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All Digital TVs To Include Copy Restrictions
michael hirschorn writes: "The code would sit in the guts of your digital TV or set-top box and would essentially eat up any bit of programming deemed off limits." Deja vu. It's a recurring theme: every piece of electronics in your home will include code designed to prevent you from using it in any way that Hollywood doesn't like.
That's right friend, it's the citizens of the USA that are trying to ram this down the world's throat. I took a break from my job as a programmer today to meet with the mechanic down the road, the coffee shop clerk, and the local firemen to discuss our further plans to control and censor digital signals around the world. Hell, all us Americans have a hand in this. I'm suprised nobody caught on to this earlier.
I believe you are making the mistake of generalizing that all Americans are behind anything an American (or for that matter Global, and last time I checked Sony was from Japan) company does. This is not an American problem, it's a corporate and government problem, so before you assume that the universally hated USA is behind this, check with the corporations in your back yard. Are they opposing this or right behind it?
Need I remind you of RIP? Do you think it's just our Government and Corporations that are tring to to censor and control things? Please, we have one of the less strict Governments when it comes to censoring the net.
Finkployd
The mass public is too apathetic to get off their soggy arses and demand that they receive better treatment. The hullabaloo you read on Slashdot is an extreme minority view (and even those who cry loudest will are too likely to do nothing).
The mass adult public will be disgruntled, but they'll accept it.
The *kids*, on the other hand, will grow up believing that the normal way of the world is for corporations to have ulimate control over everything.
This begins to sound like a paranoid statement, but I think there's a kernel of truth to it: Corporate America is making moves towards creating a society in which Corporate Government is the accepted norm, and in which citizens are, first and foremost, passive consumers of goods and, secondly, passive labourers in production of goods.
Indeed, it's like the old mining towns, reborn on a national scale. You work for the company and you spend your money at the company store, live in the company house and drive the company car.
We're condemning our kids.
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Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
If there was ever a way to destroy an industry, this seems like it. It appears that if the MPAA and television networks get what they want, they will seriously damage the entire VCR, and the newly growing TiVo-style device market. Along with the digital TV market, and probably television in general.
I can't say I'd be totally upset at them committing what looks like it could very well be suicide, maybe someone else would come along who doesn't worship only the almightly dollar. (in America? hahahaha not a chance)
There are just way too many restrictions they're trying to get here. I know they like the copy-never idea so they can prevent the erosion of the idea of prime-time and the like which devices like TiVo are killing, and by preventing you from taping a show for a friend, or for later, they can look toward services where they can make you PAY to watch it if you didn't catch it at the "free" time (doesn't anyone else think this would be a great marketing idea? like a 'pay archive' of shows).
There has never been any sort of problem with people "copying" shows off of TV in ways harmful to the industry. I don't see how most of those controls are justified in any manner whatsoever except looking toward future profits. Profits they might very well never get if they get their way.
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"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
Under the proposed plan, programs recorded from a given TV will only be viewable on that TV. So, not only will I be unable to view my recorded programs in my den if I recorded them on my living room TV, I'll also have to trash my entire library of recordings when I replace the TV I record them from.
And, as always, these devices will only hurt the average consumer who has never cost "content providers" any money at all, while the big-time "content pirates" will easily find ways around them.
But the thing I hate the most about this whole situation is that, once again, it points out that businesses think I'm a thief and should be treated like one.
I think what the industry is worried about is a "TiVo/Napster" - ie a device that you tell it what show you want to watch, and it will go out on the net and grab a copy right now, without you having to set your schedule around the networks' schedules. With people no longer a slave to live TV, they won't be watching the commercials (because it's easy to skip them or edit them out either on the server that's providing them, or on your playback unit). And the prospect of people watching their content without watching their commercials has network execs shitting their pants.
TiVo is already giving them nightmares, but a TiVo that had access to any TV show or movie in the world with essentially unlimited storage capacity (because it would stream off the server instead of storing it locally) would be too much for them to take.
I have had my TiVo for a month, and I watch a lot more TV, but see far fewer commercials because I fast forward through them. I expect if TiVo catches on that we're going to start seeing blipverts any day now.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
What's the fascination you Americans have with control and censorship? you just don't seem happy unless you're attempting to exert control over others.
Digital TV is here, now, in Europe. No built in copy control. Satellite, cable and broadcast digital television.
But, I guess you'll have to go invent your own standards and multiple versions of them if your mobile phone industry is anything to go by.
Deleted
It's getting worse. Copy protecting will not just be an issue of you not being able to copy your favorite CDs, but it will become an invasion of privacy. In order to "enforce" their copyrighting, companies will monitor what you're doing. Sure, they'll make their mistakes such as not patenting things and the DeCSS incident (e-mail me if you want the code). However, as time goes by new formats will appear and Hollywood will stop producing for the older "non-protected" formats. You'll soon end up with movie players that decrypt the disc, encrypt the output (no in-between recorders will work), and have a TV that decrypts the input.
Of course, even with remote checking, hacks will happen. So now what do they do? They make your regster your machine, and make a license agreement that says that they can come into your house and check your equipment any time that they wish.
Think it's rediculous? Not really. All you need is a few major film companies to decide to use a particular format and refuse to publish in any other format. Either you watch their movies their way, or you don't watch them at all.
Now let us say that you get a boot-let machine and now you're going to order your favorite film, right? They'll think of that too. Each machine will have its own unique key, and in order to have anything sent to them, they'll have to call a service center, send their key and a phone number. The center calls back the number and verifies the key. Oops, now you're registered and they've got your address.
Next argument: you don't have a license on your machine. Their take: so what? We'll place a license on the film saying we can check the equipment your use to watch it, and since they've got your phone number, you're out of luck AGAIN.
Ok, so you've got your machine now, but they can't stop you from using it right? Of course they can. You've just violated their agreement by using non-approved equipment to view their materials. Next step: Court, then a fine, and jail time.
Now, please don't say they won't go that far because nobody will buy it. Give it five years and at this rate people will become apathetic. It's like the book "Animal Farm". You slowly ween them of their food/rights, and then they don't notice. And don't expect people to not go with it just because of the fact that they don't like it. Just wait 'till all the blockbusters are licensed like this. It's their way or the highway - agian.
Be afraid...be very afraid...
Like Karma doesn't matter...
Moderators: -1, nested, oldest first!
SIG: HUP
DIVX failed because it was a small pissant company behind it with no government support. This has the blessing of the FCC, the backing of all the major broadcastors, and all the major electronics producers. Once analog signals are turned off and replaced completly with digital (I predict 5-10 years) you will not have a choice but to upgrade your TV, throw out your usless VCR, replace all your tapes with DVDs and welcome to a pay per view world. Think the public won't stand for this? Neither do I but it COULD work under certain circumstances.
1) They do it slowly...which they have been doing. Nobody is upset (well except for some geeks) over DVD region coding and CSS because it's minor and really doesn't affect them....yet
2) They promise it is for out benefit...They don't have to tell us about all the copy prevention and content control, all Joe Q Public needs to hear is that it's better. Better picture, better sound, even cheaper media (I predict that DVD's will be soon cheaper than VHS, since they are cheaper to produce and they want everyone on a controlable medium.
3) There is no clear "bad guy"...when the customers bitch about the expense of a pay per view world, the FCC will blame the broadcastors for demanding this protection, the broadcastors blame the equipment manufacturers for designing the system they have to use, and the equipment makers blame the FCC for forcing them to use the standard. Even if one of these groups gets hit hard by the public to change back to the old analog system, all three would have to agree.
4) The law...No matter how much you bitch, it's illegal to broadcast non-encrypted and controlled media, it's illegal to make encryption circumvention TVs (oops, already covered under the DMCA), and fair use, while still legal, is impossible.
The only people who see this coming and get mad about it are us. Everyone else sees the possibility of digital quality TV and will be blindsided with the pay per view part after it's too late.
Finkployd