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And not to forget these intriguing modded receiver boxes that provide Firewire output from various satellite and cable receivers (that do cost, however)...

If you already have the computer equipment, the cost for adding an encoder card and a MediaMVP client is about $200 -- less than the cost of a moderately-sized Tivo/ReplayTV unit with the lifetime subscription.

HDTV changes the cost equation further -- right now, the only HD DVRs I know of are $900. I can add a pcHDTV HD-3000 card for $190, and a Roku box for each client for $299 (note I don't have one and don't know for sure it will be able to be a MythTV client, but it should just be a small matter of programming :). With HD, I can take the recorded HD programs and transcode them into widescreen SD for my widescreen NTSC TV as well. Add in the concern about the broadcast flag, removing the ability to skip ads, and forcing you to see adds, it seems like open source only looks better and better. Granted, if you want HD from satellite the only solution currently is something more expensive, like from http://169time.com/.

I am quite happy with my ReplayTV units, but I can see the day where they won't be that useful, and I want to start building my next-generation system.

SPDC and Format Security

Formats with Self-Protecting Digital Content(TM) solve this problem by enabling discs to carry their own security software that runs in a tiny security interpreter (VM) in each player. This software can identify and correct security problems in the player, re-establishing secure playback without revoking legitimate users' players. This capability is called system renewability or true renewability.

Who thought this up? Emulation of a player's security VM in software would eliminate the renewability of the security anyway, just as a comprimised key would. You'd have to resort to revoking the ability of a certain hacked or emulated VM to decrypt the content anyway.

This whole thing is asinine. With the right equipment you can make bit-for-bit copies of CSS-protected DVD's, thus "pirating" them withouth having to break any security whatsoever. It would be reasonable to assume this may be possible with any HD disc format as well. With any HD player, unless you integrate the codec processor into the security processor, you can probably build some hardware to get at the decrypted datastream too (169time.com does this type of hack).

DirecTV and digital cable and all that use this same model, only this replaces the smartcard with essentially a more limited type of smartcard on each disc. The model works with directv because to hack it you must be able to decrypt the live stream for immediate viewing. With a DVD this is not the case - you only need to be able to decrypt it once then distribute the decrypted copy. Only one person need have a hacked piece of hardware to accomplish this. This is where the true "priacy" is taking place anyawy. All this new junk does is just make players more expensive and discs harder to watch.

I am not an expert, but I have two ideas for you. They both seem to work with satellite. I dunno about Cable. http://www.nextcomwireless.com/r5000/news.htm http://www.169time.com/

These guys: http://169time.com/ will add FireWire to your DirecTV, Dish STBs so that you can do this. They also provide a How-To guide for recording in High-Def. You can just FireWire pipe this into your HTPC and rock and roll!

DVHS is an awesome archival format. Any DVHS player you buy has an extremely high quality ADC so you can record hours of old VHS tapes onto DVHS-about 9 hours per DVHS at virtually indistinguishable from source copy.

Also, you can go to 169time to get an STB with HD-firewire out. Expensive, but not copyright-crippled at all...not too shabby!

These guys: http://169time.com/ will add FireWire to your DirecTV, Dish STBs so that you can do this. They also provide a How-To guide for recording in High-Def.

You don't deserve my help, but I feel sorry for you, pasty-faced couch humper. Check out 169time.com. And tell 'em Bucky sent ya, pasty-faced couch humper!

Hi Dan, this is Dan! What a great Slashdot article, eh?

FYI, to the readers. "captaineo" did nearly all work on our mpeg1394 driver to make linux1394 emulate a D-VHS deck (minus DTheater support). While he wants to output content he generates to his D-VHS deck, I have been working with http://www.169time.com/ to provide interoperability with their HDVR product. This HDVR mod lets one record, completely digitally, HDTV broadcasts off-the-air or from DirecTV to D-VHS. They will soon be releasing the satellite functionality as a device based on GNU/Linux. The mpeg1394 driver could provide them with a PVR solution down the road, but for now it will let you roll your own very basic digital disk recorder.

If you are at all interested in HDTV recording, check it out and support 169time.

You might want to check out a satelite or HD tuner with a firewire modification. Run it through your computer via firewire, do any scaling necessary in software, and display using whatever display device you prefer (24" LCD, 50"-60" Plasma, projector).

Contrary to popular myth, DVDs viewed using a computer and the proper software scaling look better than anything consumer or even most prosumer products can deliver. Anyone telling you "it looks best on an old interlaced TV" simply hasn't done their research, or has limited their lines of inquiry to traditional, consumer media electronics (i.e. they haven't considered a PC with good scaling and filtering software).

have fun! :-)