[mythtv-users] prebuilt pvrs for developers benefit?

[daryl faulds]

--- "Michael T. Dean" <mtdean at thirdcontact.com> wrote:
> Bill Chmura wrote:
> 
> >On Tuesday 04 May 2004 01:54 pm, Jack Burghardt
> wrote:
> >  
> >
> >>How big market is for windows XP media center?
> >>Mythtv box would replace tivo, dvd player (with
> all advanced functions )
> >>gaming console (put sony or xbox emulation ) .
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >The gaming console would be a whole legal snafu
> alone!  There is only a few 
> >public domain games out there.
> >  
> >
> And, of course, there's the whole issue of whether
> the customer has to 
> pay for his or her own international travel...
> 
> At least when trying to offer classes in the US, the
> DMCA (or, more 
> precisely, the MPAA, the DVD Forum, and the DMCA)
> becomes a big problem 
> when trying to incorporate an "advanced
> functionality" DVD player 
> because of the Content Scrambling System (CSS) used
> by most (all?) 
> commercial DVD's.  Remember, it's a federal felony
> offense to create, 
> distribute, and/or *USE* any technology that
> circumvents encryption 
> methods in place to protect copyrighted material. 
> (No one out there is 
> playing commercial DVD's on their Myth boxes, are
> they?)  It doesn't 
> look very professional to have a public class raided
> by federal 
> marshalls--and it tends to scare away future
> customers through 
> word-of-mouth advertising.
> 
> Mike

You raise a really good point. This area is a legal
hot topic. At least in California at the end of
February this year, DVD CCA vs Bunner was decided. The
court finally decided that DeCSS was not a trade
secret even in 1999 and could be taught. 

On the other hand DMCA is a bigger problem, although
DeCSS can be taught, for example:

http://www.mit.edu/iap/dvd

it seems the technical skill level of the audience is
very important.

The federal case against 2600 Enterprises went the
other way because of that. Critical to that decision
was the opinion that here there was no technology
teaching. The court found that 2600 Enterprises sole
intent was to allow DVD buyers to play those DVD on an
unlicensed Linux DVD player. And that goes against the
DMCA.

I'm no attorney, but it seems even teaching MythTV in
an era when obvious consumer items like IR remotes and
printer ink cartridges enjoy DMCA protection could be
risky.







	
		
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