[mythtv-users] Internet TV, was: Comcast Cable encrypted channels

[Brian Wood]

On Monday 03 August 2009 20:58:02 Michael T. Dean wrote:

> I don't know what Cackle is,

Cackle is Sony's answer to Hulu

> but the others are legal and using them 
> according to their terms of service would be fine. 

Aye there's the rub, the TOS for Hulu is highly ambiguous, and I am not 
certain I am following it, because I do not use their "player", the TOS can 
be interpreted as requiring their player to be used, but just as easily 
interpreted otherwise.

I do watch their commercials, they are few and short enough to not be 
bothersome, and some are actually worth watching. I think the ad agencies 
will experiment with new concepts on something like Hulu, while they would 
not do that on the major networks.

> Again, I was just 
> making a general statement that stealing/downloading pirated copies
> isn't the answer.

I agree downloading pirated torrents or usenet stuff is wrong, in many ways, 
and I don't do it. 

>
> > I'd love to see Myth support Netflix, but I doubt it will happen. I
> > haven't figured out how to do it without a Windows machine (albeit
> > virtual) or proprietary hardware. I mean watching the streams, not the
> > queue manipulation that Myth can do now.
>
> Yeah, pretty sure this can never happen.  AIUI, Netflix Watch Instantly
> uses DRMed VC-1 video streams and closed-source decryption.  And, while
> it's possible that someone may crack the encryption, doing so would
> almost definitely be a violation of ToS at minimum and/or the DMCA or
> other laws.  If so, Myth wouldn't include the cracked Watch Instantly
> capability.

Since you can't get the Watch Instantly service without paying for an account, 
I would think they wouldn't care how you watched it, but lawyers often do not 
think rationally.

It's funny, the Roku Netflix player runs Linux, which upsets some folks who do 
not understand that the GPL does allow you to make money with GPL software.

Right now Netflix basically gives away Watch Instantly with their regular DVD 
subsctiptions, a decision they will probably regret in the future. Give 
something away and customers will not perceive it to have any value. They are 
repeating the same mistake the newspapers made in the beginning, and it is 
biting them now.

-- 
Brian Wood
beww at beww.org