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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.
They're putting the encryption on the DIGITAL connection. Analog connections will NOT be deliberately obsoleted. My HDTV is connected via analog; is yours?
The article predicts that hardware with analog outputs will become harder to find in the future, but that doesn't mean they'll disappear completely, and by the time they've nearly gone, I'll bet I'll have reason to upgrade anyway.
Actually, No..
Take a look at the box your HDTV Set Top Box came in, or look at the manual. It includes the capability to "down-res" the analog output, if copyright holders so choose.
That is what is obsoleting your old set. When the industry decides that DVI is the only acceptable interface, they flip the switch, and the 1080i signal is now down-res'd to 480p.
What a luxury, to be an industry that can spit on consumers & still flourish. In fact, HDTV owners are often some of the biggest movie fans, trying to get the best quality possible for their movie viewing. And the movie industry says "screw you"!
Nobody is broadcasting in HDTV? All major networks are broadcasting things in HDTV. Hook up an antenna. Here are the following shows I can watch _just tonight_ on my HDTV:
ABC: Tarzan, Alias, The Practice
CBS: Eduction of Max Bickford, Rosa Parks Story
Fox: Simpsons, Malcom, Bernie Mac
NBC: Winter olympics
UPN: Buffy
and more.. movie channels HBO, Showtime, etc.
Unless you live in the boonies, most major networks are indeed broadcasting in HDTV OTA. HDTV programming is available via satellite for DirectTV and Dish network. HDTV is available via cable for those with certain cable companies (time warner and a few others).
Next time you post something, try getting a clue and stop karma whoring with your political rhetoric.
No. The FCC regulates over-the-air transmissions of television and they have standardized ATSC which is basically unencrypted MPEG-2 at a maximum data rate of 19 Mbps. ATSC also has AC-3 support just in case PBS wants to broadcast surround sound.
The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
I guess I'm really not worried about these format changes because I bought a mitsubishi, which comes with this gurantee: http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/PROMISE.html I am quit happy with my HDTV. Watching the Olympics right now, go USA!
One note we can take from the history of a commercially unsuccessful product is DAT copy protection. DAT had the potential to become a consumer audio format, but the industry was really worried about copy protection since with DAT you can make perfect digital copies. They put in a copy protection "feature" called SCMS Serial copy management system. After a few years deck manufactures started producing decks that defeat SCMS. Maybe this will happen with HDTV media protection. If not, I'm sure somebody will figure out a way to bypass it or reverse engineer it.
On a side note, any of you thinking of spending $1500 on certain SACD and/or DVD-Audio players right now, might wanna do some reading too :)
I paid $239 for my Toshiba SD-5700 progressive scan DVD player. It has built in DVD-Audio and MP3 support. It's amazing how cheap devices can get when there are competing standards (SACD).
Over-the-air HDTV broadcasts aren't encrypted (and probably won't be), so they probably won't ban PC-HDTV cards.
You'll never be able to legally feed HD DirecTV into your PC, though.
As someone that works in the HDTV industry, broadcasters use the ATSC standard for HDTV broadcasts. Where does MPAA come in to this equation?
Most hardware manufacturers have been fighting this. So much so that Disney feels the need to blame them for "preventing progress."
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See Preston Padden, VP at Disney play spin doctor on this one right here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
I work in one of the companies that owns a TV network.
Yes, the new standards are intended to be used by OTA local TV stations. They plan to instruct decoders to down-res any non-secure compliant setups.
So, people that watch over the air HDTV now and enjoy 1080i & 720p broadcasts, will eventually be watching 480i/p versions unless they upgrade to the new compliant hardware.
Insane? Yes.
Foolhardy? Yes.
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The article clearly states that you'll have to buy new equipment, *even if they don't use the encryption*.
1) HD-DVD
HDTV needs about 20 Mb/s compressed (broadcast quality) to 24 Mb/s depending on quality , so a two hour video needs over 20 GB of disc space. Besides capacity, the DVD format only supports a 9 Mb/s transfer rate, making even short portions of HD content unavailable on DVD.
You'll have to buy a new DVD player in order to play HD-DVDs.
2) HD-TVs currently get their signal via component cables. Those are ANALOG. Everybody knows that you need DIGITAL connections for the best quality.
DVI was developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) and has been chosen by the industry as the digital video connectivity solution. With a maximum capacity of 1.65 Gb/s per TMDS link (3 data channels per link, 2 links possible per connector), DVI is just right for high resolution video. The new(er) standard affords digital audio as well.
You'll need a HDTV with DVI connections to receive a digital signal.
Now, the MPAA wants to add copy protection to the digital signal. That sucks big donkey, but that's totally besides the point. You'll need to buy new sets anyway.