Dual CableCARD Media Centers from Cannon PC

Cannon PC has entered a partnership with Microsoft to produce dual CableCARD media center PCs, with quad-card systems coming in the near future.

Boutique media center developer Cannon PC has announced an OEM agreement with Microsoft that will enable it to offer dual CableCARD-equipped media center PCs in its Home and Pro A/V product series. And if two CableCARDs aren’t enough to meet your viewing and recording needs, the company says quad-CableCARD versions will be available in the “near future.”

“We are excited about our partnership with Microsoft and the opportunity to offer our customers Digital CableCARD” said Gregg Cannon of Cannon PC, in a statment. “Cannon PC has worked hard over the years to establish itself and major player in the media center market and CableCARD will allow us to bring the next level of this exciting technology to our customers.”

CableCARDs, in theory, enable users to tap into digital cable offerings from cable operators without using one of the operator’s own set-top box devices. The idea is to provide better integration with users’ home theater and television systems, enabling them to define the system based on their needs, rather than building it around the limitations and restrictions of a set-top box. Cannon PC’s announcement comes just a day after Sony and six major U.S. cable operators agreed on a standard for two-way CableCard systems, which in the future will enable CableCard-equipped systems to tap into interactive features like program guides and on-demand programming.

Cannon PC offers Home and Pro A/V lines of media center systems, all of which feature dual NTSC and HDTV tuners, 7.1 HD audio, high-end ATI or Nvidia graphics cards, support for up to 8 GB of RAM, and up to 6 terabytes of internal storage, a 28-in-1 media car reader, front-panel I/O, and some models include support for optical drives. The EX model features an integrated 12-inch HD touchscreen.

Cannon PC did not announce time frames or pricing information on CableCard-equipped systems.