[mythtv-users] OT: CableCard, MythTV, and the Future. Is, there a Future?

[Brad Templeton]

On Fri, Jan 21, 2005 at 09:58:17PM -0500, Jason Gabriele wrote:
> doesnt mean that it wont be reversed engineered. windows media center 
> 2006 will supposedly have support for cable cards so expect to see pci 
> cards out at around that time. maybe someone will attempt to figure out 
> how to get it working. really i think this would be the "killer app" for 
> mythtv (or any other computer-based pvrs)

Problem is, in doing so you are likely to break some law somewhere.

Which scares real companies from doing the work to sell such hardware
to us at a good price.   

Now of course, when it comes to bootleg satellite, there is an industry
with companies willing to take the legal risks, because the amounts of
money are serious; people bootleg satellite packages that cost $100
pre month and PPV costing much more, so they are willing to hunt for
under the table stuff.

But when it's just, "I can buy a Tivo with a cablecard for $X and I can
build a Myth box for a similar amount of money but you have to go
underground to get the cable card" it's not an easy battle to win.

Well, which is why were're trying to change the law, so companies can
make this stuff without fear, and open source tools like Myth can run
on it.

Or we look for loopholes.

Some systems (but I don't think cablecard is as strong as it could be)
do things like include abilities to zap out keys that have been
reverse engineered.

Unfortunately for now, all circumventing of copy protection seems
risky.  The law _says_ that there is an exemption for making compatible
products, but it hasn't been nearly as useful as we would like, DeCSS
remains illegal, even if your only goal is to get Linux to play DVDs.