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TiVo User's Fears Explored
elrous0 writes "In spite of TiVo's continuing insistence that recent appearances of 'red flag' recordings are mere "glitches," the AP is reporting that customers are beginning to get nervous about the new content-blocking feature added in a recent TiVo upgrade. The story quotes Matt Haughey, of PVRblog.com, as saying 'TiVo would be of limited utility in the future if the studios were allowed to do this with regular broadcast content ... This is like cell-phone jammers. What if you couldn't talk on your cell phone? If customers can't do something with their TiVo that they could in the past, they will stop using it.'" We've touched on this topic in the past.
The AP article seems to be discussing exactly what was already discussed to death both here and on the TiVo-user sites. What's going to be different between this discussion and the linked, previous, Slashdot discussion?
To build your own PVR with MythTV or BeyondTV. It's more work, but you have more control.
noise tripping this flag seems unlikely Other commentary on O'reilly blog
Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
There's also a good article about audio DRM here. It's nice to know that consumers (at least the savvy ones) are already starting to notice that DRM is encroaching on their freedoms.
...just my 2 gil.
Heres some links for good hardware to start with.
2 E16856101111 - I actually use this very one. Comes with some excellent media center software, a remote control, built in stereo Hi-Fi unit (can operate independantly of the rest of the computer). Essentially, you end up with a DVR/Media Center/Hi Fi Stereo unit.2 E16856101233 - Intel-based version of above2 E16814127987 - Reccomended tuner to the above hardware. I use a cheapy ATI TV Wonder that I've had for a few years anyway
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?Item=N8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
You dont need a high power processor, a ton of RAM, or anything beyond the on-board video, unless you plan on doing things beyond DVRing. I have a bit of experience with this, so drop me a message if you want any furter info.
Copyright law forces them to license functionality from Macrovision, who said they would only license their product to TiVo if they put this functionality in, so to answer your question, copyright law plus contract law says it has to be there. Originally, TiVo said that they would only use it for Video-On-Demand and Pay-Per-View, but a bug popped up last week that put restrictions on some syndicated programming (King of the Hill, Simpsons).
More info here.
This sounds so wrong to me. There is no law mandating that TiVo include these features yet. If there was, then every VCR sold would need them too - and all the satellite boxes already sold would be upgraded with it.
TiVo still is the problem. They're doing more to aid the content creation industry than they are for their paying customers. I have yet to hear of any copyright statute in law that says a copyright holder can regulate your use of content after you've purchased it - or received it for free over the air.
LET TIVO KNOW HOW MUCH THIS ANGERS YOU, or you're in line to lose more than this!
Mentioning it to Congress can't hurt either.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
http://www.mythtv.org/modules.php?name=MythFeature s
All right, I wasn't too lazy. MythTV does support multiple tuners.
"Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking
You don't need a few grand to build your own. I started building my own myth box 2 days ago. Got it pretty much fully working last night. I spent $130 on a Hauppauge PVR-350, which has a great quality TV in/out with hardware MPEG encoder/decoder. Since the PVR-350 is doing the tough work, it's a very light load on the CPU. I threw it on an extra P3-450, and live TV (simultaneos record and timeshifted playback) still leaves it about 75-80% idle time.
So you can see the system requirements are very light. If you don't have any old hardware laying around, then even buying some new bottom-of-the-line stuff should do good with this card. Just off the top of my head, $100 each for CPU, motherboard and hard drive, $50 for memory, $30 each for case, CD/DVD drive and a cheap VGA card, plus $130 for the PVR-350, and you are only looking at $570. Actually, if you watch around, you can routinely find 200GB hard drive's for $40-$50 after rebate, so that puts you just over $500....plus your time (whatever you value that at).
That app works awesome on an old laptop I converted into a PVR - BeyondTV choked hard, and MythTV doesn't support my USB2 MPEG encoder.
Your hybrid is not saving the environment. Its purpose is to make you feel good about buying something.
"Exactly why is TiVo adding this functionality? I cannot for the life of me figure it out"
7 .html
It was a licensing requirement from Macrovision
See here http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050914-530
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
As I understand it, this flag is part of the new macrovision system. Macrovision is done using the extra non visible part of the signal (where the closed captioning is...extra scan lines at the end of each frame). There have been tools out there for years that strip out this extra data from the signal (just saw one at CompUSA for $80).
Silly, silly, lad
What do you think the EULA on 99% of the software says:
a) We promise our software will not damage your system or data in a way.
b) We in no way accept responsibility for damage done to your system or data. Install and use at your own risk.
The user agreements are to protect the company's interests, not the user's. The user agreements are to cover their butts, so if something happens they can say "But you accepted the service agreement that says it's alright." Heck, they probably do more to tie the hands of the users instead of the company.
I gaurantee you somewhere in Tivo's agreement (probably somewhere prominent) they say that they reserve the right to modify their services and update their software whenever and however they feel necessary. Almost all service-based products allow for this.
If there was, then every VCR sold would need them too - and all the satellite boxes already sold would be upgraded with it. Actually, satellite receivers have had this for a long time. I've only seen it once or twice, but my receivers have shown lock icons on random shows, and output macrovision when playing them, to prevent recording to VCR.
Depending on how much money you pay for the car, you might be able to travel 10 miles or 100 a day
This already exists.
Look at any lease agreement and you will see milage limitations. Since I commute about 100 Km (60 miles) per day, I am way above the lease limitations.
So I must pay more for the car.
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I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
The PPV and VOD broadcasts are encrypted by [Macrovision's] technology.
Mavcrovision and CGMS-A are not encryption, thus you can totally ignore them if you want to. (e.g. most video capture cards ignore that stuff)
I have yet to hear of any copyright statute in law that says a copyright holder can regulate your use of content after you've purchased it - or received it for free over the air.
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but that's exactly what copyright is all about. Title 17 of the US Code tells you what you may or may not do with copyrighted content without the owner's permission. Specifcally, 17 USC 106 states:
The owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords;
Yes, there are stautory and judicial exceptions to that exclusivity, but there you go.
Si vis pacem, para bellum
The only thing more annoying than a Libertarian is an (un|mis)informed Libertarian
Systm has a show on MythTV in a variety of formats including Ogg Vorbis+Theora. The show is licensed to share under a Creative Commons license, as are the other episodes of Systm.
Digital Citizen
The GNURadio homepage shows samples of HDTV images received and decoded successfully. If we give up because we suspect opposition, we'll surely lose our rights. If we fight technologically and politically through organized action we may secure our rights.
Digital Citizen
Buy a ReplayTV. Tivo isn't the only game in town. Slashdot has had a bunch of Tivo articles complaining about Tivo restrictions. ReplayTV has all the same features without any of that stupid stuff.
Cow Cube
>I have yet to hear of any copyright statute in law that says a copyright holder can regulate your use of content after you've purchased it - or received it for free over the air.
I'm not sure what you mean by this
He's obviously referring to personal use, not commercial use or redistribution or public performance.
So no, in this context copyright law places no restrictions. You do not need the copyright holder's permission to make Fair Use.
US Code tells you what you may or may not do with copyrighted content without the owner's permission.
Your terminology is inaccurate.
By law the previous poster would be the OWNER of the copy of the content. By law the copyright holder is NOT the owner of the particular copy he has. The copyright holder owns the copyright, but he does not own individual copies that he has given away. If you buy a book, you are the owner of they book and you are the owner of that particular copy of that story. If you tape a TV show then you are the owner of that particular copy. You are still of course subject to copyright law, but you ARE the owner of that copy.
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- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.