[mythtv-users] I may have SOLVED the 5C cable encryption - DOH!

[Michael T. Dean]

On 05/10/2007 04:03 PM, Calin Brabandt wrote:
> Yes, this is correct.  There are two applicable parts
> in the regs.  § 76.630 may not help--depending on
> what the cable provider provides under "basic service"
> and what you are trying to record.  
>
> §76.1904(a), below, definitely means HD locals may
> not be encrypted.
>   
...
> From:
> http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?type=simple;c=ecfr;cc=ecfr;sid=73e4c54edd07684fe19cccf7a1107f9b;idno=47;region=DIV1;q1=basic%20cable;rgn=div6;view=text;node=47%3A4.0.1.1.4.23
>   
...
> § 76.1904   Encoding rules for defined business
> models.
>
> (a) Commercial audiovisual content delivered as
> unencrypted broadcast television shall not be encoded
> so as to prevent or limit copying thereof by covered
> products or, to constrain the resolution of the image
> when output from a covered product.
>
> § 76.1902(s)  Definitions. Unencrypted broadcast
> television means the retransmission by a covered
> entity of any service, program, or schedule or group
> of programs originally broadcast in the clear without
> use of a commercially-adopted access control method by
> a terrestrial television broadcast station regardless
> of whether such covered entity employs an access
> control method as a part of its retransmission.

Is that really part of the current law right now? If you read a bit 
farther down the page to which you linked, you'll see:

-----
§ 76.1909 Redistribution control of unencrypted digital terrestrial 
broadcast content.
(b) /Encrypted retransmission. /Where a multichannel video programming 
distributor retransmits unencrypted digital terrestrial broadcast 
content in encrypted form, such distributor shall, upon demodulation of 
the 8–VSB, 16–VSB, 64–QAM or 256–QAM signal, inspect either the EIT or 
PMT for the broadcast flag, and if the broadcast flag is present:
(1) Securely and robustly convey that information to the consumer 
product used to decrypt the distributor's signal information, and
(2) Require that such consumer product, following such decryption, 
protect the content of such signal as if it were a covered demodulator 
product receiving marked content.
(c) /Unencrypted retransmission. /Where a multichannel video programming 
distributor retransmits unencrypted digital terrestrial broadcast 
content in unencrypted form, such distributor shall, upon demodulation:
(1) Preserve the broadcast flag, if present, in both the EIT and PMT; and
(2) Use 8–VSB, 16–VSB, 64–QAM, or 256–QAM signal modulation for the 
retransmission.
(d) /Unmarked content. /Where a multichannel video programming 
distributor retransmits unencrypted digital terrestrial broadcast 
content that is not marked with the broadcast flag, the multichannel 
video programming distributor shall not encode such content to restrict 
its redistribution.
-----

Which allows them to encrypt it if the broadcast flag has been set on 
the content transmitted by the broadcaster??? TTBOMK, the broadcast flag 
regulations have not yet been adopted into our current laws. Did it make 
it "partially" in (i.e. provisions for broadcast flag, but no 
requirement for hardware support for the flag?) or is the source you've 
quoted showing a proposed regulation?

Mike