[olug] Broadcast Flag

Sun May 8 23:09:07 UTC 2005

I think I was misunderstood, I don't mean to replace the converter,  
but to connect to the converter. (However, there is a cable card  
standard in the works.) HDTV is loaded with incompatible standards.  
Take open standards like DVI and Firewire vs encrypted standards like  
DVI w/HDCP Firewire w/ DTCP. Early adopter with a DVI set? Cox box  
with DVI/HDCP outputs? No HDTV for you since you (could) be a dirty  
pirate. Go spend more money now. The FCC said all set top boxes need  
to have firewire outputs. Well, DTCP is in fact firewire, not nothing  
anybody other than a major electronics maker can use. Linux? That  
could be used for piracy!

No, most likely, linux never will be able to capture modern cable box  
style HDTV due to the encrypted connections that are becoming  
standard. The DMCA prevents you from bypassing them. Composite (Y,  
Pb, Pr/Y, Cb, Cr) still exist, but not for long, it's an analog hole  
that must be plugged. Time shifting will only be allowed on hollywood  
approved TIVOs with commercial skip disabled. VCR (HD) and DVD (HD)  
recorders won't exist, since only studios will be authorized to  
record to removable media. This is the war on the  boston stranger/ 
VHS again, but this time, they've got congress on their side, and  
they will win at any cost.

Don't even get me started on how much innovation we'd be seeing in  
wireless right now if the consumer electronics makers didn't have to  
deal with this stuff and we had reclaimed all the bandwidth last year  
instead of years from now. All just to prop up a (comparatively) tiny  
entertainment industry.

So I guess:

Q: Can I tune into over the air HDTV?
A: Yes, as long as hollywood doesn't push an evil bit bill through.  
(ha!)

Q: Can I hook my computer up to an HDTV?
A: For now, until you get a new HDTV that only takes inputs from  
encrypted devices.

Q: Can I hook my Cable/Sat box up to my HDTV?
A: For now, yes. In the future, with only encrypted outputs enabled,  
not if you have an old HDTV.

Q: Can I hook my Cable/Sat box up to my open source friendly HDTV tuner?
A: See Box -> HDTV answer above.

I may have gotten a few standards wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm  
going to be right on all these fronts. I hope I'm not when Dads  
realize they can't record the super bowl any more, but then there  
will be another fight that will take years and years to sort out.

This is all just kinda stupid.

-- Daniel

PS: Barcos?!?! Wow, from the days when men were men and projectors  
crushed your foot if you dropped it. It always made me nervous to sit  
under one of those.

On May 8, 2005, at 3:35 PM, Charles Bird wrote:

> Speaking of inputs/outputs, I was wondering if any of the cox boxes  
> have DVI out, I have a 55" phillips HDTV with dvi in and I'd really  
> like to get the service and have a high end connection to her.  I'm  
> starting to not like the S-Video type of connection.
>
> I also have two Barcos( rgb projectors) I think I need to get a  
> scan converter for those, the one is gonna be my bin/bash screen,  
> not sure about the other right now.
> Maybe Flight Gear(flight sim) display in garage.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brandon Lederer" <brandon at tolkien-movies.com>
> To: "Omaha Linux User Group" <olug at olug.org>
> Subject: Re: [olug] Broadcast Flag
> Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 14:56:29 -0500
>
>
>>
>> My question more was meant towards "These are not meant to replace  
>> the Cox
>> digital cable box"  They can't, as far as I know.
>>
>> On Sunday 08 May 2005 12:03 pm, Daniel Pfile wrote:
>>
>>> It has composite and svideo inputs, but I don't know how that would
>>> work with something like a cox or directv box... Hence my earlier
>>> question it, since I'm an AV idiot.
>>>
>>> -- Daniel
>>>
>>> On May 8, 2005, at 11:31 AM, Brandon Lederer wrote:
>>>
>>>> These cards are only for picking up Over-the-air HDTV as far as I
>>>> know.  Can
>>>> any one correct me if I am wrong?
>>>>
>>>> On Friday 06 May 2005 06:21 pm, Jay Swackhamer wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> (trying not to sound too commercial)
>>>>>
>>>>> If people are looking to get the HD-3000(http://www.pchdtv.com/)
>>>>> cards,
>>>>> and I can get ten or more commited orders, I(as a reseller) can
>>>>> get the
>>>>> OEM cards down to the $150.00 range.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Good news. Now has anybody in the area built and HD-Myth box?  
>>>>>> I was
>>>>>> thinking about getting one of the tuners before July 1, and still
>>>>>> am.
>>>>>> Any good stations we can use around here? What about cox + HD  
>>>>>> Myth?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -- Daniel
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On May 6, 2005, at 12:21 PM, Wes Ferrel wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A little off topic, but since it came up in the meeting, I  
>>>>>>> thought
>>>>>>> I'd drop this for those who may have not seen it yet...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://tinyurl.com/8prxk (slashdot link)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>       Wes*
>>>>>>> *
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> OLUG mailing list
>>>>>>> OLUG at olug.org
>>>>>>> http://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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