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New HDTV Encryption Obsoletes Sets

Brian Weatherhead writes "I wrote an article, detailing the MPAA's control over your HDTV. Their new standards will make any HDTV bought before 2002 obsolete! Consumers will be upset to say the least." Talks about the different formats for video signals, and copy protection methods for those signals. And yes, if this goes down, anyone with an HDTV without DVI input could very well be watching 480p signals when HDTV standardizes. Fortunately at the rate this stuff has been happening, those TVs will long since have died. But one thing is for sure- with the DMCA, and these new video formats, PVRs could become a thing of the past.

10 of 366 comments (clear)

  1. Suggestion by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 5, Funny

    Message to HDTV equipment owners:

    Let's all get together and rent a cargo plane, load up all our newly obsolete HDTV equipment, and drop it on the MPAA's headquarters. It's pretty heavy stuff; should make a lot of nice holes in the roof, and will hopefully squash some of those responsible.

  2. So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Who *still* watches TV? That's soo 1990's.

    ('cept for Invader Zim of course ;o)

  3. What the hell is this?!?!?!?!?!?! by xeniten · · Score: 4, Funny
    My HDTV is now obsolete....

    My car is now obsolete...

    My existing collection of Blade Runner is now obsolete...

    My copy of Photoshop is now obsolete...

    Sun is obsolete...

    My jacket is obsolete...

    My understanding of copyright laws are obsolete...

    And my abandonware games are obsolete...but they were to begin with...

    : (

    --
    Romana: "How did you know?" Doctor Who: "Ah, well, knowing is easy. Everyone does THAT ad nauseum. I just sort of hope"
    1. Re:What the hell is this?!?!?!?!?!?! by eyeball · · Score: 3, Funny

      Better stick with woman. If properly timed she will become obsolete at the same time you do.

      --

      _______
      2B1ASK1
  4. Re:Glad I didn't buy one.... by StarOwl · · Score: 3, Funny
    Now, the question of the day is this: Which will happen first:
    1. The RIAA and MPAA will use the DMCA to render broadcast media unrecordable; or
    2. The quality of shows broadcast continues to decline to the point of being unwatchable to begin with

    Seriously, unless or until television is rejuvenated with "The CowboyNeal Show", I think that concerns about the RIAA and MPAA hijacking HDTV are little more than alphabet-soup hysteria.

  5. You know what's funny.... by _Knots · · Score: 2, Funny

    The DMCA effectively outlaws higher math. Think about it - data encryption is just complex higher math. Reversing it requires some skill with a data logger / oscilloscope, etc., and quite a bit of work, these days, shuttling mathematics around on paper. At least as far as I've seen.... maybe I'm wrong.

    All somebody has to do to ban Calculus class forever from all highschools in the US is make some encryption based on integration or differentiation. I'm sure that's already happened.... I can see it now: "Calculus, the study of Differential Equations, and all of number theory have been declared unlawful because their primary purpose has become the circumvention of encryption."

    [Moderators - it's supposed to be a joke. Mod appropriately]

    _Knots

    --
    Anarchy$ dd if=/dev/random of=~/.signature bs=120 count=1
  6. Re:First PAGE WIDENING post! by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 0, Funny

    So if it's a company violating your privacy in the interest of profit, you get all pissy about it. If it's a lynch mob violating your privacy in the interest of lynching, it's fine and dandy?

    I don't think you're being very sensitive to the wide-impaired, either.

    In summary: you, sir or madam, are an ass. I thank you for your time and bandwidth.

    Your pal, Jesus.

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
  7. Re:Kaplan Kangeroo court by colmore · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been thinking about this. And I don't think it's possible to get the laws overturned. Congress is far too addicted to the media industry's money. So I say that all concerned artists and appreciators of art (and I mean art in the general all-media sense) pick some country - say... oh, Spain, I hear the weather's nice - and move there. We could establish a new world worth living in.

    I mean... look at the horrible assinine things that the MPAA and the RIAA are doing, then look at the state of movies and music. Sure there's some good stuff coming out, but compare either to the 60's and 70's and, there just isn't the kind of creativity in the business that there once was. And I don't think that's because there aren't any good ideas left, I just think somewhere someone discovered that shit is easier to sell.

    So we should get up and leave.

    --
    In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
  8. Re:Glad I didn't buy one.... by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heeeey...maybe you're on to something there. Maybe the wretched quality of television is intentional, to prevent people from copying it.

  9. pain-in-the-ASSES? by sulli · · Score: 3, Funny

    You mean more than one person actually owns an HDTV set?

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.