[mythtv-users] tv guide line-up free

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/03/2007 05:58 PM, Rod Roark wrote:
> I think we're OK.  DirecTV's terms appear to be plainly expressed.
> The document speaks for itself.  What more proof is required?  Large
> corporations do not give "express written permission" to the consumer
> for anything.  If you've ever worked in one you'll know that.
>   

Though, as a reminder, SD has express written permission from TMS to
allow MythTV users to use the listings data.  (I know that's not that's
not what you were saying, but keep reading.)

> Not all scrapers are illegal.  It's not right to paint a cloud of
> legal uncertainty over all scrapers, nor to hold up SD as the only
> legal solution,

I did not say SD was the only legal approach, I simply said, there's no
need for concern over legality because it was created for, and the
contract with TMS explicitly allows for, use with MythTV and other open
source projects.

I'm not the one painting the cloud of legal uncertainty over scrapers. 
Your lawmakers are.  The companies suing people are.  The courts
deciding those cases are.  I'm simply saying there are no clouds in my
SD-land.

>  nor to insist on "proof" where all relevant facts are
> already available to the world.
>   

Really.  I'm not allowed to insist that the data source /I/ choose to
use can provide proof that my use of that data is legal and authorized?

If you read my original post (notice I didn't say, "re-read"), you'll
notice I never claimed any other solution was illegal (although I will
go so far as to say that unless you have TMS-specific progrm ID's, you
will lose the 3 1/2 years of recording history that I mentioned SD as
maintaining).  I simply said that SD is legal/authorized and I don't
have to worry about whether it is.  Once someone provides the same kind
of proof of legality/authorization for another approach, I'll post
messages saying that it and SD provide worry-free access to data...

And, speaking of which, in spite of all the "FUD-spreading" responses to
that message, I haven't yet seen a single response showing a solution
that provides the same proof of legality/authorization that SD provides
me.  Since I want that proof (since $1000's of dollars of court costs
would cover a lot of months of SD service--even at the "high" $5/mo
rate), I choose to use SD, and I'm benefiting from the higher-quality
data, better lineups, and more accurate listings than I ever had with
Zap2It Labs data.

Feel free to use other sources, but I won't be joining you.  I didn't
build my MythTV system because I wanted to save a few bucks a month over
a TiVo subscription (which actually would have been a lot cheaper than
my Myth system, BTW).  I built it because it's a lot better than
anything else I've found out there.  I find it far to useful and far to
valuable to skimp on data (because without that high-quality
data--including the 3 1/2 years of history), my Myth box is pretty much
useless to me (and I could get the same functionality from a TiVo or a
cable-/satellite-company-provided PVR).

Mike