[mythtv-users] Switching away from comcast to online streams

[jedi]

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 11:21:37AM -0500, Eric Sharkey wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 11:16 AM, Stephen P. Villano
> <stephen.p.villano at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Strange, what cable provider is not permitting someone to use their own
> > customer provided devices?
> > This list is full of users who do use their customer provided devices on
> > various cable networks (though, some providers are incorrectly flagging
> > channels).
> 
> In nearly all cases, set top boxes and cable cards remain property of
> the cable company.  If you want to buy a cable card and own it
> outright without a monthly fee, you can't.  If you want a generic STB
> and find one one ebay or from some other source, they generally won't
> let you hook it up.

    The main problem is that cable operators seek to make 3rd party devices
useless. The whole encryption cartel thing has become a huge mess. The only
platform that is fully supported is Windows and even then I think the only
fully supported application is Microsoft's own. The entire regime is hostile
to anything else. It's even somewhat hostile to Tivo.

    Workaround can be done but they are more complex and more costly. The
simple and direct approach is quite effectively sabotaged.