Losing Control of Your TV

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Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday March 4, 2004 @08:21AM from the no-surpise-there dept.

sp00 writes "The MPAA is now trying to prevent high quality copies made from TV broadcasts. The latest anti-piracy move will prevent you from making high-quality copies of broadcast TV programs. And the new "broadcast flag" technology enables all manner of other restrictions. In the future, the Motion Picture Association of America will control your television set."

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Wait a second by Pingular · 2004-03-04 08:22 · Score: 4, Interesting

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the MPAA only control motion pictures? Legally, that is.

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1. Re:Wait a second by garcia · 2004-03-04 08:25 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  They are talking about controlling the "broadcast flag" on movies that are put out over the airwaves. Once the TV monopolies realize what this could mean to them (especially with DVD releases of shows) it will shift to them as well.
2. Re:Wait a second by squiggleslash · 2004-03-04 08:52 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Once the TV monopolies realize what this could mean to them (especially with DVD releases of shows) it will shift to them as well.
  You know, from my point of view, that might not be a bad thing. I don't subscribe to cable/satellite, and generally just watch DVDs and videos. Right now, getting TV shows is awkward - some shows get on, usually many, many years after they've been shown, aimed at a rather small market of diehard fans who are willing to pay up to $40 for a "season" rather than everyday viewers; but the majority are usually not available in any way.
  If TV channels start seeing DVDs as a potential revenue source by default, this will increase the number of programs available on DVD, creating an opportunity for those of us who'd rather not spend $80-100 a month on dross to pick up the occasional boxed DVD set of something we actually want to watch instead. We're looking at cafeteria TV by the back door, essentially.
  And yeah, it sucks if you're paying the subscription and wondering what the hell you're getting for your money if all you can do is timeshift a few hours worth of TV, while suffering hundreds of ads. But there's a solution to that: If you're given a better choice, and to me ad-free programmes I want to see when I want to see them is a better choice, then grab it with both hands.
  Overuse of the broadcast flag may be the death knell for television channelling as we know it; TV could easily end up being as different and as of little importance in the future as radio is today in comparison to its position fifty years ago. This may be a good thing for everyone.
  
  --
  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
3. Re:Wait a second by DarkOx · 2004-03-04 09:25 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Well yea but, its more like $60 a season for most programs other then the cartoons. If I watch more then say four programs the savings over cable/sat are not that big only about 50% and I don't get any of the other benifets like access to news anytime I want and decent coverage of local stuff like city council meetings. Cable TV is one of the few things I pay for that I actually feel is worth the money I spend on it. I will grant you I might not be watching the same stuff the majority are.
  
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  Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
4. Re:Wait a second by El · 2004-03-04 09:31 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Please, remember to share all those DVDs with your friends... in fact, why not form "buying clubs" where each member obtains a different set of DVDs, then every week they pass them on to another member? And while we're at it, lets do this with movies, CDs, and games too!
  
  --
  "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney
What about low-quality copies? by AtariAmarok · 2004-03-04 08:22 · Score: 4, Interesting

Does this include low-quality copies, like standard VHS recordings?

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Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
1. Re:What about low-quality copies? by cdrudge · 2004-03-04 08:52 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Which is easly defeated with an even older VCR (put that old beta machine to use!) or by a 24.95 device.
Not quite by Rick+the+Red · 2004-03-04 08:25 · Score: 4, Interesting

In the future, the Motion Picture Association of America will control your television set.
They won't control my TV set. I intend to vote with my wallet. Of course, I may not be able to watch broadcast TV after 2006 unless I buy an MPAA-owned digital TV, but I don't consider that a great loss.

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If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
TV's future? by FattMattP · 2004-03-04 08:25 · Score: 4, Interesting

In the future, the Motion Picture Association of America will control your television set.
In the future, I don't think the TV set is going to be that important. It's extremely easy to make your own videos. As time goes on people will start making their own high quality content. Those people will find other delivery mechanisms such as the net to get their work out and possible sold.

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Really that big a deal? by pidhead · 2004-03-04 08:38 · Score: 4, Interesting

As I understand it, this is just one more flag in the ATSC (MPEG) stream, since we're mostly talking about Off Air DTV right? Unless the stream is encrypted, unlikely for off-air, you just need hardware that ignores the extra bit.

If it ever gets to the truely annoying point where you can't do anything but sit in front of the TV and watch it real time, there will be a whole slew of hacks to dissable this on your various hardware pieces.

This strikes me as something like the region code for DVDs. Annoying, but if you really care, you can get around it.

Yes, it would be nice to deal with this from the top by eliminating stupidity from policy making, but certainly not the end of the world if it happens.

My 2 cents.
Re:Thank our government for this! by pegr · 2004-03-04 08:39 · Score: 4, Interesting

Pop in a DVD, press play, and you are FORCED to watch the Piracy Warning, and the Company Name banners. Some previews are even hard to get past. This takes up to a few minutes for some DVD's.

...until I found a hacked firmware for my DVD player that makes it multiregion, disables macrovision, and allows my to skip past FBI warnings and the like... (also known as using MY DVD player with MY DVDs in any way I want...) Is it a DMCA violation? Probably... But the more people do this, the more obvious it is that this type of encumberment is NOT what the market wants.
Voting... by GAVollink · 2004-03-04 08:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

Actually, the tide is turning. Remember the Super Tuesday primaries actually had record turnouts.
I'm a proud voter, and I'm happy to see that more people are taking the 5 minutes required to do the same.
And as another post-er already pointed out, the failure of DivX based DVD players was a consumer shug-the-shoulders, "I wonder who would buy that," response. But those consumers did not buy that.
Re:You do have control of the price by FreeUser · 2004-03-04 08:43 · Score: 4, Interesting

Only one problem is that hdtv is government mandated.

Paying money for an HDTV isn't. The government can mandate that HDTV is offered, they can't mandate that we buy it.

Buy a computer monitor instead, and download your free, legal content online. Machinima, Blenderwars, assorted Povray sites, etc. are a good starting point.

Bored? Make your own TV show and disseminate it online. If you're good, maybe you'll be able to sell ad placements (Coke signs in the background a la Blade Runner, etc.) and make a living at it. If not, you have a cool hobby and are helping yourself and others choose a path different than that the thugs with the flack jackets and jack boots are ushering us toward.

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The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
Re:Wrong by mcmonkey · 2004-03-04 09:08 · Score: 4, Interesting

Early adopters are critical to a new product's success.
Ah, good ole days. That once was true. Television, and later color television, spread this way. Early adopters on both sides--folks taking a chance on some new gadget and folks taking a chance on providing content for that new gadget--set the path to a brave new world.
And for many years it worked. Color tv spread; AM stereo radio didn't. Market forces worked, and it was good.
Those days are gone. In the USA HDTV is law. Broadcasters have to broadcast it; manufacturers have to make it.
The market chose CD over DAT and DVD over DivX, but in this case there is no competing technology. If you don't want an HDTV, eventually your only option will be no TV at all.
BTW, if you're planning on buying in the USA a TV 36-inches or larger, and don't want to be forced to pay a few hundred dollars for HDTV hardware you don't need, butter buy before July 1.
Haven't we seen this before? by Cramer · 2004-03-04 11:03 · Score: 4, Interesting

I can tell the future... the broadcast flag will be (mis)used in exactly the same manner as the "fcc" bit in DVDs. The bit that disables the remote while the FCC warning is on screen is already improperly applied to what seems like hours of f***ing previews and other worthless crap on more than just Disney DVDs.

(Incidentally, the previews are a complete waste of space and time as they hold very little meaning years after those movies have been released. How many times do people need to be forced to watch previews for Planet of the Apes?)