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High Court Allows Remote-Storage DVR System

Posted by kdawson on from the score-one-for-the-cable-guy dept.

Immutate and several other readers noted that Cablevision will be allowed to go ahead with deploying a remote-storage DVR system, when the US Supreme Court declined (without comment) to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that went against movie studios and TV networks. (We discussed this case a few months back.) "Cable TV operators won a key legal battle against Hollywood studios and television networks on Monday as the Supreme Court declined to block a new digital video recording system that could make it even easier for viewers to bypass commercials. The justices declined to hear arguments on whether Cablevision Systems Corp.'s remote-storage DVR system would violate copyright laws. That allows the... company to proceed with plans to start deploying the technology this summer."

16 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. I don't get... by Darkness404 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't understand why cable networks think that we need to pay for their content twice. I mean, I'm already paying for their content via the cable subscription fee so why should I even have ads? Either get rid of the licensing fees or get rid of the ads. This is like paying for a "premium" website only to get hit by pop ups on every page. I mean, I could even understand an ad or two at the start and after the end of the program, but why do they think they need to have 9 minutes of ads for every show when I'm already paying for their content?

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:I don't get... by QuantumG · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because they can.

      If a significant number of people quit their service and gave the feedback "there's just too many ads for a pay service" then maybe something would get done about it. But they don't.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:I don't get... by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The problem with that is... cable bundling. Theres about 5 networks I watch regularly, and out of them about 2 have way too many ads that I would give up watching them if I could send feedback. However, if I cancel those networks, I end up canceling the 3 other networks that I do watch.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    3. Re:I don't get... by Starlon · · Score: 5, Informative

      That's how Cable started out -- free of commercials. People got greedy though.

      --
      Health Freedom is almost as popular as Freedom itself.
    4. Re:I don't get... by basementman · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually TV and Internet costs aren't that different. I pay a monthly fee for the line that goes to my house for both TV and Internet. When I watch a TV show I see commercials, and when I go to most websites I see ads. The only difference is that TV ads are far more obstructive to the content.

      --
      A Magic the Gathering Article and Forum Aggregator
    5. Re:I don't get... by sangreal66 · · Score: 4, Informative

      While the gist of what you are saying is correct, it is not accurate to say that "Cable companies do not pay networks to rebroadcast their signals." Cable providers pay a per-subscriber fee to the networks they carry, from a few cents to a few dollars.

    6. Re:I don't get... by Cylix · · Score: 3, Informative

      In the US, a cable company cannot re-transmit at will.

      It requires a re-transmission agreement or the broadcast originator files a "must carry" clause with the cable op.

      Must carry is used in place when the cable company does not carry your broadcast signal and they do not want to negotiate rates.

      A re-transmission agreement is simply a contract with whatever terms and length both parties can agree on. Top rated stations generally opt for cash and services from the cable company.

      --
      "You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
    7. Re:I don't get... by CyDharttha · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's how the Web started out - free of commercials. People got greedy though.

      :-)

    8. Re:I don't get... by Greg_D · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's how the universe started out -- free of commercials. But God wanted to watch the thighmaster commercial, and we've been screwed ever since.

    9. Re:I don't get... by antdah · · Score: 3, Interesting

      For someone who only has access to the free channels, I was really surprised when I realised this. I don't get it, the networks expect people to pay them good money for access to their channels and then suffer through commercials?
      And these guys wonder how people have the morale to pirate their shit...

      I just read the other day, but now I can only find this link, that there are studies suggesting that DVR's are actually good (or at least do no harm) to ads. Television Week: Study Says DVRs, Ads Can Co-Exist (television)
      For those of you who understand Swedish: MMS (Mediamätning i Skandinavien) has some info on it, and they also encourage you to visit www.adage.com, I did this, and the results are interesting.

    10. Re:I don't get... by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The problem with that is... cable bundling.

      The problem with that is... YOU.

      If you want the cable company to sell you cable a la carte then you need to cancel your cable subscription, and tell them why.

      By paying for those channels, you are voting for paying for those channels.

      Since people can clearly survive without television, I am not interested in your excuses. When you buy a product you don't want, you clearly are showing us that you want that product. You obviously want those channels, or you wouldn't pay for them.

      If you're getting local cable so you can watch your local community college's educational station, then you have a valid complaint. Otherwise, you are the problem.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Heaven forbid you record a show off of tv! by itsybitsy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yikes you mean you can record a show off of tv and watch it at a different location? Wow what an innovation... oh, wait, I used to do that with Video Tape (VHS) all the time... time shifting shows too... location shifting them is no different...

    Before you know it you brain cells will have to pay a fee for SEEING a show. Oh wait, that's known as a movie theater...

    Before you know it you'll have to pay a fee every time you REMEMBER a show you saw on TV. Now that's scary.

  3. MythTV is awesome by drewzhrodague · · Score: 4, Insightful

    MythTV works for me. It already eats the commercials from the recorded shows, and with simple scripts, I can encode old Star Trek shows onto my iPhone. If you haven't used it recently, I suggest taking a look. MythTV.

    --
    Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
    1. Re:MythTV is awesome by Dan667 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you record it with MythTV and play it back when you want and it automagically skips all the commercials you get to see what you want, when you want. That is unlike services like hulu that force you to watch it only on certain browsers and force you to watch commercials.

  4. No win for the consumer by hamburgler007 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No matter which party prevailed in this case, the average citizen wouldn't win. Both parties are only interested in making money, and as much of it as they can get away with.

  5. Re:Thoughts from the consumer side. by sprior · · Score: 3, Interesting

    More predictions. The cable companies are going to end up recording one of everything so "recording" something on the DVR is just a matter of keeping a pointer, so the next big fight is going to happen when a cable company allows you to "record" a show after it has already ended and the content producers cry foul.

    And more control will be exercised as to how long you can keep a recording. Those Battlestar Galactica episodes you've been keeping on your DVR for 6 months? Um, no.