[mythtv-users] HD HomeRun DVR and MythTV

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 5:25 PM, Kirk Bocek <t004 at kbocek.com> wrote:
.....

>  Can a protected path be created in
> a general Linux environment (as opposed to a closed-source Linux
> environment)?

First step is to get a general Linux environment to implement
a protected path (API) and obtain the required certification(s),
for any app must stand on the shoulders of existing certification.

GPLv2 allows such platforms to exist (TiVo is the proof
by example, and led to the term "TiVo-ization"), but they
are not "general purpose".  With today's EFI boot
loaders and signing, it is conceivable that with (a very
large amount of) cash you could arrange to rewrite
drivers and lock down apis and obtain certification
for a specific completely public source operating system
instance (and that means specific, not user improvable,
not patch-able, except by going through the process again).
All you need is a few million friends who are willing
to lock down their system and pay a few dollars for
the privilege.  Except for the public source piece, those
users are currently called Windows or Mac users.

> Could such a solution ever be added to Myth?

If the OS (and drivers) were certified, it is conceivable that
one could launch a binary only application that was also
certified.  It would not be a "native" app, but it might be
what some would tolerate.

It is (today) what some people do on platforms that are
certified (such as Windows), where you launch another
app to view content that your app is not enabled to access.
Or to activate (via a keypress on your remote) the native
app on their TV to access Amazon Instant Video.

In the end, if you want native MythTV access, you are
likely to be more successful convincing the content
owners to change their content protection requirements.
And that does not seem to be likely at all in the near term
(although eventually the music owners did drop most of
the protection requirement.  All you may have to do is
have patience.  I have been told it is a virtue (I know it is
one I do not have).  Let us see if you have sufficient
patience to wait it out).