Will We Need A SmartCard to Watch Digital TV?

An anonymous reader writes "This story on EE Times points out that Hollywood and major electronics manufacturers are in agreement on a SmartCard requirement for digital video interconnectivity. Note that the article talks about them 'closing the analog hole.'"

Comments

Probably a stupid question, but...

[SteweyGriffin]

My 35" TV is probably eight years old and ready to be replaced. Is now a good time to buy a new TV, or are there worthwhile developments in the pipeline (Bluetooth?) that make it worth waiting 12 months?

Yeah

[IamTheRealMike]

Yes, you'll need a smartcard (for pay tv) and yes, it will be cracked pretty quickly. At least, if the experience in the UK is anything to go by.

Here ONdigital collapsed after pirated cards flooded the markets. The Canal+ card/crypto system was broken. There was later a scandal when it was revealed that the team of hackers who broke it appeared to have significant backing from News Corp who operated the rival Sky TV which used its own crypt system.

This article talks about watermarking which is a tad more advanced than what's used here, but it makes little difference. The cards will be cracked, cloned, whatever. They should see what is going on outside their own borders.

The Truth?

[9Numbernine9]

Frankly, some of those additional requirements [demanded by Hollywood] have nothing to do with copy protection, but a lot to do with studios' own business models," Jaboulet said.

Truer words were never spoken. A desire by Hollywood to protect its copyright is one issue, but trying to restrict my right to do whatever I want with my property is another. [Oh right, I forgot I don't actually own that DVD - Fair use, anyone?]

Besides - any guesses as to how long it'll be before this is circumvented? Place your bets!

Just a little bit of help ?!

[-Grover]

Courtesy of this /. article which links to this story on Information Week, you can see it's all pretty much summed up here.

For SmartRight to be effective, it would have to be adopted by makers of high-definition TVs, set-top boxes, digital video recorders, and PCs. Thomson makes high-definition televisions, set-top boxes, and satellite television hardware, but it would need the cooperation of computer makers and legislators, who would have to mandate the inclusion of the technology in future hardware

Seems to me this is still a ways off even if Philips decides to adopt it as there is still plenty of resistance from other angles. I wouldn't be shivering just yet. Just because HDTV mfrs. are out putting these things in their TV's is basically now just a waste of money, since there is nobody that utilizes the technology. It's going to be a stalemate a while yet as broadcasting companies, as well as film studios won't put the encryption in until everyone has one, and TV / set top mfr's won't add the cards, since it's a waste of money. Since IANAL I won't even get into the logistics of getting something like this passed through proper legal channels and all the hoopla that will create....

This really sucks for local anime clubs

[rsilvergun]

After years without seeing anime (I used to watch Robotech as a kid) I was reintroduced by my local club that twice a month runs screenings for shows unreleased in the states. I don't know how/if these clubs will survive all this DRM garbage. It'd be really sad to see these great clubs go away (some are over 20 years old I think) in 5-10 years because the content gets locked down. I just hope these drm tv's and what not bomb as hard as divx (the original where you paid everytime you wanted to watch your dvd).

Re:Next time they will make you pay for the servic

[MrLint]

This is actually very disturbing to me, looks like hollywood wants to merge its 2 payment models while at the same time removing the consumer decision from the loop. it goes something like this, You pay a monthly subscription for your digital TV signal (probably cable) You pay a subscription fee to use your smart card to wtch the shows you pay for (like satellite tv) Oh and that 'free tv' that gets paid by advertizing,, well that all bonus revenue for the media copmanies because they are just going to *assume* you are a 'criminal' andyou are using your pvr ( that they convienently sell you and chage you a mothly subscription fee to use (because theyhave to off set the prediefined amount of people skipping the adverts, See: the minidisc built in piracy RIAA tax) [and to head you off TiVo provides you with a service for you fee stop shut your whine hole before you open it] So bascially you as the consumer.. you have to buy a big buck digital tv (or a cheaper digital to analog converter foryour old tv, you dont get to control what you watch (really) you dont get to control what you can record and watch later.. and the media copmanies get fatter. and of course the coropratoin friendly FCC doenst seem to mind at all, because even if they get kicked out for conflict of intrst, they get coushy jobs in media. (see: the political/corporate revolving door.) All your money are are belong to us.

I can live with this...

[roybadami]

Nothing too unexpected or draconian here at least at first sight -- surprisingly reasonable, in fact.

This is very much what the home cinema press (here in the UK, at least) has been predicting for years, and it seems to be an improvement on the current impasse.

Currently, you receive an encrypted data stream through your digital cable or satellite system, and it's decoded by a smartcard, but you're never allowed to get your hands on the datastream at all.

Under this proposal, you'll be able to get your hands on the encrypted datastream, and pipe it around your home network, save it to disk, whatever. You'll still need a valid smartcard to be able to decrypt and view it, but you need one now already. It even sounds like they are thinking about not requireing you to have a smartcard for every TV (or keep moving your smartcard about), but instead allow one card to serve an entire home AV network.

As for 'closing the analog hole' with digital watermarking techniques, this really doesn't sound any different from a souped-up Macrovision. We already have analogue signals tagged with a 'do not record' marker, so there's nothing really new here.

Now, there are still ways they can screw this up; I'd really like them to drop the regional coding idea. And I hope that if I record a datastream for later viewing, that datastream doesn't become inaccessible to me if I subsequently cease to subscribe to the cable or satellite operator it was recorded from.

Overall though this sounds promising, and I feel moderately optimistic that this will end up being a system I can live with...

-roy

Re: Will We Need a Smart Card to Watch Digital TV?

[mrkurt]

More to the point, will we need to pay for the privilege of buying the smartcard so we can watch digital TV? IIRC, digital TV was supposed to be a free, broadcast medium, available to everybody, just like analog broadcasting. Why is it necessary to have some kind of technology to control who is watching? More to the point, if the copying of digital content so bothers the movie studios, why don't they just opt not to release their flicks for digital broadcast? Oh, that's right, Jack Valenti and Co. threatened to take their toys and go home from the digital party unless something was done. This really scared the broadcasters and electronics makers.

Apparently, this was that "something." It could be used to extract payments from folks with digital TVs; I guess they feel they can't get these couch potatoes to go to the cinema or get up and go to Blockbuster and buy DVDs. Once again, it's all about control and DRM (Digital Reach for your Money). If these measures are necessary, why is it that the movie studios don't seem to mind if their product (rubbish, for the most part) is broadcast on analog TV all the time? Even after the Betamax case, they don't seem to mind that one can record movies on a VCR-- that is a copy, right? (no pun intended) I am rather surprised that they allow their flicks to be broadcast, rather than lose all that revenue.

All I conclude is that these industries aren't serving my interests as a potential customer. Once again, Big Media has attempted to put their grubby fingers on emerging technology.

What about my material

[gr8_phk]

What about "content" created by others? Do I get to put "copy protection" on my own material? I suspect they are also trying to prevent any new competition. You won't be able to "protect" your (or your companies) content without paying them. Individuals work will not be privy to the new protections at all.

Paul

Future Scenario

[RichMan]

TV: All viewers must insert their identity cards and authenticate with the Viewing System before playback can commence.

TV: This TV can see 4 potential viewers and a dog in the room. Three viewers are on the TSN subscription plan and have automatic access to the broadcast. These viewers have household authentication and have validated within the last 24 hours. Viewing is authorized. The forth viewer, Bob Neighbour has inserted his viewerID(tm) card but not authenticated and will need to authorize the use of credit to enable the viewing. TSN allows dogs to watch Monday Night Football for free.

TV: Viewing paused. Awaiting authorization or departure. TSN thanks you for your viewing habits.

I know why they complain about piracy.

[Quebec]

Distributors claim that piracy is making them lose
big money even if we read about serious studies stating that losses are marginal or non-existent.

But I think I know why, it's because they want to
control the market in order to raise the pricing
of all their products.

In brief they want to bleed us to death and they
know that if piracy is too easy it will flourish
when they raise those prices.

If ever they get rid of piracy one way or another
we will pay the price, those movies will be
unaffordable.

Those big corporations are not treating their
customers as they should.

I hear the people answering to me "It is the
way it happens in a capitalist society" and I even
hear some people trying to tag me as a communist,
to them I answer right now that controling a market is the opposite of a free market and I don't like it.

Big corporations colluding together to create
an environment where the customers are deprived
of features, commodities and freedom should be
considered as illegal because it is the exact same thing as a monopoly.

I get angry each time that I read such news in Slashdot and it is not healthy. Soon I'll be forced to stop reading Slashdot for health reasons.

Come on people, wake-up, some big guys in big offices want to steal you your way of life, they would charge you the air you're breathing if they ever find a way to do it. Tell them now that it is unacceptable.

Re:Dear Hollywood - Get a cluestick

[C0deM0nkey]

My prediction is there will be about 100,000 people in the US who won't switch. A year later, it'll be 2,000 people who haven't switched. 2 years later, it'll be 100 people.

Have you ever stopped watching TV? The hard part is probably the first month or so...after that, it gets significantly easier as you find other ways (most more productive) to occupy your time. By the time you are a season or two out, you don't care anymore and have already replaced your TV time with other activities. If 100,000 people don't switch and remain non-switchers for a year or so, they probably won't go back without compelling reason.

My wife and I gave up television for over 5 years. During that time the only thing we missed was the ability to watch videos in our own home. We bought a TV this past summer for two reasons: 1) I have a son who is going on two years old and we wanted to be able to get videos for him and 2) DVDs offer enough extra value for the buck that we thought they were worth the expense.

We do not subscribe to cable television and do not watch local, broadcast-through-the-air-spectrum-whatever-you-ca ll -it TV either (I think we can get a few local stations in but they are hazy and we never turn them on).

When I stopped watching TV it was because I was fed up with all the commercials, the cost for the value, and the lack of what I considered "quality programming". I missed a few shows (I was a big Trekkie, was just getting really into Farscape, etc.) but I got over it. After the first month or so, I barely even thought about it.

From talking with others who have kicked-the-boob-tube habit, this pattern seems pretty common. Of course, your experience may be/may have been different

codemonkey

Re:Dear Hollywood - Get a cluestick

[Koatdus]

I am already down to 1 show per week (which I end up missing about once a month because I am too busy having a life that night to watch someone elses pretend life).

All my news comes via the internet.

Three predictions for you...

1) In five years one eighth of the population will use a cell phone for their primary number and will either not have a land line at home or will have local service only with no long distance.

2) In five years streaming video will be good enough that video over the internet will be the "TV" of choice for most of the /. crowd and will be making the same waves in the main stream press that Linux and open source is making now. (with the same dire predictions from the entrenched dinosaurs)

3) Said dinosaurs will be announcing a new encryption standard for video which is "Unbreakable! Unlike the last standard which was hacked 14 days after it was announced..."

Question ....

[ProfMoriarty]

Are the big media conglomerates going to strap everybody into chairs like in A Clockwork Orange to force us to watch their drivel?

And what about all of the current analog TV's that are out there ... will it be illegal to own one? Even if you had a digital converter box, that box HAS to output analog signals to a current (non-digital) TV.

Hmmmm ... maybe time to stock up on supplies for the coming revolution.