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

Jason Gabriele jason.gabriele at gmail.com
Sat Jan 22 10:25:13 EST 2005


The cable card pci cards will probably be sold at the store. They will 
just come with windows software thats all. You wont have to go 
underground to buy the hardware. And as far as illegal drivers, well 
just look at other linux software with less-than-legal status. Some 
distros refuse to ship either NTFS drivers or mp3 playback because they 
were both reverse-engineered. IIRC the gatos project has also reverse 
engineered drivers for ati cards. It depends on how the card works. If 
the drivers only let you do things the cards were made for it shouldnt 
be a problem. As long as you cant steal PPV or encrypted digital 
channels you dont subscribe to I cant see anyone getting too mad about it.

 >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.


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