[mythtv-users] (US) Goodbye to unencrypted QAM...

Marc Tousignant drayson at net1plus.com
Wed Aug 26 09:49:13 UTC 2009


> Hey all,
> 
> Though I hate to be a bearer of bad news, the FCC made a decision
> yesterday to permit cable MSOs to turn on the limited encryption on
> their "DTA" boxes.  This has some fairly far-reaching implications.
> To put it simply, it permits the cable companies to roll out low cost
> analog terminal adapters and lock down all the unencrypted QAM
> (besides, possibly, the local broadcasts).  I strongly suspect,
> especially given the ominous tone of the quote from the MSO in the
> Update at the bottom of the second article below, that we will see a
> mass rollout of DTAs in most cable markets, and unencrypted QAM being
> phased out.
> 
> I could be wrong, but this article hits all the right keys to make me
> feel that I am not.
> 
> http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=180850&site=cdn
> http://www.lightreading.com/blog.asp?blog_sectionid=419&doc_id=180878&s
> ite=cdn&
> 
> Meaningful quotes:
> 
> "The waivers give Comcast and, potentially, other operators the green
> light to deploy those inexpensive, one-way "channel zappers" (they
> cost about $35 each) with security enabled, thereby sidestepping an
> integrated security ban that took effect in July 2007."
> 
> In the first comment (which was written by the article author):
> 
> "Probably not a huge surprise, but The Consumer Electronics
> Association was a tad dissapointed in Monday's waiver order, claiming
> that consumers will be the ones losing out.  also, doing some checking
> with the MSOs to see if the new waiver order will have any affect on
> thier DTA plans, and at least one among the majors said that "this
> [order] is what we've been waiting for." "
> 
> Troubling news.  If having access to basic cable with the QAM tuner
> you bought in your television means something to you, now would be a
> fantastic time to start making people aware of this.  With analog
> television one could reasonably expect to get the basic lineup by
> simply plugging in the cable-- With this decision, that capability
> seems on the verge of extinction.
> 
> Robert

Already sent a letter off to my Senator.

Marc



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