[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
More information about the mythtv-users
mailing list