[geeks] Virtualization-supporting Celeron

[nate at portents.com]

> In case anyone was interested, the cheap, 64-bit, virtualization-
> supporting 2.4 GHz w/ 1 Meg cache Celeron is $53 @ newegg, it is an
> E3200 Wolfdale piece.
>
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116265&cm_re=Celeron_CPU-_-19-116-265-_-Product
>
> There is an E3300 part, for $60 @ newegg as well.

These have been out for a little while, and I think it's Intel's reaction
to their earlier stupidity in stripping out features in their low-end
processors unnecessarily, and AMD being more sane and leaving them in.

> I got one a while ago, but haven't put it together (yet) - was goig to
> build a HTPC, but I had issues with digital cable reception and lost
> my motivation. Comcast requires a converter box, and that tripped me
> up...

Comcast doesn't so much require a converter box as they are encrypting
most (if not all) of their digital cable lineup while removing the analog
cable signal, and would like you to think you need to rent a cable box. 
This digital transition isn't complete in all markets, but most if not all
cable providers are in the process of doing it (RCN called their
transition "digital crush" in internal documents).  Rural areas will be
last, more urban/dense areas first.

The FCC requires all cable providers to give any customer who asks for a
cable box with a Firewire port (for changing the channel and digitally
recording shows over Firewire), so you can certainly request that from
your cable provider and use software in Windows or Linux to record one
show at a time per cable box you rent.  See these links for more info:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/FireWire

http://wiki.mythtv.org/wiki/Firewire_Cable_Box_Compatibility

The FCC also mandated that consumers be allowed to buy cable boxes
themselves to own, however the cable companies have used their existing
lock on the market to indirectly (or perhaps directly, and secretly) put
pressure on cable box makers not to make any cable boxes available for
purchase by consumers.

You also have the Cable Card decoder option (Cable Card being a PCMCIA
card your rent from your cable company for anywhere from $1-$5 per month
that has some unique decryption keys that your cable company records and
then permits to decrypt the digital stream).  Cable Card *used* to only be
an option available to OEMs (meaning you had to buy a complete "Media
Center PC" from an authorized box builder for a significant premium),
which was restricted by the company Cable Labs by putting additional keys
in the BIOS of those PCs that authorized the use of the Cable Card
decoder.  Then members of the public figured out where those keys were
stored, and also figured out how to inject those keys into modified BIOS
files in standard motherboards so anyone who wanted to build their own
HTPC and use a Cable Card decoder could, so I think as a result of that
Cable Labs decided to release their restrictions recently and the last I
heard they were going to let anyone use a Cable Card decoder on a custom
built PC - you'll just have to also use Windows Media Center, as I don't
think there is any support for Cable Card decoders in MythTV.  Windows
Media Center also imposes even more stringent DRM that solutions such as
TiVo, where last I checked there was no way to transfer shows off Windows
Media Center and play them back or transcode them on another PC.

- Nate