A peek under the hood

Digital set-tops ticketed for North American cable operators come in varied shapes and sizes, and harness mottled levels of muscle power and overall capabilities. In the following pages, we've sifted through and profiled most of the models still on sale today, as well as a few that are on the docket for later this year and into 2003.

DCP501 Home Theater System

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Q2 2002
Approx. cost per unit	$899 MSRP
CPU clock	27 MHz
MIPS	–10 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VRTX
Middleware platform(s) supported	Cableware (WorldGate), Liberate, OpenTV
Internal encryption/conditional access	MediaCipher
On-board cable modem?	No
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	2 MB graphics; 2 MB FLASH
Graphics details	Up to 704 x 480 resolution
S-Video port optional/standard?	Optional
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported (HPNA, 802.11x, etc.)	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Features a DVD/CD/MP3 player, a digital audio/video receiver and an interactive digital cable receiver.

Explorer 3200

Manufacturer	Scientific-Atlanta
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	About $300, based on volume
CPU clock	166 MHz
MIPS	166 MIPS
Operating system(s)supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s)supported	Liberate, Wink, Cableware (WorldGate), ICTV, Microsoft
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey, 3DES, DESX, Harmony, Super Scrambling
On-board cable modem?	No, but includes on-board DAVIC
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB DRAM;4 MB FLASH
Graphics details	640 x 480 resolution; 64 K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Standard front panel USB port; standard Smart Card reader.

BMC8000

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Q4 2002
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	566 MHz
MIPS	X-86
Operating system(s) supported	Linux
Middleware platform(s) supported	Digeo Inc.'s Moxi
Internal encryption/conditional access	Leverages DigiCipher II from companion DCT2000 set-top
On-board cable modem?	Yes
Tuners	Leverages two (one in-band; one out-of-band) from the companion DCT2000
Memory details	System: 64 MB; option up to 192 GB Video: 32 MB
Graphics details	2D/3D up to 720 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	802.11b
On-board DVR functionality?	Yes
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	80 GB standard; option up to 120 GB
Notes/special features	Motorola's BMC8000 is a gateway that works as a companion to the DCT2000 and other STBs.

BMC9000

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Mid-2003
Approx. cost per unit	$300-$400 per TV (including BMC extension modules), based on household with 2-3 TVs.
CPU clock	650 MHz
MIPS	X-86
Operating system(s) supported	Linux
Middleware platform(s) supported	Digeo Inc.'s Moxi
Internal encryption/conditional access	DigiCipher II
On-board cable modem?	Yes
Tuners	2 video and 1 DOCSIS
Memory details	128 MB; option up to 256 MB Video: 32 MB
Graphics details	2D/3D up to 720 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	802.11a, 802.11b, coax remodulation
On-board DVR functionality?	Yes
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	80 GB standard
Notes/special features	Integrated media center for digital video, voice and data services.

DCT5100

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	162 MHz
MIPS	300+ MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VRTX, WinCE or Linux
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, Microsoft TV
Internal encryption/conditional access	MediaCipher
On-board cable modem?	Yes
Tuners	Two in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	DRAM: 64 MB standard; option up to 128 MB FLASH: 16 MB standard; option up to 32 MB
Graphics details	2D/3D, up to 720 x 480 resolution
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Yes
Home networking protocols supported (HPNA, 802.11x, etc.)	HomePNA, Ethernet, USB, 1394, external wireless dongle
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Advanced digital STB with integrated HD support along with DOCSIS cable modem.

Explorer 3100HD

Manufacturer	Scientific-Atlanta
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	About $375, based on volume
CPU clock	130 MHz
MIPS	130 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, Wink, Cableware (WorldGate), ICTV, Microsoft
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey, 3DES, DESX, Harmony, Super Scrambling
On-board cable modem?	DOCSIS and DAVIC
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB DRAM 8 MB FLASH
Graphics details	Up to 1920 x 1080i resolution, 65K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Yes
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Standard front panel USB port.

DCT5200

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Early/mid-2003
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	162 MHz
MIPS	300+ MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VRTX, WinCE or Linux
Middleware platform(s)supported	Liberate, MSTV
Internal encryption/conditional access	MediaCipher
On-board cable modem?	Yes
Tuners	Two in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	DRAM: 64 MB standard, option up to 128 MB FLASH: 16 MB standard, option up to 32 MB
Graphics details	2D/3D, up to 720 x 480 resolution
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Yes
Home networking protocols supported	HomePNA, Ethernet, USB, 1394, external wireless dongle
On-board DVR functionality?	Yes
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	40, 60, 80 GB
Notes/special features	DCT5200 offers all the capabilities of Motorola's DCT5100 plus integrated PVR support.

Explorer 8000

Manufacturer	Scientific-Atlanta
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	$650 per unit list
CPU clock	Dual 164 MHz processors
MIPS	328 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, Wink, Cableware (WorldGate), ICTV, Microsoft
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey, 3DES, DESX, Harmony, Super Scrambling
On-board cable modem?	DOCSIS and DAVIC
Tuners	Two in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB DRAM, 8 MB FLASH
Graphics details	640 x 480, 65 K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Yes, by year-end 2002
Home networking protocols supported	Optional HomePNA and 802.11x
On-board DVR functionality?	Yes
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	80 GB standard
Notes/special features	Analog/digital picture-in-picture, standard front panel USB port, standard IEEE 1394 support.

Voyager 3000

Manufacturer	Pioneer
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	Mid-to-upper $200
CPU clock	Dual 81 MHz processor
MIPS	85 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	PowerTV
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey; compliant with Harmony, DVB/DES Decryptor codecs
On-board cable modem?	No, but does include on-board DAVIC
Tuners	One-in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	4 MB FLASH; 16 MB SDRAM; 4 KB NVRAM
Graphics details	MPEG-2 video decompression, MP@ML (ISO/IEC 13818-2) Variable bit-rate 1.5 to 15 Mbps, with various levels of resolution: 704 x 480, 352 x 480 and 544 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Supported in the 3511HD
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special feature	IEEE 1394 optional.

Pace 550 HD

Manufacturer	Pace Micro Technology
Availability	1st half of 2003
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	Dual 81 MHz processors
MIPS	162 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	PowerTV; others not disclosed by company
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey
On-board cable modem?	DAVIC 1.2 (DVS 167)
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	32 MB DRAM, 4 MB FLASH, 2 MB MPEG SDRAM
Graphics details	640 x 480, 65K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Standard
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	HD video scaling, graphics overlay on HD, IEEE 1394 support, 480i upscaling.

Pace 500 Digital Cable Gateway

Manufacturer	Pace Micro Technology
Availability	Since Nov. 2000
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	Dual 81 MHz processors
MIPS	162 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	PowerTV, others not disclosed by company
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey
On-board cable modem?	DAVIC 1.2 (DVS 167)
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB DRAM, 4 MB FLASH, 2 MB MPEG SDRAM
Graphics details	640 x 480, 65K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Energy Star Qualified; audio and video loop-through USB host.

DCT2000

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	$289-$300*
CPU clock	27 MHz
MIPS	–10 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VRTX
Middleware platform(s) supported	Cableware (WorldGate), Liberate, OpenTV
Internal encryption/conditional access	DigiCipher II
On-board cable modem?	No
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	2 MB graphics, 2 MB FLASH
Graphics details	Up to 704 x 480 resolution
S-Video port optional/standard?	Optional
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A

DHG-M55

Manufacturer	Sony Corp.
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	324 MHz
MIPS	300+ MIPS
Operating system(s)supported	VxWorks
Middleware platform(s)supported	SonySAM (HTML/JavaScript/ATVEF/SSL), CDK
Internal encryption/conditional access	DVB/DES descrambler
On-board cable modem?	Yes
Tuners	Single tuner for in-band video services and an additional tuner for out-of-band and data services over DOCSIS
Memory details	64 MB SDRAM; 32 MB FLASH
Graphics details	3D/2D
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	HD pass-through over IEEE 1394
Home networking protocols supported	AV/C commands over 1394
On-board DVR functionality?	No, but architecture is designed to support DVR interface
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	IDE, 40/80 GB hard drive optional
Notes/special features	USB host x2, USB peripheral (for VoIP adapter) x1, MemoryStick slot, EIA-7816 smart card slot for affinity applications, Dolby Digital optical and coaxial outputs.

Pace 700 Digital Cable Gateway

Manufacturer	Pace Micro Technology
Availability	2nd half of 2002
Approx. cost per unit	N/A
CPU clock	250 MHz
MIPS	300+ MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VxWorks
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, OpenTV, Microsoft TV and OCAP-compliant platforms
Internal encryption/conditional access	Motorola DigiCipher II
On-board cable modem?	DOCSIS 1.1
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB RAM (expandable to 32 MB);32 MB SDRAM (expandable to 64 MB); 256 KB NVRAM
Graphics detail	Multi-plane graphics,HDTV and all format decode
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Standard (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i)
Home networking protocols supported	Ethernet port for DOCSIS modem bridging
On-board DVR functionality?	Build option
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	40 GB–expandable
Notes/special features	HD video scaling, graphics overlay on HD, IEEE 1394 support, OpenCable build option, dual USB (one front panel, one back panel).

Voyager 3511HD

Manufacturer	Pioneer
Availability	4Q 2002
Approx. cost per unit	Voyager 3000 unit cost + roughly $80 for HD component
CPU clock	Dual 81 MHz processor
MIPS	85 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	PowerTV
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey; compliant with Harmony, DVB and DES Decryptor codecs
On-board cable modem?	No, but does include on-board DAVIC
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	16 MB SDRAM; 4 MB FLASH; 2 MB MPEG; 16 MB (HDTV MPEG decoding, MP@HO or HD)
Graphics details	Levels of resolution ranging from 704 x 480, 352 x 480 and 544 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	Yes
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A

Explorer 4200

Manufacturer	Scientific-Atlanta
Availability	Aug. 2002
Approx. cost per unit	$425-$450, based on volume
CPU clock	Dual 164 MHz processors
MIPS	328 MIPS
Operating system(s)supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s)supported	Liberate, Wink, Cableware (WorldGate), ICTV, Microsoft
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey, 3DES, DESX, Harmony, Super Scrambling
On-board cable modem?	Yes, DOCSIS, plus on-board DAVIC
Tuners	Two in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	32 MB DRAM; 8 MB FLASH
Graphics details	640 x 480 resolution, 64K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	HomePNA and 802.11x supported via Ethernet port
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Standard front and rear panel USB ports and standard Ethernet port.

DCT2500

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Late 2002
Approx. cost per unit	$300*
CPU clock	175 MHz
MIPS	175 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VX Works
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, OpenTV, Cableware (WorldGate)
Internal encryption/conditional access	MediaCipher
On-board cable modem?	No
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	DRAM/Graphics: 8 MB to 64 MB; FLASH: 4 MB to 16 MB
Graphics details	Resolution up to 720 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Optional
Standard HD support?	Via HDD-200
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	No
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Motorola's enhanced interactive digital STB, providing more memory and processing capabilities than the baseline DCT2000.

DCT2600

Manufacturer	Motorola Broadband
Availability	Early 2003
Approx. cost per unit	$350*
CPU clock	175 MHz
MIPS	175 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	VX Works
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, OpenTV, Cableware (WorldGate)
Internal encryption/conditional access	MediaCipher
On-board cable modem?	No
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	DRAM/Graphics: 8 MB to 64 MB; FLASH: 4 MB to 16 MB
Graphics details	Resolution up to 720 x 480
S-Video port optional/standard?	Optional
Standard HD support?	Via HDD-200
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	Yes
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	40 GB – 80 GB
Notes/special features	DCT2600 adds integrated PVR support to the DCT2500.

Explorer 2200

Manufacturer	Scientific-Atlanta
Availability	Now
Approx. cost per unit	Approx. $300 per unit, based on volume
CPU clock	166 MHz
MIPS	166 MIPS
Operating system(s) supported	PowerTV
Middleware platform(s) supported	Liberate, Wink, Cableware (WorldGate), ICTV, Microsoft
Internal encryption/conditional access	PowerKey, 3DES, DESX, Harmony, Super Scrambling
On-board cable modem?	No, but does include on-board DAVIC
Tuners	One in-band; one out-of-band
Memory details	8 MB DRAM; 4 MB FLASH
Graphics details	640 X 480, 65 K colors
S-Video port optional/standard?	Standard
Standard HD support?	No
Home networking protocols supported	N/A
On-board DVR functionality?	N/A
Internal hard drive size or hard drive size options/range	N/A
Notes/special features	Standard Smart Card reader; standard front panel USB port.