What is the difference between a cable box and a cable card?

Question

What is the difference between a cable box and a cable card?

Answer 1

A cablebox is a stand alone box, the cable tuners and such are built into the box and don't rely on the tv to do anything.

Some tv's (and pvr's and other devices) have a built in tuner capable of receiving the digital signals from the cable company, but the cable company encrypts almost all of its digital programming, so the cable card works with the devices built in tuner to control the encryption and channel packages you have access to.  Think of it as what authorizes what you have access to.  The cable company can still control the cable card remotely ("hitting it") to control what channels and packages you have access to.

It has nothing to do with a PC (unless you get a digital cable tuner for your PC that has a cable card slot).

Answer 2

a cable box is a stand alone box that attaches to tv or broadband modem, a cable card is a PC card for cable tuning on a PC