CableCARD
CableCARD is the trademarked term for the Point of Deployment module (POD) defined by standards including SCTE 28, SCTE 41, CEA-679 and others. The CableCard is inserted into a host (typically a television set) in order to implement proprietary decoding. The cable tuner and QPSK demodulator themselves are part of the host device, as is the MPEG decoder. The role of the card is to control the tuner, filter and process its output, and perform any conditional access and decryption functions. This results in an MPEG stream decoded by the host.
The card can also act as a cable modem controller, again with the host providing modulation and demodulation functions, and the card providing decoding and IP routing functionality.
The drawback of current generation CableCARDs is that they are one way only. This means that most programming guides, and all Pay-Per-View and Video on Demand content is not available to users of CableCARD technology. This may be why the major cable companies advise consumers against purchasing Digital Cable Ready (DCR) Televisions.
No cable networks in Canada currently support CableCARD.