[mythtv-users] FIOS copy protecting national Fox channels

[Kirk Bocek]

On 7/16/2015 9:38 AM, Gary Buhrmaster wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 3:53 PM, Kirk Bocek <t004 at kbocek.com> wrote:
> .....
>> In all seriousness, how about a letter writing campaign on the CCI=Copy
>> Freely issue. I know it'll make me *feel* better. I've been bummed for a few
>> days reading this thread.
> Reality check time.
>
> You should do it if you think it will make you feel better, but be
> aware of the reality that it is 100% in a content providers rights,
> or a distribution provider, to request/require the content to be
> marked with copy protection.  Few people have cancelled their
> TV contract because ShowTime is marked copy-once for instance,
> and (in this case) Fox has long argued that some of its (especially)
> sports content may be as valuable as HBO.  And companies only
> consider changes if it will impact their bottom line.  So unless you
> are really willing to write to cancel your cable contract over this, no
> one is really going to care.  And, while numbers do matter, even if
> 100% of the MythTV users in your letter writing campaign decided
> to agree to terminate their TV service in every cable provider, it
> would still be noise in the churn rates for the cable providers.  In
> other words, you just do not count (big enough) to invoke change.
> Sure, you might get a letter in return talking about how you are
> a valued customer, and they would like the opportunity to keep
> you as a customer, they are really unlikely to actually change
> anything with your letter of cancellation.
>
> And you still have the analogue hole solution (the HD-PVR)
> which specifies that your content freedom has a known price.
> It is (about) $200 CAPEX and $15/mo OPEX.
>

Gary,
I figured you'd be the icy shower of nay saying. I get all this. I get 
that the monolithic content providers want to DRM everything. I get that 
it's a big bad world filled with oligarchic corporations that pay lip 
service to their "customers" while they really do whatever they want.

But I'm pissed off. I want to do something and I want others to join me. 
Someone said in this thread "... and still I said nothing." Perhaps 
trivializing a far more important subject but apropos to my feeling.

You're the big hammer here Gary. Help us refine a letter that might get 
through to some executives. Help us ask in a succinct and clear way for 
what we want.

And I know you know *they* are trying to close the analog hole:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectable_Output_Control