architect and executive, actually. But of course an AC would assume that every unemployed person in Silicon Valley was a technically unskilled fresh college graduate rather than an established technical professional.
Duvetyne is your friend. As is sitting down rather than standing up while watching TV.
But, being a videophile, I'm sure you've actually built your own theater, with ceiling-mounted front-projection unit, real theater seating, fully-lined and properly-lit noise-controlled, electrically-isolated room, 110" electric drop-down screen, full ISF calibration, etc. etc. etc.
No? Then perhaps you should adjust your snobbery down a notch. I know people who have spent more than USD$100,000 doing exactly this sort of thing. Being able to tell the difference between a $15,000 plasma display and a $2,000 7" gun RP display doesn't make you a videophile. It just means you had both eyes opened when auditioning sets.
Actually, you can get DirecTV-HD with a single dish that has a dual LNB (i.e., two concentrators). They're rather common. I see them in many mainstream A/V stores.
However, you are right. Weather can affect the UFS reception of OTA signals, and LOS (line-of-sight) is somewhat important. As is an understanding of multipathing (the signal reflection you get when the signal bounces off objects, resulting in multiple signals and difficulty in locking onto a signal, or having to reorient the antenna, or audio or video drop-outs, etc.).
That said, I'd STILL rather have OTA content in at least 480p than cable any day.
Most (there are one or two high-priced exceptions) OTA receivers are also Dish or DirecTV receivers as well.
For example, I use the $1000 Panasonic TU-HDS20 as an OTA receiver. However, the HDS20 is also a DirecTV receiver. I cannot use it because my apartment is north-facing and my views of the 110 and 119 satellites are obstructed.
Even the low-end ($300-400) HD satellite receivers will also do OTA with the addition of an antenna.
Yes, certain companies are testing HD via cable in certain areas (parts of NYC in particular). However, this is an EXTREMELY limited test at the moment. Most HD set owners will not be able to get HD via their cable provider, and may get confusing answers if they ask about it (many MSO CSRs think HD==digital cable, and will actually argue with you about it if you attempt to correct them).
On the other hand, a vast majority of HD set owners have access to either HD content via satellite, OTA, or both; and almost every HD converter box sold today does both (these days you have to actually hunt for a set-top box that is ONLY a HD satellite or HD OTA receiver. It's been a few years since these functions were performed by separate boxes.)
I didn't mention DTS because most hardware these days does indeed decode both, and my separate DTS decoder doesn't find much use these days, except with my Sony 7000, and DTS is still a relative rarity on DVD.
I didn't mention DVD-Audio for similar reasons. However, I hold both formats in high regard, and I do enjoy DTS-encoded movies immensely.
Exactly. I have hundreds upon hundreds of VHS tapes -- many of which will never see a commercial DVD release. They are either commercially-produced conference proceedings, reserach material, or OOP movies that will just never be released on DVD (e.g., Closetland, Laurie Anderson's Home of the Brave, Mindwalk, Solaris, Stalker, the entire series of Red Dwarf (and all of the episodes pre-BBC-retouch), every episode of Invader Zim, and so forth).
Just as I moved my non-commercially-available-on-CD audio tapes to CD and tossed the tapes to save space, I also want to move my non-commercially-available-on-DVD video tapes to DVD, so I can toss the tapes and save space.
It may not seem like a worthwhile effort to you, but in a small apartment with over 500 DVDs and an equal number of videotapes, the space savings is 2:1 DVD:tape. That's meaningful to me, for both storage and transport.
Further, DVDs have a longer shelf life and replay life than VHS tapes. As my tapes age, I want to protect my investment by transferring them to longer-lived media, particularly if I cannot purchase the commercial DVD version.
I'm talented and command a rather high salary. Rather, I did until I joined the rolls of the Silicon Valley unemployed.
Now, I'm considering the logistics of possibly moving a 56" RPTV cross-country without breaking it/scratching the screen/knocking the guns severely out of alignment.;^)
HDTV is worth it, but you can't balk at spending USD$5000-$10,000. If you're going to "go cheap", you're better off waiting.
I currently enjoy quite a bit of HD content on my 56" 16:9 rear-projection set (Panasonic PT56WXF95A, which does 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i). I get my HD content OTA (over-the-air), using an imported British UHF indoor antenna. The SF Bay Area has about 10 HD OTA stations currently, and more on the way (see this page for info).
At the minimum, you need a set (and I strongly recommend a 16:9 set that's at LEAST 40", and a direct-view set if you go that small. Anything bigger and you should get rear- or front-projection. My set was $3500 new), a tuner (I use a Panasonic TU-HDS20, for which I paid USD$1000), an antenna (I got mine for USD$40).
To this, you may want to add satellite (DirecTV or Dish Network) for additional HD content (such as HD-HBO), or cable...there are a few test markets in which the cable companies are testing HD content over coax. Digital cable is NOT HD. it's not even 480p. It's just digitally-compressed analog.
Further, you'll want a progressive-scan (480p) capable DVD player (I use a Toshiba SD6200 and Sony 7000, around USD$1700 all told. The Sony isn't progressive, though.)
Finally, you can enjoy things like the XBox, which can output 16:9 480p for games.
Of course, with all this visual quality, you're going to want a sound system to match. That means at least 5.1 Dolby Digital, and preferably THX. You're looking at a base of USD$2k for a system and speakers.
Additionally, you're going to need to get your set calibrated if it's a rear- or front-projection unit. A good ISF calibration on all inputs can run USD$1000 and take two days. And you'll want the correct lighting and light control in your viewing area, which may cost you an additional $500-several thousand in screens/lamps/etc.
Last, you may want a "toy" or two. My current toy is a standalone DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR-E20 and a Data Video TBC1000 timebase corrector for videotape->DVD transfer. That was another $1200.
Is it worth it? Every single penny. Is it something you should jump into if the money I just described makes you nervous? Not yet.
I live in one (The Enclave, San Jose -- http://www.theenclave.com). CAT5 drops to every room, RJ45 in every wallplate. Two 3Com CoreBuilders and a Cisco 7500 as the gateway to an AT&T fiber drop from their backbone.
Only problem is, it's expensive ($2000-$2500/mo. for a 1000 sq. ft. 2-bedroom), and the net feed is currently through ATTBI, even though there aren't any cable modems in use here.
Re:I must be missing something
on
Review: SliMP3
·
· Score: 5, Informative
The web feature allows you to control the device from _any_ computer (it's a web server), to easily build playlists and similar, and to provide functionality comparable to similar devices. You don't have to use it. It's just a nicety.
The SliMP3 will also play audio streams (Live365, Shout/Icecast, etc.) as well as locally-stored MP3s.
Does it do something more than my computer? You bet. It lets me listen to all my MP3s, playlists, and streams in my living room on my $5,000 stereo, rather than in my home office on my $200 speakers. I even use it via 802.11b, so there's really no problem with wiring.
It emits three rising tones, identical to those that precede "invalid number" errors. Automated telemarketing tools recognize these control tones and disconnect the call, AND remove the number from their dialing pool, since they think it's now an invalid number.
After the three tones, the phone rings as normal.
Two drawbacks: This won't work with telemarketers that don't use automated tools, and it may confuse people who call you, since their brain may also think "it's an error message, I'm going to hang up now."
After all, who listens to the phone errors? When you hear the tones, you know you're not getting through, so you disconnect.
Personally, I intend to buy this standalone unit, which not only records DVD-R, but also has DVD-RAM functionality, and can be connected to a computer for use as well. I watch most of my DVDs in the living room, and most of what I want to record is either on TV, or available from other equipment that is part of my A/V, not my office, setup.
With Tivos (which run Linux), you can add hard drives as large as you like (though nobody's tried to break the IDE 128GB limit yet). Current owners can put in two 100GB drives, for well over 200 hours of recording capability.
At least in California, stores have no right to search you in this manner, and it's entirely legal for you to walk right out, ignoring these unwarranted searches.
According to California Penal Code section 490.5. (f) (1):
A merchant may detain a person for a reasonable time for
the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner
whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be
detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken
merchandise from the merchant's premises.
...and from (3) of the same part of the code:
(3) During the period of detention any items which a merchant or
theater owner, or any items which a person employed by a library
facility has probable cause to believe are unlawfully taken from the
premises of the merchant or library facility, or recorded on theater
premises, and which are in plain view may be examined by the
merchant, theater owner, or person employed by a library facility for
the purposes of ascertaining the ownership thereof.
So you see, unless they already have reason to suspect you've broken the law, they cannot require you to submit to these searches.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the same (or similar) law would apply to facial recognition. You have no reasonable assumption of privacy with respect to your physical appearance when in a public place (commercial private property included).
Have I set up a modern HT system? I own one. My remote cost $500. My set is a 56" RPTV HDTV. My HD tuner cost $1000. I've got 3 Tivos, 4 DVD players (two of which run over $1000 apiece), and numerous other components. Together, my equipment is well over $10k.
So, yes, I'm well aware of the issues of analog transmission. And I'm here to tell you: It doesn't matter one whit if the "last foot" is all digital. It simply doesn't. Complexity isn't an issue. Noise in the analog transmission isn't an issue. It's not a question of quality.
HDCP/DTCP exist for one reason and one reason ONLY: COPY PROTECTION. That's what the "CP" represents in both of those acronyms.
If you can't figure out how to set up existing home theater equipment, perhaps you shouldn't be spending so much money on it.
My devices do quite enough. I don't need them telling *me* what I can and can't do.
The 5C copy protection scheme -- HTCP -- has been part of i.Link firmware since at least 1999. 5C is a done deal. The equipment hits the market starting now. In 18-24 months, there will be serious doubt as to whether major broadcast/narrowcast events, PPV, and HD content will be viewable without end-to-end 5C equipment.
It's not just Sony. It's *everyone*. Matsushita. Hitachi. Intel. Toshiba. The content producers. The delivery channels. Everyone. See http://www.dtcp.com.
This isn't too surprising. The 5C coalition (includes all major video equipment manufacturers and many content producers) are about to eliminate your ability to record any form of audiovisual entertainment without their prior consent.
How? HDCP/DTCP (see http://www.digital-cp.com/). They will require all audiovisual equipment (your receiver, DVD player, cable box, speakers, TV, STB, VCR, etc.) to connect to each other via firewire, to ensure end-to-end digital transmission.
Why end-to-end digital transmission? Two reasons:
1) They don't want you recording anything without their permission. Content will have a set of bits that define if and how many times it may be copied, and at what resolutions. There's a possibility this new equipment will also incorporate the ability to restrict the number of times it may be viewed as well. The entire bitstream will be encrypted. No "approved" device, no content. Period. And they reserve the right to remotely disable any device at any time.
2) They want to control the AV quality of what you watch. Want to watch Pay-per-view? Great. Want to cough up an extra $5 to watch it in 1080i or 720p? You don't? Too bad. 480i for you. Want to watch the Superbowl in anything other than 480i? Are you ready to pay for the privilege? You'd better be. Want to watch HD content? Better be 5C compliant; they won't allow that over analog connectors at all.
Some people already aware of these issues say "Don't worry; it'll be years before even the first pieces of 5C equipment are available at the high-end, and more years before it's achieved enough penetration to matter."
Perhaps. But the penetration has begun. Sony is now selling the KDP-34XBR2, the first in a series of 5C-compliant sets. It's in stores. Sony's cut a deal with Cablevision to roll out 5C-compliant cable boxes (Sony is a member of the 5C coalition).
It's not a matter of if, but when. A matter of months rather than years.
Yes, the movie industry is all aflutter about IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire). And that's because it's the delivery vehicle for their final and total control over what you see, how you see it, and how much you're going to pay for it.
...it's happening now. Klensin has significantly nonzero sway within ICANN governance. ICANN itself is comprised mostly of intellectual property lawyers and executives who have espoused sentiments closely matching those in this article. Medin, though relegated to a role as figurehead within @Home, has significant influence over strategic architectual decisions within @Home (and subsequently, AT&T Broadband to an extent). AOL-TW stand on the threshhold of acquiring both @Home and Amazon. Microsoft stands ready to yet again "embrace and extend" the software model, the hardware model, and their integration both on local busses and over networks. Couple that with InfiniBand and similar bus-decoupling advances (iSCSI, 10GB Ethernet), and the future is bleak: Corporate-controlled push-only Internet, and the demise of what we now know as the "home computer".
The pieces are in place. At this point, the only thing that will effect change is massive lobbying within ICANN (instead of x00,000/. readers/posters, how about x00,000 concerned ICANN participants?), support of groups like the EFF, and direct lobbying of local congresscritters.
Without it, by 2010, you'll be paying other people for the privilege of letting them decide what you can do with your computer. And Linux won't matter much as a movement, because the control battle isn't on the computer anymore; it's moved beyond the OS. The Open Source movement is fighting a war its already won.
Slashdot Mirror
architect and executive, actually. But of course an AC would assume that every unemployed person in Silicon Valley was a technically unskilled fresh college graduate rather than an established technical professional.
Duvetyne is your friend. As is sitting down rather than standing up while watching TV.
But, being a videophile, I'm sure you've actually built your own theater, with ceiling-mounted front-projection unit, real theater seating, fully-lined and properly-lit noise-controlled, electrically-isolated room, 110" electric drop-down screen, full ISF calibration, etc. etc. etc.
No? Then perhaps you should adjust your snobbery down a notch. I know people who have spent more than USD$100,000 doing exactly this sort of thing. Being able to tell the difference between a $15,000 plasma display and a $2,000 7" gun RP display doesn't make you a videophile. It just means you had both eyes opened when auditioning sets.
Actually, you can get DirecTV-HD with a single dish that has a dual LNB (i.e., two concentrators). They're rather common. I see them in many mainstream A/V stores.
However, you are right. Weather can affect the UFS reception of OTA signals, and LOS (line-of-sight) is somewhat important. As is an understanding of multipathing (the signal reflection you get when the signal bounces off objects, resulting in multiple signals and difficulty in locking onto a signal, or having to reorient the antenna, or audio or video drop-outs, etc.).
That said, I'd STILL rather have OTA content in at least 480p than cable any day.
Most (there are one or two high-priced exceptions) OTA receivers are also Dish or DirecTV receivers as well.
For example, I use the $1000 Panasonic TU-HDS20 as an OTA receiver. However, the HDS20 is also a DirecTV receiver. I cannot use it because my apartment is north-facing and my views of the 110 and 119 satellites are obstructed. Even the low-end ($300-400) HD satellite receivers will also do OTA with the addition of an antenna.
Yes, certain companies are testing HD via cable in certain areas (parts of NYC in particular). However, this is an EXTREMELY limited test at the moment. Most HD set owners will not be able to get HD via their cable provider, and may get confusing answers if they ask about it (many MSO CSRs think HD==digital cable, and will actually argue with you about it if you attempt to correct them).
On the other hand, a vast majority of HD set owners have access to either HD content via satellite, OTA, or both; and almost every HD converter box sold today does both (these days you have to actually hunt for a set-top box that is ONLY a HD satellite or HD OTA receiver. It's been a few years since these functions were performed by separate boxes.)
I didn't mention DTS because most hardware these days does indeed decode both, and my separate DTS decoder doesn't find much use these days, except with my Sony 7000, and DTS is still a relative rarity on DVD.
I didn't mention DVD-Audio for similar reasons. However, I hold both formats in high regard, and I do enjoy DTS-encoded movies immensely.
Exactly. I have hundreds upon hundreds of VHS tapes -- many of which will never see a commercial DVD release. They are either commercially-produced conference proceedings, reserach material, or OOP movies that will just never be released on DVD (e.g., Closetland, Laurie Anderson's Home of the Brave, Mindwalk, Solaris, Stalker, the entire series of Red Dwarf (and all of the episodes pre-BBC-retouch), every episode of Invader Zim, and so forth).
Just as I moved my non-commercially-available-on-CD audio tapes to CD and tossed the tapes to save space, I also want to move my non-commercially-available-on-DVD video tapes to DVD, so I can toss the tapes and save space.
It may not seem like a worthwhile effort to you, but in a small apartment with over 500 DVDs and an equal number of videotapes, the space savings is 2:1 DVD:tape. That's meaningful to me, for both storage and transport.
Further, DVDs have a longer shelf life and replay life than VHS tapes. As my tapes age, I want to protect my investment by transferring them to longer-lived media, particularly if I cannot purchase the commercial DVD version.
Timebase correctors are wonderful things.
I'm talented and command a rather high salary. Rather, I did until I joined the rolls of the Silicon Valley unemployed.
;^)
Now, I'm considering the logistics of possibly moving a 56" RPTV cross-country without breaking it/scratching the screen/knocking the guns severely out of alignment.
I've seen it up close; I've been on their set (I've done a few segments with them this year). It is indeed just an HDTV.
They do. You can. And those that don't can be made to have one with a VGA->component adapter.
My set can do both 720p and 1080i. 720p is better, hands down.
HDTV is worth it, but you can't balk at spending USD$5000-$10,000. If you're going to "go cheap", you're better off waiting.
I currently enjoy quite a bit of HD content on my 56" 16:9 rear-projection set (Panasonic PT56WXF95A, which does 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i). I get my HD content OTA (over-the-air), using an imported British UHF indoor antenna. The SF Bay Area has about 10 HD OTA stations currently, and more on the way (see this page for info).
At the minimum, you need a set (and I strongly recommend a 16:9 set that's at LEAST 40", and a direct-view set if you go that small. Anything bigger and you should get rear- or front-projection. My set was $3500 new), a tuner (I use a Panasonic TU-HDS20, for which I paid USD$1000), an antenna (I got mine for USD$40).
To this, you may want to add satellite (DirecTV or Dish Network) for additional HD content (such as HD-HBO), or cable...there are a few test markets in which the cable companies are testing HD content over coax. Digital cable is NOT HD. it's not even 480p. It's just digitally-compressed analog.
Further, you'll want a progressive-scan (480p) capable DVD player (I use a Toshiba SD6200 and Sony 7000, around USD$1700 all told. The Sony isn't progressive, though.)
Finally, you can enjoy things like the XBox, which can output 16:9 480p for games.
Of course, with all this visual quality, you're going to want a sound system to match. That means at least 5.1 Dolby Digital, and preferably THX. You're looking at a base of USD$2k for a system and speakers.
Additionally, you're going to need to get your set calibrated if it's a rear- or front-projection unit. A good ISF calibration on all inputs can run USD$1000 and take two days. And you'll want the correct lighting and light control in your viewing area, which may cost you an additional $500-several thousand in screens/lamps/etc.
Last, you may want a "toy" or two. My current toy is a standalone DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR-E20 and a Data Video TBC1000 timebase corrector for videotape->DVD transfer. That was another $1200.
Is it worth it? Every single penny. Is it something you should jump into if the money I just described makes you nervous? Not yet.
I live in one (The Enclave, San Jose -- http://www.theenclave.com). CAT5 drops to every room, RJ45 in every wallplate. Two 3Com CoreBuilders and a Cisco 7500 as the gateway to an AT&T fiber drop from their backbone. Only problem is, it's expensive ($2000-$2500/mo. for a 1000 sq. ft. 2-bedroom), and the net feed is currently through ATTBI, even though there aren't any cable modems in use here.
The web feature allows you to control the device from _any_ computer (it's a web server), to easily build playlists and similar, and to provide functionality comparable to similar devices. You don't have to use it. It's just a nicety.
The SliMP3 will also play audio streams (Live365, Shout/Icecast, etc.) as well as locally-stored MP3s.
Does it do something more than my computer? You bet. It lets me listen to all my MP3s, playlists, and streams in my living room on my $5,000 stereo, rather than in my home office on my $200 speakers. I even use it via 802.11b, so there's really no problem with wiring.
Yes.
I hear B.I.O. Bugs are quite hackable, and are based on work by roboticist Mark Tilden.
The SliMP3 is quite hackable, as the code's all in Perl (see the developer's list).
LEGO MindStorms are a perennial favorite, and are extremely hackable.
And let's not forget TiVo, which is a hacker's playground.
Finally, one of the new Compaq iPaqs can be hours of fun once you install Linux on it and begin having wireless fun with it.
It emits three rising tones, identical to those that precede "invalid number" errors. Automated telemarketing tools recognize these control tones and disconnect the call, AND remove the number from their dialing pool, since they think it's now an invalid number. After the three tones, the phone rings as normal. Two drawbacks: This won't work with telemarketers that don't use automated tools, and it may confuse people who call you, since their brain may also think "it's an error message, I'm going to hang up now." After all, who listens to the phone errors? When you hear the tones, you know you're not getting through, so you disconnect.
Personally, I intend to buy this standalone unit, which not only records DVD-R, but also has DVD-RAM functionality, and can be connected to a computer for use as well. I watch most of my DVDs in the living room, and most of what I want to record is either on TV, or available from other equipment that is part of my A/V, not my office, setup.
Wathing CNN right now. Kabul, Afghanistan is being attacked from the air.
With Tivos (which run Linux), you can add hard drives as large as you like (though nobody's tried to break the IDE 128GB limit yet). Current owners can put in two 100GB drives, for well over 200 hours of recording capability.
At least in California, stores have no right to search you in this manner, and it's entirely legal for you to walk right out, ignoring these unwarranted searches.
...and from (3) of the same part of the code:
According to California Penal Code section 490.5. (f) (1):
A merchant may detain a person for a reasonable time for the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken merchandise from the merchant's premises.
(3) During the period of detention any items which a merchant or theater owner, or any items which a person employed by a library facility has probable cause to believe are unlawfully taken from the premises of the merchant or library facility, or recorded on theater premises, and which are in plain view may be examined by the merchant, theater owner, or person employed by a library facility for the purposes of ascertaining the ownership thereof.
So you see, unless they already have reason to suspect you've broken the law, they cannot require you to submit to these searches.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the same (or similar) law would apply to facial recognition. You have no reasonable assumption of privacy with respect to your physical appearance when in a public place (commercial private property included).
Have I set up a modern HT system? I own one. My remote cost $500. My set is a 56" RPTV HDTV. My HD tuner cost $1000. I've got 3 Tivos, 4 DVD players (two of which run over $1000 apiece), and numerous other components. Together, my equipment is well over $10k.
So, yes, I'm well aware of the issues of analog transmission. And I'm here to tell you: It doesn't matter one whit if the "last foot" is all digital. It simply doesn't. Complexity isn't an issue. Noise in the analog transmission isn't an issue. It's not a question of quality.
HDCP/DTCP exist for one reason and one reason ONLY: COPY PROTECTION. That's what the "CP" represents in both of those acronyms.
If you can't figure out how to set up existing home theater equipment, perhaps you shouldn't be spending so much money on it.
My devices do quite enough. I don't need them telling *me* what I can and can't do.
The 5C copy protection scheme -- HTCP -- has been part of i.Link firmware since at least 1999. 5C is a done deal. The equipment hits the market starting now. In 18-24 months, there will be serious doubt as to whether major broadcast/narrowcast events, PPV, and HD content will be viewable without end-to-end 5C equipment.
It's not just Sony. It's *everyone*. Matsushita. Hitachi. Intel. Toshiba. The content producers. The delivery channels. Everyone. See http://www.dtcp.com.
This isn't too surprising. The 5C coalition (includes all major video equipment manufacturers and many content producers) are about to eliminate your ability to record any form of audiovisual entertainment without their prior consent.
How? HDCP/DTCP (see http://www.digital-cp.com/). They will require all audiovisual equipment (your receiver, DVD player, cable box, speakers, TV, STB, VCR, etc.) to connect to each other via firewire, to ensure end-to-end digital transmission.
Why end-to-end digital transmission? Two reasons:
1) They don't want you recording anything without their permission. Content will have a set of bits that define if and how many times it may be copied, and at what resolutions. There's a possibility this new equipment will also incorporate the ability to restrict the number of times it may be viewed as well. The entire bitstream will be encrypted. No "approved" device, no content. Period. And they reserve the right to remotely disable any device at any time.
2) They want to control the AV quality of what you watch. Want to watch Pay-per-view? Great. Want to cough up an extra $5 to watch it in 1080i or 720p? You don't? Too bad. 480i for you. Want to watch the Superbowl in anything other than 480i? Are you ready to pay for the privilege? You'd better be. Want to watch HD content? Better be 5C compliant; they won't allow that over analog connectors at all.
Some people already aware of these issues say "Don't worry; it'll be years before even the first pieces of 5C equipment are available at the high-end, and more years before it's achieved enough penetration to matter."
Perhaps. But the penetration has begun. Sony is now selling the KDP-34XBR2, the first in a series of 5C-compliant sets. It's in stores. Sony's cut a deal with Cablevision to roll out 5C-compliant cable boxes (Sony is a member of the 5C coalition).
It's not a matter of if, but when. A matter of months rather than years.
Yes, the movie industry is all aflutter about IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire). And that's because it's the delivery vehicle for their final and total control over what you see, how you see it, and how much you're going to pay for it.
Actually, I just tried both p2p and starmode with my Merlin 128kbps card. Worked just fine.
...it's happening now. Klensin has significantly nonzero sway within ICANN governance. ICANN itself is comprised mostly of intellectual property lawyers and executives who have espoused sentiments closely matching those in this article. Medin, though relegated to a role as figurehead within @Home, has significant influence over strategic architectual decisions within @Home (and subsequently, AT&T Broadband to an extent). AOL-TW stand on the threshhold of acquiring both @Home and Amazon. Microsoft stands ready to yet again "embrace and extend" the software model, the hardware model, and their integration both on local busses and over networks. Couple that with InfiniBand and similar bus-decoupling advances (iSCSI, 10GB Ethernet), and the future is bleak: Corporate-controlled push-only Internet, and the demise of what we now know as the "home computer".
/. readers/posters, how about x00,000 concerned ICANN participants?), support of groups like the EFF, and direct lobbying of local congresscritters.
The pieces are in place. At this point, the only thing that will effect change is massive lobbying within ICANN (instead of x00,000
Without it, by 2010, you'll be paying other people for the privilege of letting them decide what you can do with your computer. And Linux won't matter much as a movement, because the control battle isn't on the computer anymore; it's moved beyond the OS. The Open Source movement is fighting a war its already won.