[mythtv-users] Firewire Port on cable box?

[Daniel Thor Kristjansson]

Yes, enabled but encrypted. Same FCC order both allows the cable
operator to encrypt over-the-air channels and requires them to provide
firewire out for customers that request it. So you'll have firewire out,
but unless you have a relationship with the cable operator's encryption
provider (Motorola, Atlanta Scientific, or Cable Labs) you won't get
access to the feed. All of them require NDA's which disallow open source
development and the first two charge an arm and a leg for access to the
documentation. I think they are hoping Cable Lab's OCAP will take off
and HDTV monitor makers will sign up for access.

OCAP uses a PCMCIA card to do all the decryption so you would rent a
PCMCIA key for each of your OCAP capable TV's from the cable company
that would allow the TV to show cable content sent over the firewire
port. Your cable tuner or OCAP PVR would also need a PCMCIA key.

-- Daniel

On Thu, 6 May 2004, Dan Morphis wrote:
]Daniel Thor Kristjansson wrote:
]
]>  I've been thinking about this. The FCC declined EFF's plea to have
]>  channels available over the air remain free of encryption on cable
]>  systems. So soon everything might be encrypted on most cable systems.
]>  However, I'm wondering, if you had a firewire capable TV could you
]>  just replay the encrypted stream and get to see the video that way?
]>  If so that capability could keep MythTV relevant in the US for people
]>  using cable when ATSC takes over. We can hope Kerry appoints someone
]>  that will undo Powell's damage at the FCC, but even if there is a
]>  less evil* person in that office they will be busy with pressing
]>  issues like stopping the countdown on the elimination of DSL ISPs.
]>
]>  *I don't think Powell is inherently evil, I think he does evil things
]>  because he has a limited understanding of technology and business.
]>
]I can't for the life of me remember where I read it, but I read an
]article either yesterday or today that said the FCC was mandating that
]cable boxes come with firewire ports and they must be enabled. . .
]
]-dan
]