MediaPortal to get CableCARD support

Media Portal is a great Media Center platform with client and server options. Today the MediaPortal team have announced they are working on introducing CableCARD support into MediaPortal. This will be a big step for the platform but there are some limitations , it will only ever support TV shows tagged Copy freely due to DRM restrictions. The team say that they aim to support CableCARD to the same level as other PVR apps like MythTV and SageTV.

Currently there is basic support for Windows 7 32bit but they say they plan to support the 64bit version of Windows 7 as well (no plans for Windows 8).

If you have CableCARD and feel like getting your hands dirty then you can give it a try, details on the MediaPortal forum.

In other MediaPortal news they say that a new build of MediaPortal 2 will be out soon.

Just so we’re clear right from the start, MediaPortal will almost certainly never support anything other than “copy freely” content because of the DRM restrictions and copy protection mechanisms imposed by content producers, cable labs, and the PBDA framework.
Our aim is to provide the same level of support as can be found in MythTV, N-PVR, SageTV and other PVR software.
Anything is better than nothing right?
Approach
Don’t expect a miracle immediately. This will not be a beta support testing thread, at least to begin with. It will be an information gathering, sharing, experimentation, and development thread.
As a first step, I’ve implemented a few tests based on the little information and experience I have in the hope that it will give us the information that we need to take the next step.
I’ve managed to implement basic support using Microsoft’s PBDA framework.
We may also attempt to support the native interface (DRI using UPnP and RTP) at some point in the future.
Requirements
To help with testing you’ll need a CableCARD tuner – at this time I think the available options are a Ceton InfiniTV 4 (PCIe or USB), Silicondust Prime, or Hauppauge DCR-2650.
Windows 7 is required due to the way that we have chosen to add support (PBDA). to support the hardware. I think there may be more chance of success with 32 bit W7 as opposed to 64 bit, At present you’ll need to use a 32 bit flavour of Windows 7, however the ultimate goal includes supporting 64 bit versions of Windows as well.
I will not be supporting Windows 8 or Windows Server versions at this time, so please don’t ask.
The patches that I’ll provide will be for the latest code in GIT. Right now, that means MP 1.3 alpha compatibility only. I do not plan to support MP 1.2.x at this time; please don’t ask.
Copious amounts of time could be required.
Patience and a positive attitude are non-negotiables.