Anyone know anything about CableCards and programming?

Specifically - how/where might someone find a company that sells the hardware required to program them?

Backstory:

I work for a company in my small town that provides telephone service, cable television, and internet services. I work on the ISP side - but we're a tight, small, integrated bunch. We're currently in the process of developing and rolling out cable internet to the small neighboring town where they do not have our telephone service. We bought out Charter and have switched everyone onto our cable system.

SO - I got a new Vista Ultimate pc a few days ago and have it set up on my desk at work (until I get the motivation to drag it home) poking at it, playing with it, installing updates, etc. (How cool is MY job? I get paid to play with my personal toys all day. w00t!) It has a tv tuner in it, and I'm thinking I'm going to hook it up in the living room, to the entertainment system. While I'm researching that whole deal I start reading about different tuners, digital vs. analog, etc. I find a specific device made by ATI that handles digital cable and HDTV (not currently in production at my company) but requires a CableCard to function without the set top box. So I start talking to my boss about it - and he's all gung ho about me digging into this further and seeing what we can accomplish. He also just ordered (for work use) a new laptop that has Vista Ultimate on it - and he's telling me that he HAS that ATI tuner w/ his laptop. Suuuuuuuuuure, I think. I tell him that's unlikely, if not impossible, so he looks what I'm talking about up online. Then he tells me that YES, he thinks he has one in the box his laptop came in, pulls it out, and SURE ENOUGH. He's got exactly the device I'm talking about.

So by now, we're both geeking out with excitement over the prospects. So he calls one of the higher ups and asks what we need to DO - and as for the cards we either have them or (more likely) can easily get them. What we NEED is a "programmer" - something that we can use to program the cards to our specifications. A research project I've been given. I can't find much online, as it seems most information is geared toward consumers ONLY.

DUers freak me out with their breadth of knowledge very frequently, so I thought it's worth a shot to ask here.

Anyone have any ideas?

:loveya:

Prepare thyself.

B-)

Perfect to keep that server farm cool. :D

Have you checked with them?

But I think whatever drives the programming is something different. Not entirely sure ... The boss did call our set top box and cable modem supplier - they're supposed to check into it and get back with us. I guess it's not widely in use yet, or something.