Hello,

Does anyone know if Bang & Olufsen will offer a CableCARD or QAM tuner in their video products, which could include the BS3?

I happily own an Avant, but am hoping both of these components will be added.

Thanks for your time.

Hi,

as far as i know, only DVB-T (terrestrial) and DVB-S (satellite) are built into some B&O products
(or are available as option)  

BeoSystem 3 has a PUC (Peripheral Unit Controller), which lets you control external devices,
such as Set Top Box.

The slots in BeoSystem 3, f.e. the PCMCIA and SMARTCARD-slot are for satellite (unsure)  

Just noticed (comparing BeoSystem 3 Reference Guide of the European and US version)
that the US version of the BeoSystem 3 is different and doesn't seem to have
the additional PCMCIA and SMARTCARD-slots.

US version of BeoSystem 3 

European version of BeoSystem 3 :

 But even without these slots, i'm pretty sure that you can control the cable-tuner with it.

 I'm sure there are other who can tell you more about this.

Ignace,

Thanks so much for the side-by-side comparison.  Perhaps, there is a licensing issue that prevents the addition of these components in the US at this time.

I see so many new TVs at the store that feature CableCARD.  (I only look, as I would not consider the idea of any products that lack Masterlink.)  There is also a new format for CableCARD that allows for two-way communication.

The built-in ATSC tuner of the North American Beosystem 3 as well as the one in BV-7 and BV-9 already supports QAM: it can receive UNENCRYPTED digital cable channels (including standard definition and audio only channels). I have tested it on my own set.

To enable QAM reception, you have to set "Cable" instead of "Antenna" in the setup menu of the digital tuner (DTV).

Cable cards are another story: apparently this is a dying system since cable companies want to sell set top boxes that are more easily customizable to provide pay per view TV or other services. In Canada, no cable company supports cable cards. So perhaps B&O will never offer that possibility.

Sony TVs sold in Canada also only provide "clear QAM " (unencrypted)  reception.

Regards,

Jean