Microsoft Media Center team member Matt Goyer has a popular blog about all the latest MCE comings and goings, and he's just posted a FAQ about Media Center on Windows Vista.

Most of the interesting questions are about Open Cable Uni-directional Receivers, better known as OCUR, which in layman's terms is a CableCard reader, which will allow high-quality digital cable (including HD content) on PCs, replacing the current crop of TV tuner cards. From the blog post:

Q: Will I be able to buy a CableCard reader off the shelf, a video card off the shelf, and be able to play back [OCUR] content?
A: No.

Q: Can I stream that protected [OCUR] content to an Extender?
A: Yes

Q: When are you going to provide more information about OCUR?
A: Soon. I'm sorry that we can't provide a firm date.

None of this is really new news, but it reemphasizes that you (at least initially) won't be able to upgrade your current rig to take CableCard, but instead have to buy a CableLabs-certified system with the technology built in.

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