-Air Broadcast TV and Choosing a TV Tuner.

Sources

Good to know. Cable lineups, encryption policies, equipment fees and device support are set by each provider and manufacturer and can change. Check with your provider and the sources listed before you buy equipment.
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