[mythtv-users] Can Myth 'tune' these 'free' converter boxes?

[Eric Sharkey]

On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 10:18 PM, Ronald Frazier <ron at ronfrazier.net> wrote:
> Wow, where did all that come from?

I'm just frustrated with the media industry in general.  The goal
seems to be to extract money from people without actually selling them
anything.  I find all of these layers of DRM to be deeply offensive
and if you're suggesting that I'm "spoiled" for thinking that I should
have direct access to the bits that I'm paying for, then I take
offense at that as well.

> I wasn't addressing anything about
> what would be ideal in fairy tale land or anything.

Again, I don't think it's productive to think of a world largely
stripped of DRM as "fairy tale land".  That's a defeatist attitude.

> I was addressing
> the simple assertion that companies like comcast adding encryption to
> their feed is going to kill mythtv, which it won't.

That I'll agree with.  It would take a lot more than that.

> before this brief period of
> time of unencrypted digital feeds you needed the HDPVR to do those
> type of things anyway. A year ago (or however long ago it was before
> they started with unencrypted digital signals), your options were
> 1) use an analog card to capture SD content straight from the coax cable
> 2) use a digital card to capture local HD content straight from the coax cable
> 3) use a cable box to decrypt content and capture that via an analog
> capture card (coax/composite/svideo) or via HD-PVR (component).
> IR/firewire channel changing required.

Or #4: use a cable box to do decryption, capturing the original
digital data stream directly over firewire.

If I'm paying for digital cable (which I am) I feel that I should have
a right to access the digital content that I'm paying for.  That means
a solution that doesn't involve DTA->ATD conversion.  This solution
has to be something that allows the cable companies to provide
conditional access such that non-customers cannot access the content,
but should not extend beyond that.  (e.g. attempting to prevent
customers from illegally reproducing/distributing said content through
technical, rather than legal means)  There are several workable ways
to accomplish this, but the cable companies seem not to want it.

Eric