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TiVo Time Warp Judgment Affirmed

Posted by timothy on from the when-patents-beat-sense dept.

zapakh writes "A federal appeals court this week upheld a lower court decision that accused DISH Network and EchoStar of continuing to infringe on TiVo patents.' This is a follow-on to a Slashdot story from October. Despite a 'Herculean effort' by EchoStar in redesigning its DVR software, the ruling agrees with the district court that that was not a major redesign of the software. The patent in question is titled 'Multimedia time warping system.' TiVo is pleased with the ruling."

8 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Fuck patents. by MrNaz · · Score: 1, Informative

    n/t

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  2. Dump TiVo for MythTV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Pinch more pennies and ditch TiVo for MythTV:

    http://www.mythtv.org/

    If you're a geek and don't know about it, check it! We need more devices with MythTV preloaded on them.

    1. Re:Dump TiVo for MythTV by OzPeter · · Score: 2, Informative

      Tivo are dying, all the cable companies will let you have a box that records simultaneous HD streams ..

      So you are saying that even MythTV is a waste of time because the cable company lets you do all that stuff? You do realize that the cable companies offer you that stuff because you pay for it, and you don't pay cheaply

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    2. Re:Dump TiVo for MythTV by sakdoctor · · Score: 3, Informative

      Cablecard? Is that some sort of DRM device? I'm not familiar with US cable TV.

      I have a DVB-S PCI card for UK Freeview. There are currently no Freesat cards on the market, but I'll grab one when they become available. Freesat is unencrypted so I don't have to worry about that.

    3. Re:Dump TiVo for MythTV by click2005 · · Score: 2, Informative

      There are currently no Freesat cards on the market, but I'll grab one when they become available.

      http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_novahds2.html

      I bought one about 6 months ago but never got around to installing it (no dish).

      Freesat is unencrypted so I don't have to worry about that.

      I think the BBC is planning to encrypt their HD broadcasts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/29/bbc-hd-encryption

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  3. Thank goodness the UK is different by DaveAtWorkAnnoyingly · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm so glad the system in the UK is different. We have a whole raft of time warping products available including the excellent Sky+. Now, i'm sure there are patents on much of the technology, thus protecting companies IP and encouraging innovation, however people are very free to come up with the same idea but implemented in a different way, or buy a licence and save on development costs and time. It's like Dyson and the hoover. The patent is on the cyclone technology, not on "the ability to suck dust up off the floor". Or have I missed the point and just continued the long and quite frankly boring by now patent argument?!

  4. Re:Does mythtv by TheJokeExplainer · · Score: 4, Informative

    "you insensitive clod!" is, of course, a reference to the 1986 Valentine's Day Calvin & Hobbes strip or The Simpsons episode Last Tap Dance in Springfield , wherein Frink exclaims to Homer, "I was merely trying to spare the girl's feelings, you insensitive clod!"

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  5. Re:Maybe I'm not getting it right... by dj961 · · Score: 2, Informative

    From the patent, in the prior art section "However, a VCR cannot both capture and play back information at the same time."
    While your button allowed you to watch and record, you couldn't rewind and record at the same time, which is what the patent claims. Things like instant replay are impossible with a VCR.